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Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the floor, within caves, or in the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or irritating smoke within the house.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where a open flame burnt with all 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 wouldn't enter.

Also during 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 rock walls, instead of taking up the center of the space, and this enabled smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke out. They made it feasible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general usage immediately, however, as they were more 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. The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a lengthier area on top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing up the smoke and from the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the room. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more conventional spectra based on rock and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it depended on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a symbol of wealth, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, based on the design.

Historically they were used for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry 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's often a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting courses of brick function as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that divides up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

Organizations like the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to different studies, fireplaces can pose a substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not great for you.

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

Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. They need to be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality control problems because of the amount of moisture they discharge into the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in recent Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire puppies, all which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes used to catch and re-radiate warmth, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes. For fireplace tending, tools comprise pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument stands.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They have been used for heat on cold days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were usually based within a room, allowing more people to gather around it.

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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace designers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of two components, the surround as well as the add. The encircle consisted 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 heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance to houses.

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Some fireplace components include a blower that transports 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 is also enhanced by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal that sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made 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 just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to warm the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so as the 15th century. The best method to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered 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 big glass window while the fire is burning. During this time the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.astria fireplace