History of the Heating Unit

When one thinks of dire HVAC dilemmas, Phoenix air conditioning replacement probably comes to mind. Though Phoenix heating repair may not seem like the most urgent of restorations, it is certainly on the list. After all, Phoenix can still get uncomfortably chilly during the colder months of the year, even if it isn’t a chart topper of snowfall records. If you’ve ever wondered how your home heater keeps you cozy while outdoor temperatures drop, here’s everything you ever wanted to know about the history of home-heating units!

• Ancient Rome coined the term “hypocaust,” referring to a system of furnaces and pipes that would fill with warm air and heat up a room. The hypocaust was the inspiration for many similar types of heating system throughout Medieval and Renaissance times.

• Fireplace heating was a popular type of space heating from around 800 C.E. through about the 13th All over Europe chimney heating became the choice form of space heating. Different regions had their own variations on the method: the French used the raised gate to create a circulating fireplace, the English used combustion to better disperse heat within homes, and the Russians and the Swedes transformed the chimneys into cast iron stoves.

• William Strutt constructed the first hot air furnace in 1792. Strutt created an appliance similar to an oven that worked by heating cold air and then ventilating it throughout the cold space. These stoves were colloquially referred to as “Derby” stoves.

• Hydronic heating is a type of system that carries heated water through plastic pipes inserted into large slabs of concrete. Hydronic heating is similar to steam heating, except that hydronic heating does not require any pumps for circulation. Hydronic heating was used as early as the 14th century in a monastery in Greenland. Hot spring water was used to heat buildings in one of the coldest regions in the world.

• Electric and gas-fired heating are the most common options for heating nowadays. At around the beginning of the 20th century, gas heating began to become the popular method of home-heating. Today, 60 percent of American homes are heated by gas-fired or electric heating units.

Curious about Phoenix heating repair? Have questions about Phoenix air conditioning replacement? Get them answered at www.chasroberts.com. Be sure to check out our blog for all things HVAC!