Building a Stone Veneer Fireplace: Tips for Design Decisions Driven by Decor

Ancient fire pits were sometimes built from the floor, in caves, or in the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or irritating smoke within the house.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where a open flame burnt 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 wouldn't enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to stop smoke from spreading through an area and vent it outside via a wall or roof. These can be put against rock walls, instead of taking up the center of the room, and this enabled smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general use instantly, however, since they were more expensive to build and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a lengthier area at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing the smoke up and from the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more traditional 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 gems. Stone fireplaces at this time were a sign of prosperity, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design.

Historically they were 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 might have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (utilized in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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Stone Fireplaces The Cozy, Warm and Stylish Element Founterior

On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick function as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A hood, cap, or shroud serves 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 standard masonry chimney, that divides up all but the most violent rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the cap or crown.

Organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to different studies, fireplaces can pose a significant health risk. 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 could be built-in replacements for gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.

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 USA, some states and local businesses have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality control problems due to the amount of moisture they discharge into the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the inside, common in current Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, along with fire puppies, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes utilized to catch and re-radiate heat, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They were used for warmth on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were generally centered within a space, allowing more individuals to gather around it.

Stone Fireplaces The Cozy, Warm and Stylish Element Founterior

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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace performers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design that was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of two components, the surround as well as the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron often backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to add a cozy ambiance to homes.

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Some fireplace components incorporate a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced by means of a fireback, a piece 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 although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to heat the atmosphere. The ideal way to estimate the output of a fireplace is in case you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most elderly 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 may also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is offered through a large glass window while the flame is burning. During this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just offer heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.stone fireplaces