50+ Absolutely fabulous Christmas mantel decorating ideas

Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, within caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they produced hazardous or irritating smoke inside the house.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where an open flame burnt with the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow wouldn't enter.

Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from dispersing an area and vent it outside through a ceiling or wall. These could be put against rock walls, instead of taking up the middle of the room, and this allowed smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke out. They made it feasible to give the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general use immediately, however, since they were expensive to develop and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a longer area at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing up the smoke and out of the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's design is the basis 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 relied on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a symbol of prosperity, which to some degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, based upon the plan.

Historically they were used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows exhaust to escape. A fireplace may have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (utilized in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there is frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip course 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 in the chimney is a much greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, which divides up all but the most violent rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

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

Types of fireplacesArtificial 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.

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 either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, some states and local businesses have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. They must be properly sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality management problems because of the amount of moisture they discharge into the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

40 Christmas Fireplace Mantel Decoration Ideas

AccessoriesA vast assortment of accessories are used with fireplaces, which range between countries, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in recent Western cultures comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire dogs, all of 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 utilized to capture and re-radiate warmth, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames set before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash. Other wider accessories may include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and more.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to 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 within the house. These fire pits were usually based within a room, allowing more people to gather around it.

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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace designers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which was used for generations. It was 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 components, the surround and the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, marble or granite. The fit was fire burnt, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. As well as 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 atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also enhanced with the use of a fireback, a sheet of metal which sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to heat the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so since the 15th century. The best way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is if you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity for example 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 high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is provided through a large glass window while the flame is burning. In this time period the structure, 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 only offer heat radiated from the surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace mantel decorating ideas