History of Water Heaters | Water Heater Pros | Sacramento, Ca

History of Water Heaters

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Life is not the same with the invention and use of water heaters.

It is hard to imagine living without immediate access to hot water, but some people do it daily, and water heaters are not always a part of everyday existence.

Here are some more interesting facts about the history of water heaters.

Before water heaters, people had to find natural ways to heat water, such as fire and hot springs.

The Romans produced hot water more than 1800 years ago; we'll discuss that later.

It was not until 1889 that Edwin Rudd invented the automatic storage water heater, which most of us are familiar with today.

In 1896, Clarence Kemp took things one step further with his solar-paneled heating. This type of hot water heating utilizes solar panels to heat the water—a popular choice in sunny areas worldwide.

The modern tankless water heater, as we know it, was introduced in the 1960s. This type of water heater heats the water inside copper or brass coils, known as a heat exchanger—no more storage tanks of heated water are needed.

The heated circulation system was introduced in the 1970s. It provides pre-heated water circulated throughout your home to meet your needs on demand.

Bet you didn't know?

12 – the average lifespan in years of a tank-type storage water heater.
25 – the average lifespan in years of a tankless water heater.
64 – average gallons of water used by a person per day.
400-600 – the average number of dollars a family spends yearly to heat their water.

Knowing the history of water heaters and other fun facts should help you better appreciate this handy appliance in your home. Without it, you would be stuck heating your water using natural resources.

WHO INVENTED THE FIRST WATER HEATER

Before the invention of the water heater, hot water was a time-consuming luxury.

Anyone wanting a hot bath had to heat the water in small batches over an open fire or a stove and transfer them one bucket at a time to a bathtub.

First Instantaneous Water Heater

In 1868, a British decorative painter named Benjamin Waddy Maughan patented the first instantaneous water heater for household use.

Maughan's Geyser

Called the "gas geyser," Maughan's invention used natural gas to heat the water as it flowed into the bathtub. The guys didn't have a flue for venting gas vapors, so using it was dangerous.

First, the Automatic Storage Water Heater

Maughan's design inspired mechanical engineer Edwin Ruud, a Norwegian immigrant to the United States, who patented his automatic storage water heater in 1889.

Ruud's Invention

Ruud's water heater was a gas-heated, cast iron appliance with a copper heat exchanger. When the bather opened a water faucet, an actuator valve turned on the heater's burners.

Ruud's Success

In 1897, Rudd opened a company in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, devoted to making domestic and commercial water heaters. The Ruud Manufacturing Company became an industry leader in water heating products and is the oldest American water heater company.

• Americans started seeing the Ruud modern water heater around 1898.

• Popularity was slow coming as Americans were skeptical of such a devise.

• It wasn't long before indoor automatic water heaters were a welcome sight.

• Erwin Ruud invented this while working as an apprentice for Mr. Westinghouse in the late 1800s.

• He invented the actuator valve, which was a device that would open and close due to water pressure in a pipe and be connected to the actuator valve.

• This invention by Mr. Ruud made it all work.

• As the pressure dropped in the pipe and the faucet handle was moved to turn on hot water, the actuator valve opened, allowing hot water under pressure to flow to the faucet.

• Now you know how it all got started.

Bet you didn't know?

Why is the hot water valve always on the left?

Because cold water was available before the invention of the water heater, the first plumbing in a home was a water pump at the kitchen sink.

Since most people are right-handed, it only seemed practical to place the well pump on the right side of the sink by hand pounding and forming a sheet of copper into a sink with a lead drain pipe leading outside.

When it was time to install a hot water faucet, the only place to put it was on the left side of the sink, so now you know why hot water is always on the left and cold on the right.

Antique water heaters on display in Sacramento, Water Heater Pros office

Romans Produced Hot Water, more than 1800 Years ago!

Hundreds of slaves worked through the day and night, burning wood in 50 brick ovens to ensure the water was hot 24 hours a day.

Just one of these ancient ovens, which helped supply 15 gallons of water a second, was found in Ancient Rome through tunnels underground.

One of the brick ovens that kept hot water pumping into the ancient baths of Caracalla, Rome (pictured) 1,800 years ago, is now on display for the first time.

The steamy secret to how the Romans ran a piping hot bath: Slaves burnt tonnes of wood in 50 brick ovens that kept water in the ancient Baths of Caracalla warm 24 hours a day

Baths of Caracalla in Rome, Italy, were built under Emperor Caracalla in 216 AD.
At the time, it supplied 15 gallons of water a second and accommodated 5,000 people.
Directors have opened a section of tunnels with oven-heating baths for the first time.

