DIY Fireplace Mantel The Idea Room

Ancient fire pits were sometimes built from the floor, within caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or irritating smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open flame burnt with the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow wouldn't enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to stop smoke from dispersing an area and vent it out through a wall or roof. These could be put against stone walls, instead of taking up the middle of the space, and this enabled smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general use immediately, however, since they were expensive to build and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised 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 enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a lengthier area at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing the smoke up and from the building. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected into the room. Rumford's design is the basis for modern kitchens.

Rather it depended on simple layouts with little unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was still placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now were a sign of wealth, which to a degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending upon the design.

Historically they were utilized for heating a home, 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 is often 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 out of the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that divides up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.

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

Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, some states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality management problems due to the quantity of moisture that they discharge in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in current Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire puppies, all of 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 metallic firebacks are occasionally used to catch and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash. For fireplace tending, tools include pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument stands.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to contemporary fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on cold 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 space, allowing more individuals to gather around it.

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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace performers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround and the add. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, marble or granite. 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.

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Some fireplace components include a blower which transfers 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 with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the fire 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 notion although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to heat the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so as the 15th century. The best method to gauge the output of a fireplace is in case you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most elderly fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is offered through a big glass while the fire is burning. During this time the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only offer heat radiated from its surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace mantel