As the emphasis on saving the environment grows so does the popularity of wood burning stoves due to their use of renewable energy and, of course, the visual impact they can have on any room they are fitted.
Although many of us know Benjamin Franklin as one of the most famous American presidents it is a lesser known fact that he also is one of the founding fathers of the modern day stove. Despite the fact man kind had been using fire to create heat for many years, Franklin invented a stove that would increase the heat in a room whilst reducing the amount of smoke that would circulate the room. Franklin’s design is still used to this day and, although slightly modernised, still maintains a lot of the features used in the original creation.
One of the highlights of the stove’s history came from Benjamin Thompson at the end of the 18th century when he published an article explaining how chimneys work and suggesting improvements to the design. This new design was aimed at large estates and the kitchens in stately homes so work then began on scaling the size of stoves down so that they could be used in a larger amount of homes. The most successful at this was Philio Stewart who patented the Oberlin Stove which saw huge success and sold more than 90,000 over the next three decades.
These designs are all still used today, although advancements in production have seen a huge step towards efficiency, making the stove one of the most efficient ways to heat your home. Vast improvements in steel quality has allowed for air tight stoves to be manufactured from sheets of steel unlike the traditional stoves that are made from panels of cast iron joined together. This allows for an increase in efficiency as well as the ability to create more intricate stove designs.
Although many of us know Benjamin Franklin as one of the most famous American presidents it is a lesser known fact that he also is one of the founding fathers of the modern day stove. Despite the fact man kind had been using fire to create heat for many years, Franklin invented a stove that would increase the heat in a room whilst reducing the amount of smoke that would circulate the room. Franklin’s design is still used to this day and, although slightly modernised, still maintains a lot of the features used in the original creation.
One of the highlights of the stove’s history came from Benjamin Thompson at the end of the 18th century when he published an article explaining how chimneys work and suggesting improvements to the design. This new design was aimed at large estates and the kitchens in stately homes so work then began on scaling the size of stoves down so that they could be used in a larger amount of homes. The most successful at this was Philio Stewart who patented the Oberlin Stove which saw huge success and sold more than 90,000 over the next three decades.
These designs are all still used today, although advancements in production have seen a huge step towards efficiency, making the stove one of the most efficient ways to heat your home. Vast improvements in steel quality has allowed for air tight stoves to be manufactured from sheets of steel unlike the traditional stoves that are made from panels of cast iron joined together. This allows for an increase in efficiency as well as the ability to create more intricate stove designs.