Estufas

Name of the item: “capilla” gas heater
Date: Approx. 1915-1925
Material: Iron and ceramic
Registration number: ES. 98
Catalana de Gas Collection. Gas Museum

 

The system for heating homes was created by the Romans, using pipes made from clay that went under the floor or in the walls and carried the hot air produced by a wood fire in the basement of houses. The rooms of the house were heated in this way, using a very similar system to the current one.

This system was lost with the fall of the Roman Empire and for centuries people heated their houses through various systems such as chimneys, hot coals or simply with blankets or fur.

This drastically changed in the 18th century during the industrial revolution, when a similar heating system to the Romans was adapted using hot steam.

But, the first domestic electric heater was only patented by British inventors R.E. Crompton and J.H. Dowsing in 1892, while they were also innovating with gas heaters, which were called salamander heaters. These heaters created heat through gas combustion with a burner and, therefore, managed to heat the surroundings quickly, cleanly and easily.

This model in particular has a circular and compact structure at the top which helps intensify and concentrate the hot air that escapes through the vents in the white part of the heater. The ergonomics also help the air circulate towards the outside and maintain the hot air for a longer period of time.