High Efficiency Fireplace Home Energy Pros Forum

Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, within caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of premature indoor flame pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke within the house.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where a open flame 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 would not enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it out via a wall or roof. These could be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the space, and this enabled smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it feasible to give the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general use immediately, however, as 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 room for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a lengthier place at the very top. At 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 construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected into the room. Rumford's design is the basis for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more traditional spectra based on rock and 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, where the emphasis was placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time were a symbol of wealth, which to some degree remains the idea 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 for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, depending on the plan.

Historically they were used for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses.

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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 outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it's not great for you.

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

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and propane fuel sources. Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control problems because of the quantity of moisture they discharge into the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesA vast range of accessories are used with fireplaces, which range between countries, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in recent Western civilizations comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, along with fire dogs, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are occasionally used to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash. For fireplace tending, tools comprise pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument racks.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to contemporary fireplaces. They were used for heat on cold 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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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace performers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.

From the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of 2 parts, the surround as well as the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, marble or granite. The insert was where the fire burnt, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to add a cozy ambiance into homes.

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Some fireplace components incorporate a blower that 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 can also be enhanced 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 are also made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated notion although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the effect of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to heat the atmosphere. The best method to gauge the output of a fireplace is in case you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most elderly fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the air. These altered 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 offered through a big glass while the fire is burning. In this time the construction, 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 just offer heat radiated from its surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace damper