Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the floor, within caves, or in the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor fire pits was that they produced toxic and/or annoying smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open flame 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 throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from dispersing a room and vent it outside via a ceiling or wall. These could be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the middle of the space, and this enabled smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke out. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general usage instantly, however, as they were expensive to develop and maintain.In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a longer area at the top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing the smoke up and out of the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's design is the basis for modern kitchens.
Instead it relied on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign of prosperity, which to some degree is still the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based upon the design.Historically they have been utilized for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses. A fireplace may have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (utilized in laundry and kitchen fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.
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On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, in which the casting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the 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 good for you.Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with 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.
Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and propane fuel sources. In the United States, several states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control problems due to the quantity of moisture that they release into the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.
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As time passes, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to contemporary fireplaces. They were used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were generally centered within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.
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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace designers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.
From the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of two components, the surround as well as the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, marble or granite. The insert was fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to add a cozy ambiance to homes.Gas Inserts Bellevue Fireplace Shop Video
Some fireplace components incorporate a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced 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 though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the effect of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to heat the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so as the 15th century. The ideal way to estimate the output of a fireplace is if you notice you are 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 at least 80% (legal minimum requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first phase the first heat is offered through a large glass while the fire is burning. During this time period the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.regency fireplace
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