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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, in caves, or in the center of a hut or home. Evidence of ancient, 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 house.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in buildings, but venting smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open flame burned with the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain would not enter.

Additionally during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from dispersing an area and vent it out via a wall or roof. These could be put against rock walls, instead of taking up the middle 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 issue of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general usage immediately, however, as they were more expensive to develop and maintain.

Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a lengthier place on very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected into the room. Rumford's design is the basis for modern fireplaces.

Rather it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces now have been a symbol of prosperity, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, depending upon the plan.

Historically they were used for heating a dwelling, 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 act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside 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 metallic liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the most violent rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

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

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

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality control problems due to the quantity of moisture that they release into 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 totally sealed in the area that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in recent Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, along with fire puppies, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate warmth, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames set before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash. Other wider accessories may include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and more.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to modern 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 usually based within a room, allowing more people to collect around it.

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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace designers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design that was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with a emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their size.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of two components, the surround and the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, granite or marble. The fit was where the fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron often backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era 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 decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced by means of a fireback, a sheet 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 notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to warm the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so since the 15th century. The ideal method to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice you're turning the thermostat up or down.

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 altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is offered through a large glass window while the fire is burning. During this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only offer heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace grate