Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, within caves, or at the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they produced hazardous or annoying smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in structures, but venting smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where an open flame burned with all the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain wouldn't enter.
Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from spreading through a room 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 enabled smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general usage instantly, however, as they were expensive to build and maintain.In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer place on top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing the smoke up and from the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the room. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern fireplaces.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more traditional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it relied on simple designs with little unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now have been a symbol of prosperity, which to a degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, depending upon the design.Historically they have been used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fireplace might have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, home 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 frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick function as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the most violent rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.
The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not great for you.Types of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made out of sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electrical 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. In the United States, some states and local counties have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality control issues due to the quantity of moisture that they release in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are safety 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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As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits than modern fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were generally centered within a room, allowing more individuals to collect around it.
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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace performers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.
From the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of 2 parts, the surround as well as the insert. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was where the fire burned, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to add a cozy ambiance into houses.Rumford Fireplaces Video
Some fireplace units include a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced by means of a fireback, a piece of metal that 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 complicated concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the effect of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to warm the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so since the 15th century. The best method to estimate the output of a fireplace is if you detect you are turning the thermostat down or up.
Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a large glass while the flame is burning. During this time period the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace pictures
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