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Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the floor, in caves, or at the center of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of premature indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in structures, but venting smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open flame burnt with all 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 snow and rain would not enter.

Also throughout 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 can be placed against rock walls, rather than taking up the middle of the space, and this enabled smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were devised 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 possible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general usage immediately, however, as they were more expensive to build and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a lengthier area on top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing the smoke up and out of the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected to the room. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more conventional spectra based on rock and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it relied on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was placed on supplying quality stone. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a sign of prosperity, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design.

Historically they have been used for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses.

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On the exterior there's frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the casting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the rain. Some 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 substantial health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not good for you.

Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electric 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. 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. Additionally, there are air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture that they discharge in the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the area that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesA vast range of accessories are used with fireplaces, which range between countries, regions, and historical periods. For the interior, common in current Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire puppies, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metallic 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 placed before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash. For fireplace tending, tools comprise pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument racks.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of requirement 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 functioned as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were usually based within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.

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Astria Fireplaces Gas Logs

Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace designers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that was 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 size.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround as well as the add. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was where the fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to add a cozy ambiance into houses.

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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 space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be increased with the use 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 are also made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to heat the atmosphere. The ideal method to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you detect you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of at least 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 cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is provided through a big glass while the flame is burning. During this time the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just offer heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.astria fireplace