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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the ground, within caves, or in the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they produced hazardous or irritating smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where a open fire burned with all the smoke climbing into the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow would not enter.

Additionally during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through an area and vent it outside via a ceiling or wall. These can be placed against rock walls, instead of taking up the middle of the room, and this allowed smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. 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 that greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a lengthier area at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected to the space. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

Instead it relied on simple layouts with little unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to 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 a degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, depending upon the plan.

Historically they have been used for heating a dwelling, 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.

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On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting courses of brick function as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A cap, hood, or shroud serves to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.

Organizations like the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to various studies, fireplaces could pose a substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it's not good for you.

Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either wood or gas 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 gas fireplaces.

In the United States, some states and local businesses have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control problems due to the quantity of moisture that they discharge in the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that's heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the inside, common in current Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, along with fire dogs, all which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are occasionally used to capture and re-radiate heat, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed in front of the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash. For fireplace tending, tools include pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and tool stands.

As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits than modern fireplaces. They were used for heat on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were generally centered within a room, allowing more people to gather around it.

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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace performers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It had been 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 and the add. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, granite or marble. The insert was fire burned, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to add a cozy ambiance into houses.

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Some fireplace components incorporate a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal that sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but are also made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the effect of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to warm the atmosphere. The ideal way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is if you detect you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating process 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 the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just offer heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace surround