Chip Heater
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The chip heater is a single point, tankless, domestic hot water system popular in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
from the 1880s until the 1960s. Examples of this form of domestic water heater are still in use. The chip heater consisted of a cylindrical unit with a fire box and
flue A flue is a duct, pipe, or opening in a chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. Historically the term flue meant the chimney itself. In the United States, they a ...
, through which a water pipe was run. Water was drawn from a cold water tank and circulated through the fire box. When heated, the water was drawn off to the area where it was used, typically in a bath or shower. There was often an ash box under the fire box, which allowed air under the fire, as well as various dampers in the flue. The fire box was relatively small and fed by
tinder Tinder is easily Combustibility and flammability, combustible material used to Firemaking, start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder unt ...
, such as newspaper, pine cones, small twigs, or wood chips. The use of the later gave the chip heater its name. Water had to be run at a trickle in order to heat up to a desirable temperature. The rate of combustion was controlled by the flues and the ash box. With a lot of fuel and open flues the water could boil quickly, which was not a desirable result. With practice, the correct combination of fuel, flue settings, and water flow, could result in enough hot water for a shower or bath in approximately 20 minutes.


History

The chip heater is embedded in Australian and New Zealand
social history Social history, often called history from below, is a field of history that looks at the lived experience of the past. Historians who write social history are called social historians. Social history came to prominence in the 1960s, spreading f ...
, because many people can remember using one or someone who had one. The precise history of the chip heater is unclear. The original idea is almost certainly derived from vertical steam boilers. Architectural historian, Professor Miles Lewis, notes that the "instantaneous water heaters," which were being sold by Douglas & Sons of Melbourne by 1888, were probably chip heaters. In 1892, an advertisement in Melbourne promised that Fischer's Patent Bath Heater could be heated with wood in three minutes at the cost of one farthing. Catalogues from between 1913 and 1919 of the American National Radiator Company, which marketed its products in Australia, do not show chip heaters. That suggests that the chip heater was a local innovation.


Variants

The chip heater was very similar to the
gas Gas is a state of matter that has neither a fixed volume nor a fixed shape and is a compressible fluid. A ''pure gas'' is made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon) or molecules of either a single type of atom ( elements such as ...
and
kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...
-powered "geyser" hot water heaters, popular in Australian suburban residences from the 1920s. The main difference was the fuel source. The Australian manufacturer, Metters Limited, supplied gas geysers for city clients (who had access to gas) and chip heaters for country clients.


Manufacturers

There were a number of manufacturers and brands. According to Professor Lewis, early 20th century brands included the "Royal", "Little Hero", "Silver Ace", "Kangaroo", "Empire" and "Little Wonder". Peter Wood recalls a "Torrens" brand being popular in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
. Metters had a variety of chip heaters in its 1936 catalogue, including oil and kerosene-powered chip heaters. Metters claimed a flow of of "very hot water" per minute.


References

*Archer, John, 1998, Your home: the inside story of the Australian house, Port Melbourne, Lothian. *Metters Ltd 1936 ''Metters' bath heater and hot water service : sectional catalogue'', Metters Ltd. *Oliver, Julie. ''The Australian home beautiful: from Hills hoist to high rise'', McMahon's Point, N.S.W. Home Beautiful, 1999. *Postings on the NSW Heritage Office Heritage Advisors Discussion Group by Peter Benkendorff, David Beauchamp, Susan Duyker, Elizabeth Roberts and Peter Woods, April 2007. *Posting on Engineering Heritage discussion group by Professor Miles Lewis 26 April 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Chip Heater Plumbing Residential heating appliances