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Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the floor, in caves, or at the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated hazardous or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where an 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 wouldn't enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from dispersing an area and vent it outside via a ceiling or wall. These can be put against stone walls, rather than taking up the middle of the space, and this enabled smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general use immediately, however, since they were more expensive to develop 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 room for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a lengthier area on top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing the smoke up and from the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more conventional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it relied on simple designs with little unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was still placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now were a sign of wealth, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, based upon the design.

Historically they have been utilized for heating a home, 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 act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside 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 metallic liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that divides up all but the most violent rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated 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 great, but it's not good for you.

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial 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 electric fireboxes.A few kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.

In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality management problems due to the amount of moisture that they release in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the inside, common in current Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire dogs, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes used to catch and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames set before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ashes. Other wider accessories may consist of log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and more.

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

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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace designers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their size.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of two parts, the surround as well as the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, granite or marble. The insert was fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron often backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.

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Some fireplace units incorporate a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be increased by means of a fireback, a piece 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 concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider just the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to heat the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so as the 15th century. The ideal way to gauge the output signal of a fireplace is in case you detect you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first stage the first heat is offered through a large glass while the fire is burning. During this time period the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window just offer heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.wood fireplace mantels