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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the ground, in caves, or at the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where an open flame burnt with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be coated so rain and snow wouldn't enter.

Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it outside via a ceiling or wall. These can be put against stone walls, instead of taking up the middle of the space, and this enabled smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general usage instantly, 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. The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. 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 lengthier place at the top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing the smoke up and from the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the room. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern fireplaces.

Instead it depended on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on supplying quality stone. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign of wealth, which to a degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, based on the plan.

Historically they were used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic 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 base, 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 is often a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick act as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A hood, cap, or shroud serves to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the most violent rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

Organizations such as 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 good, but it is not good for you.

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

In the USA, some states and local businesses have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. There are also air quality management problems because of the amount of moisture they discharge in the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesA wide assortment of accessories are used with fireplaces, ranging between states, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in current Western civilizations comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire dogs, all which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes utilized to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames placed in front of the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They were used for warmth on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.

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Many flaws were found in early fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace performers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with a emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their size.

From the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of 2 parts, the surround and the add. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, marble or granite. The fit was where the fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to bring a cozy ambiance to 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 is also increased 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 can also be made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider only the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to warm the air. The ideal way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most elderly fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first phase the first heat is offered through a big glass window while the fire is burning. In this time period the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the next phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.amazon electric fireplace