Ancient fire pits were sometimes built from the floor, in caves, or at the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they produced hazardous or irritating smoke within the house.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where an open flame burnt with all the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow would not enter.
Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from dispersing a room and vent it out via a ceiling or wall. These can be put against stone walls, instead of taking up the middle of the room, and this enabled smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general use immediately, however, since they were expensive to develop 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 improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a longer area at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing the smoke up and from the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected to the room. Rumford's design is the basis for modern fireplaces.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more traditional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it depended on simple designs with little unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was still placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces now were a sign of wealth, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, based upon the design.Historically they have been used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses.
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On the exterior there's frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick act as a drip course 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 than with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the most violent rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.
Organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to various studies, fireplaces can pose a substantial health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not good for you.Types of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for either gas or wood 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 restricting these kinds of fireplaces. They need to be properly sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality control problems due to the amount of moisture they release in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed in the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.
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Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They have been 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 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 style of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.
By the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of two parts, the surround and the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The fit was fire burnt, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.Hover to Zoom / Click to Enlarge Video
Some fireplace units include a blower which transfers 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 can also be enhanced by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal which 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 although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to warm the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so since the 15th century. The ideal way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat up or down.
Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum necessity for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a large glass while the flame is burning. In this time the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then equally radiated for many hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just provide heat radiated from its surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace media console
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