Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the floor, in caves, or in the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they produced hazardous or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where an open fire burnt with the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow wouldn't enter.
Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from spreading through a room and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These can be put against stone walls, instead of taking up the center of the room, and this allowed smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general usage instantly, however, since they were expensive to build and maintain.Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a longer area at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing up the smoke and from the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected to the room. Rumford's design is the basis for modern kitchens.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more traditional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it depended on simple layouts 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 at this time were a sign of prosperity, which to a degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, based upon the design.Historically they have been utilized for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses. A fireplace may have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (used in laundry and kitchen fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.
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On the exterior there's frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick function 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 greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that divides up all but the most violent rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.
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 threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not great for you.Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of 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.
Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. In the United States, several states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality management problems because of the amount of moisture they discharge into the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are security 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 vent all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.
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Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for warmth on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were generally centered within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.
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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace designers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with a emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their size.
From the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of 2 parts, the surround as well as the add. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, granite or marble. The insert was fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.Be Modern Elicot Solid Oak Fireplace Surround Flames.co.uk Video
Some fireplace components incorporate a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space 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 made from cast iron, but can also be made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to heat the atmosphere. The ideal way to gauge the output signal 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 80% (legal minimum requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a large glass while the flame is burning. In this time the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.wood fireplace surrounds
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