Modern Heating Methods Fall Back On Ancient Systems

The advances being made with central heating today actually find their roots back in ancient times. People would be surprised to know that Romans used central heat and were not the first. Heat systems have been around for a long time because they are so very important to humankind.

Mechanical engineering includes a subdivision called HVAC. This stands for a combination of services a business might offer, namely heating, ventilation as well air conditioning. Many business owners will chose to drop ventilation from their list of services but might offer refrigeration services instead.

One of the most popular ways to warm a public building or a private home is centralized heat. Using forced air and ductwork is great because during warmer weather the ductwork can also be used for central air conditioning. If water is being used to heat a building centrally, it will have piping instead of ducts.

While most people imagine a radiator when thinking of what heats their homes, in truth convection is the main method of how heat gets around a home and does its important work. Convection involves the transfer of a heated fluid via either its own natural buoyancy or a mechanical pump. The heated fluid is then moved around the home through some forced transfer system.

One of the benefits of central heat is that it warms up not just the floors but often the walls of a building. Evidence has been found as far north as Alaska and Asia of people using the smoke from their furnaces to heat their floors. Trenches were built into the stone floors of these homes, similar to the Roman practice of hypocausts. Hypocausts used a furnace to distribute heat through floors and walls in times long gone by.

It is a fact that Romans were not the first to use central heat in the more southern parts of the European world. Pakistan and other eastern countries used similar methods. Northern Africa, Western Asia and much of the Roman Empire relied on central heat. However, as the Romans began to fade from glory, so too did some of their greatest technological advances. Britain was without central heat until the early 1900s.

Central heating adds a certain luxury and feeling of indulgence to a new home when it's being designed. Despite how advanced it might seem, it's also one of the best choices. Many people are unaware of how their venting systems work with other heat methods. The vents that are placed in the coldest parts of a house are actually trying to warm up the condensation filled air that forms near glass. People often redirect this heat away from windows, defeating the vent's purpose.

A critical home building consideration, heating is very important to take seriously. It matters less that it's radiant heat or true convection, and more that it is a centralized system. The Romans knew what they were doing in this aspect and it's important to look to the ancients many times when considering modern technology.