Ancient fire pits were sometimes built from the ground, within caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires 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 grown into elevated hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where an open fire burnt with all the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so rain and snow wouldn't enter.
Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to stop smoke from spreading through an area and vent it outside through a wall or roof. These could be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the middle of the space, and this allowed smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general use instantly, however, since 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. The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a longer area on 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 out of the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the room. Rumford's design is the basis for modern fireplaces.
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 still placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign of prosperity, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based upon the plan.Historically they have been utilized for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows exhaust to escape.
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On the exterior there is frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick function as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud serves to keep rainwater from the exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that divides up all but the most violent 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 different studies, fireplaces could pose a substantial health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not great for you.Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.A couple of kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electrical mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.
Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, some states and local counties have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality control issues due to the quantity of moisture that they discharge into 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 totally sealed from the area that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.
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As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to contemporary fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were usually centered within a space, allowing more individuals to gather around it.
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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace performers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.
By the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of two parts, the surround and the insert. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, granite or marble. The insert was fire burnt, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.Regency B36XTE Gas Fireplace Aqua Quip Video
Some fireplace components include a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be increased by means of a fireback, a piece 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 though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to heat the air. The ideal method to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice you are turning the thermostat up or down.
Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first stage the initial heat is offered through a large glass window while the fire is burning. In this time the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only offer heat radiated from its surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.regency fireplace
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