In my medieval sci-fi/fantasy world, the people are descendants of colonists, so while the basic level of technology is late medieval/early renaissance, they do have a few things that you wouldn't normally see in that period. For instance, plumbing. The palace in one of the capital cities has indoor plumbing. I know the Romans had it, so I don't believe this should stretch the imagination too much.
What I need at this point is an explanation for how they have hot water in the luxury guest rooms. A pipe runs out of the wall, she unplugs the pipe, and water pours out. Within a few minutes, the water turns hot and she fills the bathtub with steaming water. How would this work, exactly? The best I can come up with is a vat of perpetually boiling water on the roof that drains (via gravity) throughout the palace via pipes in the walls. But I'm not sure that's entirely practical. Would they use enough hot water to warrant having a giant vat of water boiling 24/7? Would it be better to have it on an as-needed system, where she rings a bell, servants scurry around to light the fire and boil the roof water, and 5 minutes later she opens the tap and has hot water?
Or is there a better way altogether? I tried Googling the subject, but all I found were ways of making hot water while camping, or in survival situations. Nothing about how to heat hot water and have it flow to a room within a medieval castle.
What I need at this point is an explanation for how they have hot water in the luxury guest rooms. A pipe runs out of the wall, she unplugs the pipe, and water pours out. Within a few minutes, the water turns hot and she fills the bathtub with steaming water. How would this work, exactly? The best I can come up with is a vat of perpetually boiling water on the roof that drains (via gravity) throughout the palace via pipes in the walls. But I'm not sure that's entirely practical. Would they use enough hot water to warrant having a giant vat of water boiling 24/7? Would it be better to have it on an as-needed system, where she rings a bell, servants scurry around to light the fire and boil the roof water, and 5 minutes later she opens the tap and has hot water?
Or is there a better way altogether? I tried Googling the subject, but all I found were ways of making hot water while camping, or in survival situations. Nothing about how to heat hot water and have it flow to a room within a medieval castle.