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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, in caves, or at the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor fire pits was that they produced hazardous or annoying smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where a open flame burnt with the smoke climbing into the port 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 invented to stop smoke from dispersing an area and vent it outside via a wall or roof. These could be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the middle of the room, and this enabled smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in 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 multiple rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general use instantly, however, since they were expensive to develop and maintain.

The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced 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 which has been better at drawing up the smoke and from the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected to the room. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern kitchens.

Rather it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was still placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time were a sign of wealth, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, based on the plan.

Historically they were used for heating a home, 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 frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting courses of brick function as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A cap, hood, or shroud serves to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, which divides up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.

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

Types of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, several states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality control issues due to the amount of moisture they discharge into the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by 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.

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AccessoriesFor the inside, common in current Western cultures comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire dogs, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or fire 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 warmth, to safeguard the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to 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 inside the house. These fire pits were usually based within a room, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace performers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly lit, with a emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 parts, the surround as well as the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was where the fire burnt, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.

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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 area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be increased by means of a fireback, a piece of metal that sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but can also be manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, 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'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 at least 80% (legal minimum necessity for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first stage the initial heat is provided through a big glass window while the flame is burning. In this time the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.stone fireplace surround