Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the floor, in caves, or in the center of a hut or home. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of premature indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where a open flame burned with the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain would not enter.
Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from dispersing an area and vent it out via a wall or roof. These can be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the center of the space, and this allowed smaller chambers to be heated.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 feasible 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, as they were expensive to develop and maintain.In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a longer area at the very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing up the smoke and from the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected into the room. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern kitchens.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more traditional spectra based on stone and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it depended on simple layouts with little 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 at this time were a sign of wealth, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design.Historically they have been 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 might have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used 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's frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.
Organizations such as 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 good, but it is not good for you.Types of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made out of sheet glass or metal fire boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.
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 counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality management issues due to the quantity of moisture that they release in the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.
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Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were 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 generally based within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.
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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most renowned 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 colored, with a emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.
From the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of 2 components, the surround as well as the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, granite or marble. The fit was where the fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance to houses.Amazon.com: Pearl Mantels, Inc. Pearl 49572 Auburn Arched Wood Fireplace Mantel Shelf, 72Inch Video
Some fireplace components incorporate a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also enhanced with the use of a fireback, a sheet of metal which sits behind the fire 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 notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to heat the air. The best method to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice you're turning the thermostat up or down.
Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a big glass while the fire is burning. In this time the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just provide heat radiated from its surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace mantels
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