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Historical fire pits were sometimes built from the ground, in caves, or in the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they generated hazardous or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where a open flame burnt with all the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain wouldn't enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from dispersing an area and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These can be put against stone walls, rather than taking up the middle of the room, and this allowed smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely 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 place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general use immediately, however, as they were more expensive to build 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 that greatly enhanced the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a lengthier area at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing the smoke up and from the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected to the room. Rumford's design is the basis for modern fireplaces.

Instead it depended 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 providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now have been a symbol of wealth, which to a 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 its relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, based upon the design.

Historically they were used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or alternative flue allows exhaust to escape.

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On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting 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 difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the most violent rain. Some 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 can pose a substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not good for you.

Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with 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.

In the USA, some states and local counties have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. They must be properly sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality management issues due to the amount of moisture that they discharge in the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in current Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire dogs, all which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes utilized to catch and re-radiate warmth, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash.

As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were generally centered within a space, allowing more individuals to gather around it.

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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace designers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround and the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, marble or granite. The fit was fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to houses.

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Some fireplace units incorporate a blower which 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 fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but can also be manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated concept though 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 heat the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so since the 15th century. The best method to estimate the output of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a large glass window while the flame is burning. During this time period the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.media fireplace