Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, within caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames 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 developed into raised hearths in structures, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open fire burned with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow would not enter.
Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from spreading through an area and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These can be put against stone walls, rather than 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 mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and 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.In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a lengthier area at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing the smoke up and from the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more traditional spectra based on stone and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it relied on simple layouts with little 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 gems. Stone fireplaces at this time were a sign of prosperity, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, based upon the design.Historically they were utilized for heating a dwelling, 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's frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the casting courses of brick function as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much greater 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. 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 can pose a substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not good for you.Types of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made out of sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.
In the USA, some states and local counties have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality management issues due to the quantity of moisture that they discharge into the room air, 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 completely sealed from the area that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.
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Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for heat 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 room, allowing more people to gather around it.
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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace performers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.
From the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of two parts, the surround and the insert. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to add a cozy ambiance into homes.Amazon.com: SEI Black Arch Top Wall Mount Gel Fuel Fireplace: Kitchen Dining Video
Some fireplace units include a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be increased by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal that sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to warm the air. The ideal way to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you notice you are turning the thermostat up or down.
Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a large glass while the fire is burning. In this time the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace
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