Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, within caves, or at the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated hazardous or irritating smoke within the house.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where an open fire burned with all 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 wouldn't enter.
Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to stop smoke from spreading through an area and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These could be put against stone walls, instead of taking up the middle of the space, and this enabled smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke out. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general usage instantly, however, since they were 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 which greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a lengthier place at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing up the smoke and from the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected to the space. Rumford's design is the basis for modern kitchens.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more conventional spectra based on rock and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it depended on simple layouts 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 supplying quality stone. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a symbol of wealth, which to some degree is still the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, based 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. A fireplace may have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (utilized in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.
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On the exterior there is frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick function 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 in the chimney is a far greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that divides up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.
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 threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not good for you.Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of sheet metal or glass fire boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for either wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.A couple of types are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.
Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, some states and local counties have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality control problems because of the amount of moisture that they discharge into the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.
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As time passes, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on cold days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more individuals to gather around it.
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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace performers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.
By the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of 2 parts, the surround and the insert. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The fit was fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.10 Tips for Maintaining a WoodBurning Fireplace DIY Video
Some fireplace units incorporate a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased 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 produced from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated notion 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, intended to heat the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so since the 15th century. The ideal 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 comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, allowing 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. During this time the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only offer heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.wood fireplace
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