History of Radiant Heating and Cooling :: Aleutian Islands, Alaska :: Radiant floor heating keeps ancient inhabitants warm

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Who knew? Excerpt: “it resembles heated floors known as ondols that appeared in the Korean peninsula and in the Russian Far East during the same Neoglacier period…” Source: Pringle, H., Battle Over Amaknak Bridge, Archeology, Volume 60 Number 3, May/June 2007 Photo credits: Dr. Richard A. Knecht and Heather Pringle See also: Civil War Hospital: Radiant floor heating keeps hospital tents warm	Aleutian Islands, Alaska: Radiant floor heating keeps northern ancestors warm Background: During our literature research for the 2010 ASHRAE Journal paper on the History of Radiant Heating and Cooling we discovered archaeologist Dr. Richard A. Knecht from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Museum of the Aleutians and Rick Davis, an archaeologist at Bryn Mawr college had been working with others on an archaeological dig in Alaska that revealed early inhabitants were using a similar radiant system as the Korean ondols; constructed of a stone covered trench serving as a flue for the fires. This trench would heat up and ultimately the stones would radiate into the space.

	Figure 1. Trenches were excavated for the flue gas from fires. These were then covered with stones which were heated up from the fire exhaust and ultimately radiated into the space.

	Figure 2. One can only imagine what it must have been like to live in such rudimentary conditions during extremely cold winters; the heat from such a system would literally be a "warm welcome" to any that came in from the cold.

	Figure 3. Approximate region of the discovery.
	See also: R. W. Shoemaker, Radiant Heating, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1948, Figure 9-4, Radiant heating and cooling controls Global milestones in the development of radiant heating and cooling Additional study: Global milestones in the development of radiant heating and cooling History of Radiant Heating and Cooling - Part 1 - Asia History of Radiant Heating and Cooling - Part 2 - Europe and North America Civil War Hospital: Radiant floor heating keeps hospital tents warm Aleutian Islands, Alaska: Radiant floor heating keeps northern ancestors warm History of Radiant Heating: Ondol Radiant Mythology - 22 Myths about radiant heating Related reading: Do I need an engineer? A Guide to HVAC/Indoor Climate Design Service Providers Where will your indoor climate system score? How to "ball park" your budget for indoor climate control. Indoor environments: Self assessment Built to code: What does it mean for consumer thermal comfort? The Total Comfort System - The "Un-minimum" System Thermal Comfort: A 40 grit perspective for consumers Thermal Comfort: A Condition of Mind Do-It-Yourself HVAC - Should you do it? The Cost of HVAC Systems - Are You Paying Too Much for Downgrades? Radiant Installations - The Good, Bad and Ugly Thermal Comfort Surveys - Post Occupancy, Part I Thermal Comfort Surveys - Post Occupancy, Part II

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