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Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, in caves, or in the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they produced hazardous or irritating smoke inside the house.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where an open fire burnt with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain would not enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop 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 center of the space, and this enabled smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general use immediately, however, since they were more expensive to build and maintain.

Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a lengthier place on top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and from the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity 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 traditional spectra based on stone and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it relied on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on supplying quality stone. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign of prosperity, which to some degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also 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 domestic and laundry uses. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows exhaust to escape.

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On the exterior there is frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the casting courses of brick act as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud serves to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the most violent rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.

The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not good for you.

Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of sheet metal or glass fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can 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. In the USA, several states and local counties have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. They need to be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality management problems due to the amount of moisture that they discharge in 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 totally sealed from the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesA vast assortment of accessories are used with fireplaces, ranging between states, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in recent Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, along with fire puppies, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes. For fireplace tending, tools include pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and tool racks.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They were used for heat on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were generally centered within a space, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace designers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of 2 parts, the surround as well as the add. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. The insert was where the fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to add a cozy ambiance to houses.

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Some fireplace components include a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal which sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion though 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 warm the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so as the 15th century. The best method to estimate the output of a fireplace is in case you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement for example in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first stage the first heat is offered through a big glass while the flame is burning. During this time the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only offer heat radiated from its surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.media fireplace