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Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed from the floor, within caves, or in the center of a hut or home. Evidence of ancient, 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 within the house.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where a open flame burned with the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain would not enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through an area and vent it outside via a ceiling or wall. These could be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the room, and this allowed smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general use immediately, however, since they were 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. 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 efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a lengthier place on top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing the smoke up and out of the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more conventional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it relied on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a symbol of prosperity, which to a degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based on the plan.

Historically they have been utilized 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 other flue allows exhaust to escape. A fireplace might have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (utilized in laundry and kitchen fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A cap, hood, or shroud serves to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. Some 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 could pose a significant health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not good for you.

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

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 limiting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality management problems due to the quantity of moisture they discharge into the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed in the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in current Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, along with fire puppies, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes utilized to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ashes. For fireplace tending, tools include pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument racks.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for heat on cold days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more people to collect around it.

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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace performers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design that was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly lit, with a emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of two parts, the surround and the add. The encircle comprised 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 heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to bring a cozy ambiance into homes.

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Some fireplace components include a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also enhanced by means of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to heat the air. The best way to gauge the output of a fireplace is in case you notice you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is offered through a large glass while the fire is burning. During this time period the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only offer heat radiated from the surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace glass