Heritage Homes - Old House Heating Systems

This is a topic near and dear to my own heart because we still have the original gravity furnace. It works just fine but it is a source of "heated" discussion between my husband and I. He wants to replace it, I want to keep the original furnace.

Late 19th century homes in Alberta were anything but warm. In spite of the many developments in the area of central heating most homes were still heated by the ubiquitous pot bellied “parlor” stove or the fireplace.

 

The fireplace has always been tied to the concept of home – a place where family and friends gather to be together and stay warm. It had pride of place against an outside wall in order to access the chimney. 

The fireplace kept the room warm - but only that room. Our Victorian ancestors solved that problem by having fireplaces in several rooms (if they could afford it) or by closing off adjacent rooms through the use of doors or heavy tapestry curtains.

 

Usually faced with local materials such as wood, tile or stone, fireplace surrounds and mantels provided an important decorative element in the room. Over- mantel mirrors inset with display shelves were made first of mahogany then of walnut and oak.

 

If a fireplace proved to be too expensive to install, there was always the cast iron parlor stove. Usually located in the center of the building, it was expected to keep the main floor warm. Upper floors were heated through the installation of a vent or grille in the ceiling above the stove that took advantage of the warm air rising from the stove.

 

Both methods of heating had serious drawbacks. The fireplace required a fender. This was a raised metal bar that was placed on the floor around the fireplace hearth at a distance of at least 12 inches from the firebox. This was to ensure that long skirts did not ignite by brushing up against hot embers – a not uncommon cause of death for women at that time. The parlor stove was vented via a thin metal uninsulated pipe that glowed red with heat. It ran haphazardly through walls and ceilings and was also the cause of tragic fires.

 

The kitchen range shared the responsibility of heating the house with the parlor stove and the fireplace. It was often placed at the back of the house or away in a separate area of the yard for safety’s sake.

 

Keeping a wood burning fireplace or stove going through the cold months of winter was an onerous chore. Trees had to be felled, the wood cut and stored, and ashes removed.   The biggest advantage of wood as a fuel, however, was its availability and low cost. As a result many homes in Alberta were heated with wood well into the 20th century.

 

Coal eventually supplanted wood as the fuel of choice and facilitated the coming of central heating. It burned longer and hotter than wood thus required less work. It, however, needed to be stored in a dry area.  Some home owners built large coal bins in their basements that could store as much as 40 tons of coal – a typical amount used over one winter season!

 

By the late 1800’s most of the mechanical heating systems had been introduced to the public. Known as gravity systems they dealt with the differing densities of steam, hot water or air for distribution. All systems required a basement because that was where the boiler or heater was located.

 

A coal fired boiler heated the water or steam and the pressure exerted pushed the fluids through radiators that were strategically located under windows to combat cold drafts. These systems were more common in urban rather than rural locations due to their need for readily available water..

 

Radiators became a decorating dilemma. In an effort to make their product more acceptable manufacturers began to produce radiators with ornate architectural detailing and marketed them as “beautiful in their own right”. Although the public did not fall for the radiator–as–art, they took advantage of the companies’ offerings for radiators in the latest colour schemes. 

 

Until the invention of the thermostat, steam or water gravity systems had definite drawbacks. Their temperatures were inconsistent, they were noisy, and catastrophic failure was a real possibility. The solution was to heat air.

 

The early furnace was a coal burning gravity system and it initially operated without electricity. It was placed in the basement in the center of the home. The heated air rose through large pipes to wall grills positioned on the floors above the furnace. The amount of heat was controlled by means of dampers placed on each grill. The hot air rose up to the ceiling, cooled then returned to the furnace below through separate pipes known as cold air returns.

 

Installing gravity furnaces required specialized knowledge. Too many incorrect installations gave the furnace a bad reputation for cold feet and drafty rooms. In spite of this their popularity remained well into the twentieth century and several heritage homes (the author’s home included) still have fully operational gravity furnaces.  They were less expensive to buy and install because they made use of the single stack concept that was popularized by plumbing systems. The cook stove, the furnace and the fireplace were all attached to the same chimney. This made for some very awkwardly placed fireplaces in the corner of the living room rather than its usual more prominent position against an outer wall.

 

The biggest drawback was and is the gravity furnace’s size. Nicknamed the octopus, these metal monoliths with their protruding pipes made the basement almost useless for anything but storage. Electrically powered fans changed the gravity system to forced air which significantly shrank the size of the furnace. Natural gas replaced coal as a fuel but not until after WW2. The forced air furnace was here to stay.

 

HEATING TODAY

Finding a more efficient, cost effective method of heating our homes continues today. Choices range from water heated systems, floor heating, solar power, geothermal heating and high efficiency forced air furnaces – the choices are staggering. Should one replace an original yet fully functional heating system? That decision goes to the heart of one’s preservation philosophy. If the system can be said to be truly unique to that particular house or unusual in its arrangement then it can be argued that preservation is a good option. If replacement is the best option it is absolutely imperative that professional knowledgeable help be sought. Replacing a gravity system with forced air is not just a matter of replacing the furnace. The entire house and its air flow path must be reorganized to ensure maximum benefit from its replacement.      

Written By Johanne Yakula

Sources: From Times Past Antique Furniture and Accessories

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