Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed in the floor, in caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames 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 grown into elevated hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where a open fire burnt with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain wouldn't enter.
Additionally during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it outside through a ceiling or wall. These could be put against stone walls, rather than taking up the middle of the room, and this allowed smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to give the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general use instantly, however, as 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. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a lengthier place at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern fireplaces.
Rather it relied on simple layouts with little unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a sign of prosperity, which to a degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based 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 alternative flue allows exhaust to escape.
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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 hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the cap or crown.
Organizations like the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to different studies, fireplaces can pose a substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not good for you.Types of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.
Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, some states and local businesses have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture that they release in the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.
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As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They were used for heat on cold days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were generally centered within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.
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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace performers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.
From the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of two components, the surround and the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The fit was where the fire burned, and was built of cast iron often backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.Belham Living Palmer Fireplace Mantel Shelf Fireplace Mantels Surrounds at Hayneedle Video
Some fireplace components include a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also enhanced with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal which 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 complicated concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to warm the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so since the 15th century. The ideal way to estimate the output of a fireplace is if you detect you're turning the thermostat down or up.
Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may 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 system in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is provided through a large glass 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 stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window just provide heat radiated from its surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace mantel shelf
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