How to Decorate a Mantel

Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the floor, within caves, or at the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor fire pits was that they produced hazardous or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in structures, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open fire burnt with all the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain would not enter.

Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from dispersing an area and vent it out through a wall or roof. These can be put against stone walls, instead of taking up the middle of the room, and this allowed smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general usage instantly, however, since they were more expensive to develop and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a longer area at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing the smoke up and from the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

Instead it depended on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was still placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a symbol of wealth, which to some degree is still the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, based upon the plan.

Historically they have been utilized for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or alternative flue allows exhaust to escape.

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On the exterior there's frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not good for you.

Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.A few types are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electrical mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. In the United States, some states and local counties have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. They need to be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality management problems due to the amount of moisture they discharge into the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesA wide assortment of accessories are used with fireplaces, which range between countries, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in current Western cultures comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, along with fire dogs, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are occasionally utilized to catch and re-radiate warmth, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames set in front of the fireplace to include embers, soot and ashes. Other wider accessories may consist of log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and much more.

As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for heat on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.

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Many flaws were found in early fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace performers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround as well as the insert. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was fire burnt, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to add a cozy ambiance to homes.

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Some fireplace components incorporate a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated area and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal which sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but are also made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to warm the air. The best way to gauge the output of a fireplace is in case you detect you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is offered through a big glass while the flame is burning. During this time the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace mantel decor