Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, in caves, or at the center of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they produced toxic and/or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where a open fire burnt with all the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain would not enter.
Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through an area and vent it out via a wall or roof. These could be put against rock walls, instead of taking up the middle of the room, and this allowed smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue 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 multiple 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 airflow and venting system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace which 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 place at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected to the space. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more conventional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it depended on simple layouts with small 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 now have been a symbol of wealth, which to a degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, depending upon the design.Historically they were used for heating a home, 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 is frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting 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 outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the most violent rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated 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 can pose a substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it's not good for you.Types of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.A couple of types are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electrical mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.
In the United States, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality control problems because of the amount of moisture that they discharge into the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.
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Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were generally centered within a room, allowing more individuals to gather around it.
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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace designers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.
By the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of two components, the surround and the add. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, marble or granite. The insert was where the fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance to houses.Supreme Fireplaces Inc. Fusion Wall Mount Wood Burning Fireplace Insert eBay Video
Some fireplace units incorporate 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 can also be increased with the use of a fireback, a sheet of metal that sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but are also made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to heat the air. The ideal way to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat down or up.
Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first stage the first heat is offered through a large glass while the fire is burning. In this time period the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window just offer heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace insert
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