Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, in caves, or at the center of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the house.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in structures, but venting smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where a open fire 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 coated so snow and rain wouldn't enter.
Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it out via a ceiling or wall. These could be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the middle of the space, and this enabled smaller chambers to be warmed.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 possible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general use immediately, however, as they were more expensive to develop and maintain.In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a longer area on very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that 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 space. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern fireplaces.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more conventional spectra based on stone and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it relied on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on supplying quality stone. Stone fireplaces now have been a symbol of prosperity, which to some degree is still the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based upon the plan.Historically they have been 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 (used in laundry and kitchen fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.
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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 cap, hood, or shroud serves to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that divides up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the cap or crown.
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 threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it's not good for you.Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.A couple of types are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.
Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, several states and local businesses have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture that they release in the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed in the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.
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Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits than modern fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were generally based within a room, allowing more individuals to gather around it.
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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace performers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.
From the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 parts, the surround and the insert. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, granite or marble. The insert was fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron often backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.Gas Fireplace Photo Gallery Mendota Hearth Video
Some fireplace units incorporate a blower that transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be increased with the use of a fireback, a sheet of metal that sits behind the fire 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 complex 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 warm the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so since the 15th century. The best way to gauge the output signal of a fireplace is in case you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.
Most elderly fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first stage the initial heat is provided through a large glass window while the fire is burning. During this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.gas fireplaces
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