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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the ground, within caves, or in the center of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor fire pits was that they generated hazardous or irritating smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in structures, but venting smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where a open flame burnt with all the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain would not enter.

Additionally during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from spreading through a room and vent it out via a ceiling or wall. These can be put against stone walls, instead of taking up the center of the space, and this enabled smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general use immediately, however, as they were expensive to build and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a longer area on top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more traditional spectra based on stone and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it depended on simple layouts with small 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 have been a symbol of wealth, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, based upon the plan.

Historically they have been utilized for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fireplace may have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (utilized in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there is frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting 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 compared with the traditional masonry chimney, which divides up all but the most violent rain. A few 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 can pose a significant health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it's not good for you.

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

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, several states and local counties have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. There are also air quality control problems due to the quantity of moisture they release in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area 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 comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire dogs, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel for a fire. Heavy metal firebacks are occasionally utilized to catch and re-radiate heat, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ashes. Other wider accessories can consist of log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and much more.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the home. 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 renowned fireplace designers of the time 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 size.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of two components, the surround and the insert. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was where the fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to add a cozy ambiance to houses.

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Some fireplace units include a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a decrease 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 produced 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 air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to heat the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so since the 15th century. The best way to gauge the output signal of a fireplace is in case you detect you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a big glass window while the fire is burning. During this time period the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then equally radiated for many hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace decor