Who Invented the Central Heating System?
A central heating source, such as a furnace or boiler, is the main element of a central heating system. The even distribution of heat throughout the home is what makes a central heating system revolutionary.
William Strutt designed a warmed-air duct system for his Derbyshire, England factory in 1804. This system was not practical for a residence until Schulyer Wheeler, of upstate New York, developed an electric fan in 1886.
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History
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Ancient Romans warmed their bathhouses with central heating. Ancient Middle Easterners cooled and heated their structures with a central system as well. The principle behind these ancient systems was simple. Floors were built approximately two feet above ground and walls were hollow creating a system of drafts. A fire burned outside the residence and drafts swept hot air throughout the structure. Cooling systems worked in a similar fashion, minus the fire.
The rich were able to maintain these systems through their access to fuel sources and the use of slaves who constantly fed the fire.
Development
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Access to free labor and fuel sources were limited to most people in most regions of the world. The predominant means of heating a home were single fires in the common living area. People wore a great deal of clothing, even to bed. Rudimentary central heating systems were designed in the early 1800s.
The development of furnaces and boilers powered by electricity or natural gas greatly aided in the practicality of a central heating system.
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Design
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Wheeler and Strutt developed and refined the hot air system but their efforts were limited by the heat source in use at the time: a stove. Stoves required a great deal of maintenance to ensure that smoke did not blow through the structure, that the fire did not go out and that the structure itself did not ignite.
Heat is distributed through all areas of a residence via radiation, conduction and convection. In a hot air system the heat distribution system is composed of ductwork, blowers, or fans. A hot water system distributes heat through pipes and radiators.
Contemporary Use
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By the mid-2Oth century central heating was commonplace. In the northeastern U.S. and in much of Great Britain, a hydro-system is common. A boiler heats water, the hot water runs through pipes into the radiators that heat rooms. Elsewhere in the United States, a furnace heats air which is blown through the house via ducts and fans.
Effects on Culture
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Colin Smith, author of "This Cold House," remembers a childhood of not only chattering teeth, but of family gathered around the hearth sharing warmth and stories. Central heating has made all areas of the home and the workplace comfortable, which has made congregation unnecessary.
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