In the modern world, most people don't think about the source of the hot water running through their taps.

And neither did the 5,000 Romans who used the Baths of Caracalla every day more than 1,800 years ago—but if they had, the steamy secret was being kept right under their feet.

Hundreds of slaves working through the night burnt tonnes of wood in 50 brick ovens to ensure the water was hot 24 hours a day, reports the Times.

Now, one of these ancient ovens, which helped supply 15 gallons (70 liters) of water a second through tunnels underground, is being displayed for the first time.

Director Marina Piranomonte told the Times: 'This is the technological heart of the baths. Everyone should see it — not just academics with torches.'

The Terme di Caracalla was built in 216 AD while Emperor Caracalla ruled and remained in use, cleaning 5,000 Romans daily until 537 AD when it was closed. It was closed after the Ostrogoths destroyed the aqueducts supplying water to the baths.

Contemporary descriptions of the grand structure mention marble columns, floors, glass mosaics, and hundreds of statues. Unfortunately, the marble was eventually stripped away, but the site is still one of the best-preserved ancient spa complexes.

Nearly two miles of lead pipes underground kept the pools at 40C (104F), which may have contaminated the water.

POMPEII ITALY

Old boiler: The world's first central heating system on display as -- Ancient boilers from Pompeii, the partially-buried Roman settlement near Naples in southern Italy.

Ancient Roman boiler from Pompeii. It produced hot water while resting on an iron tripod: bathtubs, boilers, and the world's first underfloor heating System.

The recreated Pompeii villa gives rare insight into Roman life.

A Roman villa had technological innovations, such as a boiler that warms bathwater in Pompeii.

The exhibition "Pompei: The Art of Living" at Musee Maillol in Paris has been set up as a Roman villa, built around a garden atrium, offering a composite look at the decor of a Pompeian domus.

Ancient boilers were found in Pompeii, the partially-buried Roman settlement near Naples in southern Italy.

THE HISTORY OF ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS

Water heaters have become ubiquitous in modern housing in the industrialized world. However, prior to industrialization, they were a luxury. Electric water heaters became available during the Industrial Revolution.

Inventor

Who invented the first electric water heater was not other than Norwegian-American engineer Edwin Ruud in 1889.

Storage Tank Water Heaters

The storage tank heater, still the most common type of water heater in the United States, heats a supply of water and stores it for later use. Newspaper advertisements 1945 suggest that an "automatic gas or electric water heater" could help keep a constant flow of hot water to the home.

Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters are now commonly used in Europe and much of Asia. They use a series of tubes running through electric elements to heat only the amount of water needed for a particular purpose.

The first electric tankless water heater was invented by Stiebel-Eltron in 1929.

by Sharon J. Rehana

WE'VE COME A LONG WAY

In 1889, George Eastman began selling his Kodak flexible roll film for the first time; the World’s Fair opened in Paris with the completed Eiffel Tower; Daniel Stover and William Hance patented a bicycle with the back-pedal brake; and Edwin Rudd, a Norwegian mechanical engineer and inventor who immigrated to the U.S. was awarded a patent for his design of a tankless water heater.

It had a cast iron body with a copper heat exchanger, and his patent was on a gas actuator valve, which turned on the burner when a water faucet was opened.

Things have changed since then. Today, tankless water heaters are used worldwide and have gained significant popularity in North America.

They last longer than tanked heaters, provide hot water when and for as long as needed, and will save consumers money each month because they reduce the energy used.

EWART & SON,

THE ROYAL GEYSER

This royal British water heater, which is gas-fired, dates from about 1895.

It was installed in the bathroom next to the bathtub, where showers were virtually non-existent.

To Operate it, you light the pilot, turn on the water, and then turn on the gas valve.

Be Careful

The temperature is adjusted by putting in the right amount of cold water.

When shutting the water heater off, you had to be very careful not to shut off the water before turning off the gas.

If you did forget, the heater would quickly be ruined—probably melted down!

Shepherd's Crook

The heater works by mixing hot gases and water, which, although very efficient, wasn't particularly clean. British heaters had an interesting safety device built in that you can see on the side of it.

The "shepherd's crook" fills the water supply's air gap.

This prevents tainted water from the heater from possibly returning to the water supply (a rather modern concept).

The slightly tainted hot water was to be used only for bathing. This heater burns roughly 100,000 BTU per hour.