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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the ground, in caves, or in the center of a hut or home. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated hazardous or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where a open fire burned with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain wouldn't enter.

Additionally during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it outside through a wall or roof. These could be placed against stone walls, instead of 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 largely fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully 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 didn't come into general use immediately, however, as they were more 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. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a lengthier place at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that was 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 layout is the basis for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more conventional spectra based on rock and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it relied 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 still placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces now were a sign of prosperity, which to a degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from 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 change in heat efficiency, depending on the plan.

Historically they were used for heating a dwelling, 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's often a corbeled brick crown, in which the casting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A hood, cap, or shroud serves to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the most violent rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

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

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass fire 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, electric 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. In the USA, several states and local counties have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. They must be properly sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality management problems due to the quantity of moisture that they discharge into the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed in the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesA wide assortment of accessories are used with fireplaces, ranging between states, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in current Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, along with fire dogs, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes used to catch and re-radiate warmth, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash. For fireplace tending, tools comprise pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument stands.

As time passes, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They have been used for heat on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a space, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

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Many flaws were found in early fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace performers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

From the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround as well as the insert. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, marble or granite. The insert was fire burnt, 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 add a cozy ambiance into houses.

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Some fireplace components include 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 with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal that sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but can also be made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept 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, designed to heat the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so since the 15th century. The ideal way to gauge the output signal of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older 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 improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is offered through a big glass while the fire is burning. During this time the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace logs