Ancient fire pits were sometimes built from the floor, in caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the house.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where a open fire burned with the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow would not enter.
Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from dispersing a room and vent it out via a wall or roof. These can be put against stone walls, instead of taking up the center of the room, and this allowed smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general usage instantly, however, since they were more expensive to build 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 which greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a lengthier place on very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected to the room. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern fireplaces.
Rather it depended on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign of wealth, which to a degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, based upon the design.Historically they have been used for heating a dwelling, 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 may 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 pub, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.
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On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick function as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A cap, hood, or shroud serves to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.
Organizations such as 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 is not good for you.Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.
Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. In the United States, several states and local businesses have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. They need to be suitably sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality control problems because of the amount of moisture they discharge into the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that's heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.
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Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits than contemporary 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 house. These fire pits were generally centered within a room, allowing more people to gather around it.
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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace designers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.
From the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of 2 parts, the surround and the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually 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 era were believed to add a cozy ambiance into homes.Real Flame Silverton 48 in. Gel Fuel Fireplace in BlackG8600B The Home Depot Video
Some fireplace components incorporate a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal that sits behind the fire 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 complicated concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to warm the air. The best way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat down or up.
Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is offered through a big glass while the fire is burning. During this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only offer heat radiated from the surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.gel fireplace
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