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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, in caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor flame pits was that they generated hazardous or irritating smoke inside the house.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open flame burned with all the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain wouldn't enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it out via a wall or roof. These can be placed against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the room, and this allowed smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general usage immediately, however, as they were expensive to develop 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 important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer area at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing the smoke up and from the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected into the space. Rumford's design is the basis for modern fireplaces.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more traditional spectra based on rock 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, where the emphasis was placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces at this time were a symbol of wealth, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, based upon the plan.

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

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On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick function as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, 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 than with the standard masonry chimney, which divides up all but the most violent rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the cap or crown.

The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not good for you.

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.

In the USA, some states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture that they release in the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that's heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesA wide range of accessories are used with fireplaces, ranging between countries, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in recent Western cultures comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, along with fire puppies, all of 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 metallic firebacks are occasionally used to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes.

As time passes, 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 chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a space, allowing more people to collect 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 performers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.

From the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround and the add. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to add a cozy ambiance into homes.

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Some fireplace units incorporate a blower that transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased by means of a fireback, a piece of metal that sits behind the flame 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 though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider just the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to heat the atmosphere. The best method to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is if you detect you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first phase the first heat is provided through a large glass while the fire is burning. During this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only offer heat radiated from its surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.astria fireplace