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Historical fire pits were sometimes built from the floor, in caves, or in the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of premature indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or irritating smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where a open fire burnt with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain wouldn't enter.

Additionally during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it out through a wall or roof. These can be placed against stone walls, instead of taking up the center of the room, and this enabled smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke out. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general use immediately, however, since they were expensive to develop and maintain.

Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a longer area at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern kitchens.

Rather it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now were a sign of prosperity, which to some degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, based upon the design.

Historically they were utilized for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses.

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On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, in which 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 from the exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the most violent rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.

Organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to various studies, fireplaces can pose a significant health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not good for you.

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

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. In the United States, some states and local businesses have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality management problems due to the quantity of moisture they release into the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed in the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in recent Western cultures comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire dogs, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel for a fire. Heavy metal firebacks are occasionally used to capture 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 include embers, soot and ash. Other wider accessories may include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and more.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits than modern fireplaces. They were used for warmth on cold days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more people to gather around it.

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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace performers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their size.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of 2 parts, the surround as well as the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, granite or marble. The insert was fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.

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Some fireplace components include a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but can also be manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency 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 method to estimate the output of a fireplace is if you notice you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum necessity for example in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a big glass while the fire is burning. During this time period the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only offer heat radiated from its surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.wall mounted fireplace