
Historical 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 exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of premature indoor fire pits was that they produced hazardous or irritating smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open flame burned with all the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so rain and snow wouldn't enter.
Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through an area and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These can be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the space, and this enabled smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general usage immediately, however, as they were more expensive to build 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 which greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer area on very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing up the smoke and from the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern fireplaces.
Instead it depended on simple designs with little unnecessary ornamentation. From 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 were a symbol of wealth, which to some degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, based on the plan.Historically they were used for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fireplace may have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (utilized in laundry and kitchen fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.
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On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the standard masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the most violent rain. Some 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 different studies, fireplaces can pose a significant health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not great for you.Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of sheet glass or metal fire boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.
Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. In the United States, some states and local businesses have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. They must be properly sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality control problems because of the amount of moisture that they discharge into the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into 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 than contemporary fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more people to gather around it.
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Many flaws were found in early fireplace designs. The most renowned 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 lit, with a emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.
By the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of 2 components, the surround as well as the add. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, granite or marble. The fit was fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.Hot Fireplace Design Ideas HGTV Video
Some fireplace units incorporate a blower that transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but can also be manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to heat the air. The best method to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice you are turning the thermostat up or down.
Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is offered through a large glass while the flame is burning. In this time the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace pictures
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