Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, in caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they produced toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the house.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where an open fire burned with the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow would not enter.
Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through an area and vent it outside through a ceiling or wall. These could be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the room, and this enabled smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it feasible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general usage immediately, however, as they were more expensive to develop and maintain.In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer place at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's design is the basis for modern kitchens.
Rather it depended on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces now were a symbol of prosperity, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, based upon the plan.Historically they were used for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses.
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On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting courses of brick function 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 in the chimney is a much larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, which divides up all but the rain. A few 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 various studies, fireplaces could pose a significant health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it's not great for you.Kinds of fireplacesArtificial 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 kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.
Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and propane fuel sources. In the United States, some states and local businesses have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality management problems because of the amount of moisture that they release in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.
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As time passes, the purpose of 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 inside 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. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace designers 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 lit, with an emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their size.
From the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of two components, the surround as well as the insert. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was fire burned, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.The Latest in Fireplace Inserts OldHouse Online OldHouse Online Video
Some fireplace units include a blower that transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in 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 that sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but can also be manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the effect of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to heat the atmosphere. The best way to gauge the output signal of a fireplace is in case 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 boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, enabling 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 warmth. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.gas fireplace inserts
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