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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, within caves, or in the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor flame pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where a open flame burned with the smoke rising to 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.

Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from dispersing an area 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 heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general use immediately, however, as 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 that greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a lengthier area at the top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing the smoke up and from the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected to the space. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern fireplaces.

Instead it relied on simple designs 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 symbol of prosperity, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, based upon the plan.

Historically they have been utilized for heating a home, 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 crane (utilized in laundry and kitchen fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, house 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 projecting 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 exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, which divides up all but the most violent rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.

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

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

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. In the United States, some states and local counties have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. There are also air quality management issues due to the quantity of moisture that they release into the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that's heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesA wide range of accessories are used with fireplaces, which range between countries, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in current Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire dogs, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate warmth, to protect the rear 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 transformed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They were used for heat on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a space, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

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Many flaws were found in ancient 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 colored, with an emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of two components, the surround and the insert. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, marble or granite. The insert was fire burnt, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to add a cozy ambiance into homes.

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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 decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased by means of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but can also be made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to heat the air. The best way to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you detect you are turning the thermostat up or down.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is offered through a big glass while the flame is burning. During this time period the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This warmth is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace surrounds