The 7 Best Gas Fireplace Inserts of 2019

Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the ground, within caves, or at the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor fire pits was that they produced hazardous or annoying smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where a open fire burnt 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 out via a ceiling or wall. These could be put against rock walls, instead of taking up the middle of the room, and this enabled smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general use instantly, however, since they were expensive to develop and maintain.

Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a lengthier place at the top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected to the space. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more conventional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it relied on simple designs with little unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was still placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now were a symbol of wealth, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, depending on the design.

Historically they were utilized 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. A fireplace may have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (utilized in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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Gas Fireplaces Landscape Real Flame

On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick function as a drip route 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 in the chimney is a much greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the cap or crown.

Organizations like 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 great for you.

Types of fireplacesArtificial 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 electric fireboxes.

Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. There are also air quality management issues because of the amount of moisture that they discharge into the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.

Napoleon Ascent B42 Top/Rear Vented Gas Fireplace

AccessoriesFor the inside, common in recent Western cultures comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, along with fire dogs, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash. Other wider accessories can consist of log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and much more.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They have been used for heat on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were usually based within a space, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

Napoleon Ascent B42 Top/Rear Vented Gas Fireplace

Gas Fireplaces Hot Tubs, Fireplaces, Patio Furniture Heat N Sweep Okemos Michigan

Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Along 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 had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround and the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The fit was where the fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to add a cozy ambiance to houses.

Gas Fireplaces Hot Tubs, Fireplaces, Patio Furniture Heat N Sweep Okemos Michigan Video

Some fireplace components include a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated area and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal that sits behind the flame 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 complex concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to heat the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so as the 15th century. The best way to gauge the output of a fireplace is in case you notice you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most elderly fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first stage the first heat is offered through a large glass window while the fire is burning. During this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This warmth is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second stage. 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 guarantee a constant room temperature.gas fireplace