The History and Revolution of Home Heating Systems
One: Fireplace Heating Systems
For hundreds of years, people had to heat their Magnolia homes with fires that were built in fireplaces and fueled with wood logs, dried animal dung or sod.
In some areas, people used pieces of coal in a fireplace. Keeping a supply of fuel available for a home’s fireplace was a laborious process that required time and physical strength.
Fireplaces were built of stone, clay or brick and were an essential part of a Magnolia home. In order to keep a fire lit in the fire pit, someone needed to remain near the fireplace to add fuel throughout the day and night.
Today, when our customers are using a fireplace, it is used to augment other heating systems and often is fueled with natural gas, gel or ethanol instead of wood.
Two: Boiler Heating Systems
Eventually, people realized that the steam from hot water was suitable for keeping a building warm. If a building was made with a venting system, then the steam could enter each room to keep everyone warm. Instead of everyone needing to stay in one room around a hot fireplace, now people could remain in different parts of a building.
Boilers are filled with water, and it is not always necessary to have the liquid boiling in order to create heat. Boilers are made from a variety of metals, and the mechanisms inside the device are calibrated to heat liquid and maintain pressure to supply heat to a building.
In the past, a boiler for heating was frequently a unique device made by one local craftsman, and when a repair was necessary, there was a serious danger from explosions that led to fires.
Three: Modern Heating Systems
Because maintaining a fire in a fireplace was labor intensive and boiler systems are sometimes dangerous, inventors kept trying to find a better way to heat buildings. This led to central heating systems that are fueled with oil, electricity or natural gas and turn on and off with an automatic thermostat.
Buildings using central heating are created with ductwork and venting systems that permit climate-controlled air to escape into each area. A centralized heating system is easier for our customers to maintain by simply changing an air filter once a month.
We recommend a maintenance tune-up once a year to clean and lubricate the device, and occasionally, our customers must contact us for an emergency repair.
Interested in taking a closer look at your Magnolia, TX HVAC system? Call Affordable American Air Conditioning & Heating, today at (281) 704-3696 today.