Limestone Fireplaces, Stone Mantles in Texas Limestone, Fireplace surrounds and Hearth Kits.

Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, in caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where an open flame burned with all the smoke rising to 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 during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it outside via a ceiling or wall. These can be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the space, and this allowed smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general use instantly, however, since they were expensive to develop and maintain.

Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a longer place on very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing the smoke up and from the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected to the space. 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 placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a symbol of prosperity, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change 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.

Related Images with Limestone Fireplaces, Stone Mantles in Texas Limestone, Fireplace surrounds and Hearth Kits.

Natural Marble or Limestone Rossendale Fireplace Hearth Back Panel

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 functions to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, which soaks 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 great for you.

Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.A few types are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing gas fireplaces.

In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality management issues due to the quantity of moisture they release in the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

Best 20+ Limestone fireplace ideas on Pinterest

AccessoriesFor the inside, common in recent Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, along with fire puppies, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are occasionally used to catch 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 ash. For fireplace tending, tools include pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and tool stands.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has changed 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, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were usually based within a room, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

MONARCH LIMESTONE FIREPLACE GAS SUITE Fireplaces

Priory Natural Portuguese Limestone Fireplace

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 was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

From the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 parts, the surround as well as the insert. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, granite or marble. The insert was fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.

Priory Natural Portuguese Limestone Fireplace Video

Some fireplace units include a blower that transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a decrease 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 produced from cast iron, but can also be made 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 isn't, and never was, designed to heat the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so as the 15th century. The best method to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most elderly fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is provided through a big glass while the flame is burning. In this time the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only offer heat radiated from its surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.limestone fireplace