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Historical fire pits were sometimes built in the floor, within caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor fire pits was that they generated hazardous or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where an open fire burnt with all the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain wouldn't enter.

Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from dispersing an area and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These could be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the room, and this allowed smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from 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 also made it possible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general usage immediately, however, since they were expensive to build and maintain.

Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a lengthier place on top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and from the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected to the room. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern kitchens.

Instead it relied on simple designs with little 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 were a sign of prosperity, which to a degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a room. 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 alternative flue allows exhaust to escape.

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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 functions to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much 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. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the cap or crown.

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

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

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 counties have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. They must be properly sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality control issues due to the quantity of moisture they discharge into the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed in the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesA wide assortment of accessories are used with fireplaces, which range between states, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in current Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire dogs, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel for a fire. Heavy metal firebacks are occasionally utilized to catch and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes. Other wider accessories may include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and more.

As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits than modern fireplaces. They were used for heat on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more people to collect around it.

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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace designers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.

From the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of 2 components, the surround as well as the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was fire burnt, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to add a cozy ambiance to houses.

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Some fireplace units include 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 can also be 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 produced from cast iron, but can also be made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to warm the air. The ideal way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice you are turning the thermostat up or down.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess 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 designed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first stage the first heat is provided through a large glass window while the flame is burning. In this time period the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just offer heat radiated from its surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace makeover