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Historical fire pits were sometimes built from the ground, in caves, or in the center 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 generated toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the house.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where an open flame burned with all the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be coated so rain and snow wouldn't enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through an area and vent it outside through a wall or roof. These can be placed against stone walls, instead of taking up the middle of the room, 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 possible to give the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general usage instantly, 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. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a lengthier area at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which has been 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 design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more traditional spectra based on rock and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it depended on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now were a sign of wealth, which to some degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, based on the design.

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

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On the exterior there's frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick function as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the most violent rain. Some 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 various studies, fireplaces could pose a significant health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not great for you.

Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of 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.A few kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electrical mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing gas fireplaces.

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and propane fuel sources. In the USA, several states and local counties have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. They need to be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture they discharge into the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the inside, common in current Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire puppies, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash. For fireplace tending, tools comprise pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and tool stands.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to contemporary 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 house. These fire pits were usually based within a space, allowing more individuals to gather around it.

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Many flaws were found in early fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace designers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

From the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of 2 components, the surround as well as the add. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. The insert 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 era were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.

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Some fireplace units include a blower that transports 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 by means of a fireback, a sheet of metal which sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to warm the air. The ideal method to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is if you notice you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first stage the first heat is provided through a big glass window while the fire is burning. During this time period the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then evenly radiated for several hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.wood fireplace mantels