Mantle piece and grate designs have changed but the fundamental structural components of a fireside have not drastically changed for hundreds of years. The early combination of a big stone or brick opening with a chimney built over it evolved from the most obvious reality that smoke rises, rather than from a systematic knowledge of how a well-designed flue system works. Consequently early wood and later coal-burning fires were awfully wasteful and it was not until a certain Benjamin Thompson ( also known as Count Rumford ) produced his proposal on the rules of fireplace design in 1799 that smaller grates and enhancements in the internal shape of the openings were introduced.
A brick or stone enclosure forms the foundation of the fireside. Variously called the hearth opening or recess or builders opening, it might be set flush with the wall or built out into the room, forming a chimney breast. This chimney breast rises thru the peak of the house, rising through the roof to form a chimney stack. At the pinnacle of the opening the gather and flue combine to hold the smoke up the chimney. If the chimney is shared by several fireplaces on different floors, it may have more than one flue.
The masonry over the fire opening is supported by a lintel or a brick arch. Old inglenook fireplaces used massive oak beams, whereas a strong iron strap sometimes supports an early brick arch. Later on fireplaces may have a straight arch supported by angle iron, and by the twentieth century cast cement lintels were the standard.
A hearth, constructed from non-flammable materials such as stone or tile-faced concrete, comes out into the room to offer protection to the floor from falling ashes. In many old homes the hearth was set level with the floor, although sometimes a superimposed one was used to raise the level. The space within the fireplace opening, called the back hearth, is usually level with the hearth itself. A dog grate for burning wood or coal can be put on this back hearth. However, by the mid-nineteenth century the mass produced cast-iron register grate which filled up the opening, had grown to be the style.
To complete the assembly, a mantelpiece or mantel or fireplace surround, as it is frequently called today is fitted to border the grate or fireplace opening. The mantel could be made from stone, slate, marble, wood or iron. The walls around it could be finished with wood paneling, or more usually with plaster, and in a number of cases the mantel extends upwards to form an impressive chimneypiece. Mirrored overmantels were introduced in the late eighteenth century, and these became the classic feature of Victorian sitting rooms.
Within this hearth 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 vision can soon fade particularly if the fire doesn’t burn properly. Getting a fire started and keeping it land then becomes a problem, if not a bore. For wood and coal fires to burn brightly an excellent supply of air is needed under the grate, in addition to a strategy of escape for the hot gases and smoke. With the fuel safely contained within the fire opening on a grate, free circulation of air is achievable and waste ash can fall thru the grate so the fire is not stifled. If the chimney is insufficient or the flow of air is restricted the fire will not function efficiently. To discover the righ ones be certain to leaf through all the key electric fireplace logs and electric logs manufacturer sites.