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Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed in the floor, in caves, or in the center of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where a open flame burned with the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow would not enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from spreading through a room and vent it outside through a ceiling or wall. These can be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the space, and this allowed smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general use immediately, however, since they were more expensive to develop and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. The 18th century saw two major 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. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a lengthier area on very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing up the smoke and from the building. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern kitchens.

Rather it depended on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was still placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign of wealth, which to a degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based on the plan.

Historically they were used 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 alternative flue allows exhaust to escape. A fireplace may have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there's frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.

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 good for you.

Types of fireplacesArtificial 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 electrical fireboxes.

Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control issues due to the amount of moisture they release into the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesA vast range of accessories are used with fireplaces, ranging between countries, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in current Western cultures 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 framework, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes utilized to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits than modern fireplaces. They were used for heat on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were generally based within a space, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace performers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

From the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of two components, the surround as well as the insert. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was where the fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to houses.

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Some fireplace units incorporate 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 which 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 complicated concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to warm the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so as the 15th century. The best way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you detect you're turning the thermostat down or up.

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 requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first stage the first heat is provided through a big glass while the flame is burning. In this time the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for several hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace mantles