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Permalink Reply by Dave Woods on December 23, 2011 at 5:16am

The Wiki post on this is very good.  Until the Romans started using hypocausts around 500 BC, the Koreans, and a couple places they appear to have influenced, are the only recognized people (nation-state) to use an under-floor heating system.

How many of us remember getting up in the middle of the night to change the ondol charcoal?  And no carbon monoxide detectors back then, unfortunately.  Are carbon monoxide detectors more commonplace these days?

Thanks, Liam, that was interesting.

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Permalink Reply by Istvan Medvigy on December 23, 2011 at 8:25am

Thanks, Liam, very actual topic, as always.

I remember back at home many years ago it was a kind of minor "fashion wave" for a short time, but then it died off. Maybe one of the constant reasons is - as you also hinted - people in Europe don't spend as much time on the floor. Radiators (though technology and materials improved) still rule and I believe will stay for a long while.

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Permalink Reply by stephanemot on December 23, 2011 at 11:09am

The concept has already been exported to central Asian countries where Korean builders have strongholds and where Korean dramas helped promote it.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel on December 23, 2011 at 11:32am

Personally, ondol is nice but there is really one major problem which is why I swear at it sometimes.  It takes forever to heat a room.  Thus, radiators rule for me to heat the place.  But, after that, ondol to keep the floors warm and the room which has already been warmed up by a radiator would be wonderful, even heavenly!

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Permalink Reply by Istvan Medvigy on December 23, 2011 at 1:43pm

Daniel, I guess this is case sensitive (system, size, insulation?). We turn down our heating when leave in the morning and turn it up when arrive home. It heats up very fast..

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Permalink Reply by Daniel on December 23, 2011 at 3:58pm

Istvan: That's what I do.  Turn off the heating in the morning and turn it up at night.  It takes forever to warm the place up... 3-4 hours.  That just would never work or be suitable in a real cold country.

@Nobyuki: A pair of socks is always warm but a real warm floor just relaxes you so much more.  It gets the blood flowing.

 

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Permalink Reply by Nobuyuki Nojima on December 23, 2011 at 7:13pm

Yes, I can imagine that. Unfortunately ondol doesn't exist here. I wish we had it here too. Actually I'm so cold with my socks on. I suggest you export it to Japan. I'm pretty sure that it'll catch on.

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Permalink Reply by Steven S. Bammel on December 23, 2011 at 10:23pm

Daniel - I recommend that you come live in our apartment complex. The place is so old that they run the ondol for every unit from a central location and to keep all the old people happy, the place stays so toasty warm that you'll burn yourself if you sit in the wrong spot on the floor. Even in the middle of winter, we find ourselves having to keep windows open to cool down. I can't think of anything better... hot on the floor and fresh air breezing through. We wouldn't know what to do with a radiator!

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Permalink Reply by Daniel on December 24, 2011 at 8:55am

But, heating like that all day long from the central system is expensive as hell...

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Permalink Reply by vince rubino on December 24, 2011 at 9:02am

If it's an old building it's probably because they're using heating oil 

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Permalink Reply by Steven S. Bammel on December 24, 2011 at 9:42am

I don't know what they're using for fuel, but it's not terribly expensive.

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Permalink Reply by Nobuyuki Nojima on December 23, 2011 at 11:48am

In Japan we wear a pair of socks to keep our feet warm in winter. This is not the case in Korea thanks to ondol ? A radiator may be a little uncomfortable but it keeps you warm too. In Japan we use a kerosene heater that pollutes the air, or an electric heater that makes you warm when you use it. They say that you can keep warm by warming your feet, so the Korean warm floor seems to be an ideal system.

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