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 toxic and/or irritating smoke inside the house.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where a open flame burnt with all the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow wouldn't enter.
Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from dispersing an area and vent it outside via a wall or roof. These can be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the center of the room, and this enabled smaller rooms 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 feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put 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.In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer place on top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern kitchens.
Rather it depended on simple designs with little 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 were a sign of prosperity, which to a degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based upon the plan.Historically they have been 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 often a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick act as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that divides up all but the most violent rain. Some 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 fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made out of sheet glass or metal fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.A couple of kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electrical mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.
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 either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. They need to be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality control issues due to the amount of moisture that they release into the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed in the place that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.
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Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for heat on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were generally based within a room, allowing more people to collect around it.
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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace designers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.
From the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of two components, the surround as well as the add. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, granite or marble. The insert was fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance to houses.Regency Excalibur EX90 Sutter Home Hearth Video
Some fireplace units include a blower which transports 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 by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal which sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but are also made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to heat the atmosphere. The ideal way to estimate the output of a fireplace is if you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.
Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first phase the first heat is offered through a big glass window while the fire is burning. In this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This warmth is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.wood fireplace inserts
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