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Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the floor, in caves, or at 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 produced hazardous or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into elevated hearths in buildings, but ventilation 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 all the smoke climbing into the vent 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.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it outside through a ceiling or wall. These can be put against stone walls, instead of taking up the center of the space, and this enabled smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were devised 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 provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general usage immediately, however, as they were expensive to build and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a longer area at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing the smoke up and from the building. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected to the space. Rumford's design is the basis for modern fireplaces.

Rather 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 providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces at this time were a symbol of wealth, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, depending on the plan.

Historically they have been 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. A fireplace might have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (utilized in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there's frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the casting courses of brick act as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the 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 various studies, fireplaces can pose a significant health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not great for you.

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.A couple of kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric 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. Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by 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 management issues because of the amount of moisture they discharge in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place 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, bark baskets, along with fire dogs, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes used to catch and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes. Other wider accessories can include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and much more.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on cold days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were usually based within a room, allowing more people to gather around it.

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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. The most famous fireplace performers of this time 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 level of the materials used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround and the add. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, marble or granite. The fit was where the fire burned, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to bring a cozy ambiance into homes.

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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 with the use of a fireback, a sheet of metal which sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but can also be made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the effect of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to heat the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has done so as the 15th century. The ideal way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is if you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is provided through a large glass while the flame is burning. During this time the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. 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. Depending on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace tools