Home Hearth Fireplace Surrounds

Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed from the floor, in caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor flame pits was that they produced toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where a open flame burned 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 rain and snow wouldn't enter.

Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to stop smoke from spreading through an area and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These could be placed against rock walls, instead of taking up the center of the space, and this allowed smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general use immediately, however, since they were more expensive to develop and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room 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 area on top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing the smoke up and from the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected to the space. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more conventional spectra based on rock and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it relied on simple layouts with little unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was placed on supplying quality stone. Stone fireplaces now were a sign of wealth, which to a degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending upon the design.

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

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On the exterior there's frequently 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 at the chimney is a far larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

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

Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of sheet glass or metal fire boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.

In the United States, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. They need to be properly sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality management issues because of the quantity of moisture they release into the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed in the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in recent Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, along with fire dogs, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes utilized to catch and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed before 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 transformed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits than modern fireplaces. They have been used for heat on cold days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were generally based within a room, allowing more individuals to gather around it.

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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace performers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which 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.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of two components, the surround and the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was where the fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to add a cozy ambiance into houses.

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Some fireplace units include 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 can also be enhanced by means of a fireback, a piece of metal that sits behind the fire 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 concept 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, intended to warm the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so since the 15th century. The ideal way to gauge the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice 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 necessity for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is provided through a big glass window while the flame is burning. In this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Based on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace surround