IHP Superior WRT6036IH 36quot; Masonry Wood Fireplace

Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, within caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor flame pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where an open fire burned with the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain would not enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through an area and vent it out through a wall or roof. These could be placed against stone walls, instead of taking up the middle of the space, and this enabled smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general use instantly, however, as they were more expensive to develop and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a longer place at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing up the smoke and from the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected into the space. Rumford's design is the basis for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more conventional spectra based on rock and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it relied on simple layouts with little unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time were a sign of wealth, which to a degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, depending on the plan.

Historically they were utilized for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows exhaust to escape. A fireplace may have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that divides up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the cap or crown.

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

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for 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 gas fireplaces.

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and propane fuel sources. Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, some states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture that they discharge into the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesA vast assortment of accessories are used with fireplaces, ranging between states, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in current Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire dogs, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes utilized to catch and re-radiate warmth, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash. For fireplace tending, tools include pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument stands.

As time passes, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to contemporary fireplaces. They were used for heat on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were generally based within a room, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace designers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, instead of their size.

From the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of 2 parts, the surround and the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, granite or marble. The insert was where the 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 believed to bring a cozy ambiance into homes.

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Some fireplace units include a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal that sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but can also be made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact 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 signal of a fireplace is in case you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is provided through a large glass while the flame is burning. In this time the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only offer heat radiated from its surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.superior fireplace