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Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, in caves, or in the center of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke within the house.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where a open flame burnt with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so rain and snow wouldn't enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to stop smoke from dispersing a room and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These could be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the middle of the room, and this enabled smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. They did not come into general usage instantly, however, as they were expensive to develop and maintain.

Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a longer area on very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected to the room. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern fireplaces.

Instead it depended on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces now were a symbol of wealth, which to some degree is still the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, depending upon the plan.

Historically they were used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses.

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On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud serves to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the most violent rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.

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

Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either gas or wood 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 either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, some states and local businesses have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture they release in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the inside, common in recent Western cultures comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, along with fire dogs, all which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate heat, to safeguard the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames set before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash. Other wider accessories can include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and more.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were fire pits than contemporary 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 home. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace designers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of two parts, the surround as well as the add. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was where the fire burnt, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into homes.

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Some fireplace units incorporate a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air 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 which 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 although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to warm the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so as the 15th century. The best way to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess 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 designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is provided through a large glass window while the fire is burning. During this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This warmth is then evenly radiated for several hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only offer heat radiated from the surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.home depot fireplace