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Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, 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 drawback of premature indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in structures, but venting smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where a open fire burned with all the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain would not enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from dispersing an area and vent it outside via a wall or roof. These can be placed against stone walls, instead of taking up the middle 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 problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general use instantly, however, as they were expensive to build and maintain.

The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a longer area on top. In 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 construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected to the space. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern kitchens.

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 little unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to 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 notion today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending upon 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.

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On the exterior there is often 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 cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than 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 substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not good for you.

Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.

Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, several states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality management problems because of the amount of moisture that they release in the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed in the area that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the inside, common in recent Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire puppies, all which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are occasionally used to capture and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ashes. Other wider accessories may include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and more.

As time passes, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits than modern fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were generally based within a space, allowing more people to collect around it.

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The 7 Best Gas Fireplace Inserts of 2019

Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace performers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their size.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of 2 parts, the surround and the add. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into homes.

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Some fireplace units incorporate a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated area and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced with the use 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 are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed 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 of a fireplace is if you detect you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is offered through a big glass window while the fire is burning. In this time period the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only offer heat radiated from its surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.gas fireplace