Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, within caves, or in the center of a hut or home. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of premature indoor fire pits was that they produced toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the house.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in structures, but venting smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where a open fire burnt with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain wouldn't enter.
Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from dispersing a room and vent it outside via a wall or roof. These could be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the center of the space, and this allowed smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general use immediately, however, as they were expensive to develop and maintain.In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace that 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 very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and from the building. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern kitchens.
Rather it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time were a sign of prosperity, which to a degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, based upon the design.Historically they have been used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fireplace may have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.
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On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting courses of brick act 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 outside of the chimney; rain at 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 integrated into the crown or cap.
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 risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not great for you.Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of sheet glass or metal fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can 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 gas fuel sources. In the USA, some states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality management problems because of the amount of moisture they discharge in 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 totally sealed in the area that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.
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As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for warmth on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served 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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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace designers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with a emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, instead of their size.
From the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of two parts, the surround and the add. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, marble or granite. The fit was where the fire burnt, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.Shop Pleasant Hearth 30in 65000BTU Pan Vented Gas Fireplace Logs at Lowes.com Video
Some fireplace units include a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area 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 flame 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 efficiency tests consider only the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to heat the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so since the 15th century. The best 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 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is offered through a large glass while the fire is burning. In this time the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then equally radiated for many 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 guarantee a constant room temperature.gas logs for fireplace
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