A brick or stone enclosure forms the basis of the fireplace
Mantle piece and grate styles have altered but the fundamental structural components of a fireside have not drastically changed for hundreds of years. The early aggregate of a big stone or brick opening with a chimney built over it developed from the clear reality that smoke rises, instead of from a systematic understanding of how a well-designed flue system works. Hence early wood and later coal-burning fires were awfully inefficient and it wasn’t until a certain Benjamin Thompson ( sometimes called Count Rumford ) created his contention on the principles of hearth style in 1799 that smaller grates and enhancements in the internal shape of the openings were introduced.
A brick or stone enclosure forms the basis of the fireside. Often called the fireside opening or recess or builders opening, it may be set level with the wall or built out into the room, forming a chimney breast. This chimney breast rises through the height of the house, emerging through the roof to form a chimney stack. At the apex of the opening the gather and flue mix to hold the smoke up the chimney. If the chimney is shared by many fireplaces on different floors, it may contain more than one flue.
The masonry over the fireplace opening is supported by a lintel or a brick arch. Old inglenook fireplaces used large oak beams, while a strong iron strap usually supports an early brick arch. Later on fireplaces can have a straight arch supported by angle iron, and by the twentieth century cast concrete lintels were the norm.
A hearth, built from non-flammable materials like stone or tile-faced concrete, comes out into the room to give protection to the floor from falling ashes. In most old houses the hearth was set level with the floor, although occasionally a superimposed one was employed to raise the level. The space in the fireside opening, called the back hearth, is generally level with the hearth itself. A dog grate for burning wood or coal can be placed on this back hearth. However, by the mid-nineteenth century the mass produced solid iron register grate which filled up the opening, had grown to be the fashion.
To complete the assembly, a mantelpiece or mantel or fireplace surround, as it is regularly called today is fitted to frame the grate or fireplace opening. The mantel might be constructed from stone, slate, marble, wood or cast iron. The walls around it could be finished with wood paneling, or more frequently with plaster, and in a number of cases the mantel extends upwards to form a formidable chimneypiece. Mirrored overmantels were introduced in the late eighteenth century, and these became the classic feature of Victorian sitting rooms.
Within this fireplace an open fire burning wood or coal is a cheerful sight, but if it’s your only source of heat, as it was for centuries, this romantic image can soon fade particularly if the fire does not burn correctly. Getting a fire started and keeping it alight then becomes a challenge, if not a pain. For wood and coal fires to burn brightly a brilliant supply of air is required under the grate, besides a means of escape for the hot gases and smoke. With the fuel safely contained in the fire opening on a grate, free circulation of air is possible and waste ash can fall thru the grate so that the fire is not suppressed. If the chimney is insufficient or the flow of air is proscribed the fire will not function efficiently. To locate the righ ones be sure to search all the key electric fireplace logs and electric fireplace log manufacturer websites.