Maughan, Benjamin Waddy

SUBJECT AREA: Domestic appliances and interiors

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fl. c. 1868 London, England

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English inventor of the first gas geyser.

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Maughan was a decorative painter in the Clerkenwell district of London. He invented the first instantaneous domestic water-heater, which did not utilize solid fuel. He christened his device a geyser, taking the name from the Icelandic word geysir, which is the name of a specific hot spring there and means "gusher". He patented the geyser on 23 December 1868. In his design the cold water entered from the top of the apparatus, then flowed downwards by means of constricting wires to be heated by hot gases rising from the burner below. Hot water then flowed into the bath or sink. No flue was fitted to conduct tainted air and gases from the bathroom. An impressive example of Maughan's geyser is on display in the Science Museum in London. The fittings are of brass and the casing is painted in marbled green, it stands on three curved legs and displays the Royal Arms.

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Bibliography

1868, "Improvements in apparatus for the heating of water and other liquids, applicable for baths and other purposes", British patent no. 3,917 (provides a very long account of the details of the invention and its purpose).

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