What Is the History of the Modern Furnace?

Mar 11, 2022 | Blog, Furnace, Heating, HVAC, OH, Ohio, Winter, Xenia

Life can throw us uncontrollable curveballs, and the weather is no exception. Throughout history, in order to survive, humans have depended on the capability to stay warm in even the coldest temperatures. This skill is universally known to be very important, of course! Our ancestors have vast records displaying clever techniques to keep toasty warm. Also, they have adjusted and broadened the use of technology into their processes for staying warm. So, it’s safe to say that we should all be thankful for the modern furnace and the fact that humans no longer need to use rocks to spark flame! Regardless, your heating and cooling professionals at Xenia Heating & Air would be pleased for you to understand the troughs society navigated through to achieve the norms we have succeeded in forging the modern furnace, which homes still rely on.

Who Brought Upon the Radiator?

It was in Rome, Italy where the Italians created the hypocaust. If you didn’t know, a hypocaust is an unobstructed setting located just beneath the floors of ancient buildings, which would force out hot air to warm a bath or a conventional enclosure. Pretty fascinating!

Still, Franz San Galli had a more creative idea, and he comprised the radiator. Toddle forward thirty years, Dave Lennox carried Galli’s visionary tech and devised a home heating system that acted by cast-iron radiators containing hot coal. These heating systems could be seen in the cellar because, as we all know, heat rises. These radiators were the ticket to keeping us nice and cozy!

Electric Heat Was Established by Who?

Electric heat was disclosed in 1882. In 1905, Albert Marsh, an American metallurgist, comprised that countless metal sorts contained chrome in its design. This discovery directed Marsh to seek an adequate heating element yet to be seen before. This renewed discovery promoted currents of electricity to pervade through his heating unit, which reclaimed heat into electricity. Marsh’s initial idea has stayed relatively homogenous, though technology has grown over time. That being said, Albert Marsh is commonly known as “The Father of Electric Heating” still to this day!

Who Created the Central Heating System?

Interestingly, you may not know that a female patented the foremost central heating system. In 1919, Alice Parker suspected natural gas was a more practical, mathematical, and promising fuel source than popularly utilized in that day. She indeed was on the verge of something great! Alice is monumentalized as “The Mother of Modern Heating” during Black History Month. Her sensible setup contains a singular source, usually mended in the center of the home. More, it includes a multi-burner element that would restock heat in one’s domain through the pipes and air ducts.

When Was Widespread Forced Air Appointed? 

As a result, Parker’s invention kept the course for the forced-air system to be ascertained in 1935. It manipulated heat from the furnace throughout the home by spanning the ventilation system, permitting regions to heat by one source. Unfortunately, gravity was not a friend of the system. Warm air duplicated by a furnace would wrap the home and eventually shrink back into the furnace to get reheated repeatedly. Indeed, energy was figuratively and literally y getting thrown out the window! Also, a gravity-fed system mandated big ducts, stemming a generous dose of ductwork to colonize basements. This system was an absolute waste of energy, duration, and, more upsettingly, money.

How is the Modern Day Furnace Extraordinary?

Motor fans thrived as an applicable remedy for the ineffective way gravity-fed furnaces heated dwellings. These reserved motor fans allowed warm air to fill the surroundings and saturate through thinner ducts. Presently, heated air is sifted and scattered evenly throughout the habitats we call home, pulling your monthly energy bills down to an appreciative price. Trust us, your surroundings and your pockets thank you! 

Honestly, keeping warm while temperatures are most brutal has matured and contemporized over time, ending in what we now declare the “Modern Furnace.” Also, there is recordable evidence of just how far humans advanced while respecting the technology we can now utilize to make life more enjoyable. Today, our technology creates solace easily attainable while easing our minds with the understanding that we can access heat with the unmistakable press of a button or using an app conveniently found on our smartphones. If you genuinely desire to one-up your current home’s heating game, call Xenia Heating & Air today at (937) 708-8451, or schedule an appointment online now by clicking here! Your home will thank you!

We hope what you read was educational and revealed to you more about your household heating and where it’s matured. We desire you to find peace in confidence for where it’s all directed. Won’t be long before we see more on what’s to come to the surface in the residential heating and cooling world!