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Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the floor, within caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they produced toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the house.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where a open flame burnt with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow would not enter.

Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it out through a wall or roof. These can be placed against rock walls, rather than taking up the middle of the room, and this enabled smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general use instantly, however, since they were expensive to develop and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer area at the very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing the smoke up and from the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's design is the basis for modern fireplaces.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more traditional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it depended on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time were a symbol of prosperity, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, depending on the design.

Historically they have been utilized 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 alternative flue allows exhaust to escape. A fireplace may have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (used in laundry and kitchen fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, 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 casting courses of brick function as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A cap, hood, or shroud serves to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.

Organizations like the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to various studies, fireplaces could pose a substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not great for you.

Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass fire boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.A few types are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electrical mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.

In the USA, several states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality management problems due to the quantity of moisture that they release into the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector 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 area that's heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in current Western civilizations comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, along with fire dogs, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are occasionally used to catch and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits than modern 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 usually based within a space, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace performers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly lit, with a emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of 2 parts, the surround as well as the add. 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 ornamental tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to add a cozy ambiance into homes.

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Some fireplace components incorporate a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space 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 made from cast iron, but can also be manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the effect of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to warm the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so since the 15th century. The best method to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you detect you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most elderly fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning 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 adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first stage the initial heat is offered through a big glass while the fire is burning. During this time period the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just offer heat radiated from the surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplaces