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 drawback of premature indoor flame pits was that they produced toxic and/or irritating smoke within the house.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in structures, but venting smoke depended on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where a open fire burned with the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during 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 devised to prevent smoke from dispersing a room and vent it outside through a ceiling or wall. These could be placed against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the room, and this allowed smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general usage instantly, however, since they were expensive to develop and maintain.The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a longer area at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing up the smoke and from the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected to the space. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern kitchens.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more conventional spectra based on stone and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather 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 still placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time were a sign of prosperity, which to a degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, depending upon the design.Historically they were used 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 other flue allows exhaust to escape.
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On the exterior there is frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip route 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 far larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.
Organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to different studies, fireplaces could pose a significant health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not good for you.Types of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made out of sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.A couple of kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.
Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. 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 businesses have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control issues because of the quantity of moisture that they discharge into the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.
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Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to contemporary 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 home. 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 was smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.
From the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of two parts, the surround and the insert. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, marble or granite. The fit was where the fire burnt, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.72quot; Fresno White Electric Media Fireplace Video
Some fireplace units incorporate a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also enhanced with the use 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 complicated notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to warm the air. The best way 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 rating. 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 altered by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first stage the first heat is offered through a big glass window while the flame is burning. During this time period the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.media fireplace
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