Rumford: Like It Used To Be

Historical fire pits were sometimes built in the floor, in caves, or at the center of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor flame pits was that they generated hazardous or annoying smoke inside the house.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where a open fire burnt with all the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain wouldn't enter.

Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through an area and vent it outside via a ceiling or wall. These can be put against rock walls, instead of taking up the center of the room, and this allowed smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the issue of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general usage instantly, however, since they were expensive to build and maintain.

Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a lengthier area on top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing the smoke up and out of the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected into the space. Rumford's design is the basis for modern kitchens.

Instead it depended on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a symbol of wealth, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, based upon the design.

Historically they have been used for heating a home, 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.

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On the exterior there is frequently 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 out of the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, that divides up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated 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 can pose a significant health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not great for you.

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial 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 electric fireboxes.

In the USA, several states and local counties have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. There are also air quality control problems due to the amount of moisture they discharge in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that's heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.

Gas Rumford Fireplaces

AccessoriesFor the interior, common in recent Western civilizations comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire dogs, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes utilized to catch and re-radiate heat, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes. Other wider accessories can include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and more.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were usually based within a space, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

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IDS12: The Return of the Rumford Fireplace As An Efficient Prefab : TreeHugger

Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace performers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design that was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their size.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of two components, the surround as well as the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was where the fire burned, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.

IDS12: The Return of the Rumford Fireplace As An Efficient Prefab : TreeHugger Video

Some fireplace components include a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated area and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal which sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but can also be manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to heat the air. The ideal way to gauge the output of a fireplace is in case you notice you are turning the thermostat up or down.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may 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 large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a big glass window while the fire is burning. In this time period the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for several hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Based on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.rumford fireplace