Modern Fireplaces: Rustic + Refined Studio MM Architect

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 early indoor fire pits was that they generated hazardous or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in structures, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where an open fire 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 rain and snow would not enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from dispersing an area and vent it out through a wall or roof. These can be put against rock walls, instead of taking up the middle of the space, and this enabled smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the issue of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general usage instantly, however, since they were more expensive to build 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 that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer area on top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing up the smoke and out of the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected to the room. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more traditional spectra based on stone and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it depended 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 placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces now have been a symbol of wealth, which to a degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, based on the plan.

Historically they were used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses. A fireplace may have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (used in laundry and kitchen 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 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 serves to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. A few 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 substantial health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not great for you.

Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.A couple of kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electrical mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing gas fireplaces.

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 kinds of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality management issues because of the amount of moisture that they release into the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the area that's heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

Outdoor Fireplaces

AccessoriesFor the interior, common in current Western civilizations comprise 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 retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are occasionally utilized to catch and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash. Other wider accessories can consist of log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and much more.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits than modern fireplaces. They have been used for heat on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace performers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their size.

From the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of 2 components, the surround as well as 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. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into homes.

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Some fireplace units incorporate a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also enhanced by means 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 are also made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider just the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to warm the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so since the 15th century. The best way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case 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 though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large 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 phase the first heat is offered through a large glass while the flame is burning. In this time period the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just offer heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.outside fireplace