Fireplace Maintenance Checklist Bob Vila

Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the floor, within caves, or at the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated hazardous or irritating smoke inside the house.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in structures, but venting smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where an open flame burned with the smoke rising to the port 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 spreading through a room and vent it outside through a wall or roof. These could be placed against stone walls, instead of taking up the center of the space, and this allowed smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general use immediately, however, as they were more expensive to build and maintain.

The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a longer place at the top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing the smoke up and out of the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected to the room. Rumford's design is the basis for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more traditional spectra based on rock and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it depended on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign of wealth, which to some degree is still the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, depending on the design.

Historically they were used for heating a dwelling, 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. A fireplace may have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

Related Images with Fireplace Maintenance Checklist Bob Vila

1000+ ideas about Country Fireplace on Pinterest Mantles, Fireplace ideas and Mantels

On the exterior there's frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick function as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A cap, hood, or shroud serves to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, which divides up all but the most violent rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

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

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

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and propane 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 restricting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control issues due to the quantity of moisture they discharge in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

Fireplaces Outdoor Kitchens LanChester Grill Hearth

AccessoriesA vast assortment 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, pellet baskets, and fire dogs, all which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate warmth, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames set before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ashes.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to contemporary 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 home. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more individuals to gather around it.

Barbara Jean Outdoor Linear Fireplaces Toronto Best Price

Nice Fireplaces Pictures 8 Gas Fireplace Fire NeilTortorella.com

Many flaws were found in early fireplace designs. 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 lit, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.

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 fire burnt, and was built of cast iron often backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to add a cozy ambiance to homes.

Nice Fireplaces Pictures 8 Gas Fireplace Fire NeilTortorella.com Video

Some fireplace components include a blower that transports 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 increased with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but can also be manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to heat the air. The ideal method to gauge the output of a fireplace is in case you notice you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes developed 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 large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first stage the first heat is provided through a big glass window while the fire is burning. During this time the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace pictures