The Development of Chimneys
Modern chimneys are designed to keep fireplace smoke outside of your house, but if you discover a problem like drafting, you can contact our chimney specialists to fix it. When all chimneys were inefficient and dealing with smoke was just a normal aspect of lighting a fire inside your home, a chimney sweep couldn’t cure a smokey chimney.
Although the origin of chimneys is unknown, historians think that they were in use in Europe before the year 1200. There is evidence that chimneys were very prevalent in Padua, Italy, as early as 1368. Several chimneys were destroyed by an earthquake in Venice in 1347. During Queen Elizabeth I’s rule in Tudor England, chimneys were fairly common among the elite classes, but the poor suffered from smoke-filled homes since they burnt fires on brick or clay foundations. Actually, chimneys were inefficient and frequently deadly during these times and for centuries afterward.
By 1719, all chimneys in England were to be constructed of brick or rebuilt of brick in order to limit the number of fires started by clay-built chimneys. President George Washington noticed brick chimneys when traveling the east coast of the United States of America and thought they were interesting. In most American cities at the time, fire wardens were chosen with the responsibility of doing routine chimney inspections. Despite the fact that brick chimneys were unquestionably safer than clay ones, the issue of fireplace smoke was not resolved.
Part of what was lacking was a knowledge of heat, which might result in a correct design that carried the smoke up and out of the chimney more successfully. Because heat was regarded by scientists as a fluid in the early nineteenth century, this constituted a barrier.
A scientific study of smoky chimneys was done in the 16th century by a Parisian physician named Louis Savot, which led to significant advancements in chimneys. He came to the conclusion that a narrower fireplace combined with a smooth flue can produce a stronger draft.
While this was happening, the demand for chimneys to be more efficient in removing smoke from homes increased in Europe due to the use of coal in fireplaces. The most important turning point in chimney history is attributed to Count Rumford, who was born in Massachusetts in 1753. This may be partially due to his recognition that heat was not fluid and his groundbreaking refutation of this widely held belief.
A fireplace and chimney that are specifically made to nearly remove smoke were created by Count Rumford. Because of his invention, shallow fireplaces that could reflect heat back into the room replaced deep ones. Another change was incorporating chimneys into the wall rather than constructing them on the exterior of the home, which helped to stop smoke from seeping into the room.
The Rumford design remained the standard for roughly 150 years. However, earlier chimney designs returned when other heating sources took the place of the fireplace. There is no reason to put up with a smoky fireplace, regardless of whether your chimney is situated on the exterior of your property or is located on an inside wall. For assistance with any issues, you may be having as well as for yearly inspections and cleaning services, contact our Local Chimney Cleaning Sunol professionals.