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Ancient fire pits were sometimes built from the floor, in caves, or in the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of premature indoor fire pits was that they produced hazardous or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where an open flame burnt with the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain would not enter.

Additionally during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from dispersing a room and vent it outside through a wall or roof. These could be put against stone walls, rather than taking up the center of the room, and this enabled smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably 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 conveniently. They did not 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. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a longer area at the top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected to the room. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more traditional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was still placed on supplying quality stone. Stone fireplaces now were a sign of prosperity, which to a degree is still the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, based on the plan.

Historically they have been utilized for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses. A fireplace might have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used in laundry and kitchen fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there's frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting courses of brick act as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.

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

Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.

Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, some states and local counties have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control issues due to the amount of moisture that they release in the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed in the place that's 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, ranging between states, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in current Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, along with fire puppies, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes utilized to catch and re-radiate warmth, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more individuals to gather around it.

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

From the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of 2 parts, the surround as well as the add. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. 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 into houses.

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Some fireplace units incorporate a blower that transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be increased by means of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to heat the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so as the 15th century. The best method to estimate the output of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is provided through a large glass while the flame is burning. During this time the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace inserts electric