MDD Homes

When the weather turns chilly, we often think about trying to get warm!  Now is a perfect time to talk about furnaces!  You may think that furnaces are boring, but I beg to differ.  Prior to 1885, homes used brick fireplaces or cast iron stoves to heat a home.  Cast iron radiators used a coal fired boiler in the basement which delivered hot water or steam to radiators in every room. In 1885 the first riveted-steel furnaces were introduced.  These coal furnaces used natural convection (hot air rising) through ducts from the basement furnace to heat the rooms above.  Finally in 1935 the first forced air furnace (FAU) used the power of an electric fan to distribute heated air through the ductwork.  The coal version FAU was shortly replaced by the gas and oil fired versions that are the basis of what we use today.  Furnaces have only gotten more efficient and reliable through the years.  Cutting-edge technology continues to improve furnaces, helping to deliver heated air efficientl