25 Cozy Ideas for Fireplace Mantels Southern Living

Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, within caves, or in the center of a hut or home. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they generated hazardous or annoying smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where a open flame burned with all the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow would not enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to stop smoke from dispersing a room and vent it out via a ceiling or wall. These could be placed against rock walls, instead of taking up the middle of the space, and this allowed smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke out. 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 usage immediately, however, since they were more expensive to develop 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 major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a lengthier place on top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing the smoke up and from the building. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern fireplaces.

Rather it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a sign of prosperity, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, depending on the plan.

Historically they have been utilized for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses.

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20 Great Fireplace Mantel Decorating Ideas laurel home blog

On the exterior there's frequently 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 functions to keep rainwater from the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far larger 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. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.

The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not great for you.

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

In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality management problems because of the amount of moisture that they discharge into the room atmosphere, 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 from the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

10 Best Mantel Decorating Ideas For A Fabulous Fireplace [PHOTOS!]

AccessoriesFor the interior, common in current Western cultures comprise 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 retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are occasionally used to capture and re-radiate warmth, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes.

As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were fire pits than modern fireplaces. They have been used for heat on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were usually based within a space, allowing more people to collect around it.

16 Fireplace Mantel Decorating Ideas – Futurist Architecture

20 Great Fireplace Mantel Decorating Ideas laurel home blog

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 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 dimensions.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of 2 parts, the surround as well as the add. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, marble or granite. The insert was fire burnt, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.

20 Great Fireplace Mantel Decorating Ideas laurel home blog Video

Some fireplace components include a blower that transports 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 sheet of metal that sits behind the flame 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 although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, 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 elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is offered through a big glass window while the flame is burning. During this time period the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace mantel decorating ideas