Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the ground, in caves, or in the center of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they produced hazardous or annoying smoke inside the house.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in structures, but venting smoke depended on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where an 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 snow and rain wouldn't enter.
Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to stop smoke from spreading through a room and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These could be placed against rock walls, instead of taking up the middle of the space, and this allowed smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke out. They made it feasible to give the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general use instantly, however, since they were expensive to develop and maintain.The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer place on very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing the smoke up and out of the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected to the room. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern fireplaces.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more traditional spectra based on stone and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Rather it depended on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a symbol of prosperity, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based on the plan.Historically they have been used for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fireplace may have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, 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 projecting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the most violent 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 can pose a substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not great for you.Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.A couple of kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.
Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and propane fuel sources. Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, some states and local counties have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control problems because of the amount of moisture that they discharge in the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed in the area that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.
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As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits than modern fireplaces. They have been used for heat on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were usually based within a space, allowing more people to collect around it.
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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace designers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with a emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.
From the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of two parts, the surround and the add. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, marble or granite. The fit was where the fire burnt, and was built of cast iron often backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.Amazon.com: Duraflame 3D Infrared Electric Fireplace Stove with Remote Control DFI5010 Video
Some fireplace components include a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased 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 complicated concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider just the effect of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to warm the air. The ideal method to gauge the output of a fireplace is in case you detect you are turning the thermostat up or down.
Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first stage the first heat is provided through a big glass while the fire is burning. In this time the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Based on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.amazon electric fireplace
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