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Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, within caves, or at the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of premature indoor flame pits was that they generated hazardous or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where a open flame burned with all the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain wouldn't enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from dispersing an area and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These can be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the middle of the space, and this allowed smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general usage instantly, however, as they were more expensive to build and maintain.

The 18th century saw two important 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. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a lengthier area at the top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing the smoke up and from the building. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected into the room. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern kitchens.

Rather it depended on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign 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 that they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the plan.

Historically they have been used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses.

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On the exterior there is frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting courses of brick function 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 exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, which divides up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

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

Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for either gas or wood 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 USA, several states and local businesses have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. 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 monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that's heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in current Western cultures include 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 for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are occasionally used to capture and re-radiate heat, 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.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits than modern fireplaces. They have been used for heat on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more people to collect around it.

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Many flaws 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 a emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of 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 affirms, usually in wood, granite or marble. The fit was fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.

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Some fireplace units incorporate a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be 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 can also be made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated notion although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to warm the air. The ideal method to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first stage the first heat is provided through a big glass while the fire is burning. In this time the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.electric fireplace walmart