Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the floor, in caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor fire pits was that they produced hazardous or irritating smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where a open fire burnt with the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be coated so rain and snow would not enter.
Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from dispersing an area and vent it outside via a wall or roof. These can be put against stone walls, instead of taking up the center of the space, and this enabled smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem 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 multiple rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general usage immediately, however, as they were expensive to build and maintain.In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. 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 cellar and venting a longer area on top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing the smoke up 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 fireplaces.
Instead it depended on simple designs with little unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into 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 a degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, depending on the design.Historically they were used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fireplace may have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used in kitchen and laundry 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 frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which 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 outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal 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 such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to various studies, fireplaces could pose a significant health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not good for you.Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for either wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electrical 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 counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. They need to be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality control issues due to the quantity of moisture that they discharge into the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.
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As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for heat on cold days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were generally centered within a space, allowing more individuals to collect around it.
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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. 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 had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.
By the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of two components, the surround and the add. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, granite or marble. The insert was where the fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.Colton Wood Mantel Shelves Fireplace Mantel Shelf Floating Mantel Shelf MantelsDirect.com Video
Some fireplace units include a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area and a lower 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 manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to heat the air. The ideal way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is if you detect you're turning the thermostat down or up.
Most elderly fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity for example in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first stage the first heat is offered through a big glass window while the flame is burning. During this time the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace mantles
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