The Ondol...

I can't believe that fall is already here. It is getting down into the 40's F at night and I have had to turn the ondol on. The "ondol" is the Korean traditional underfloor heating system and is renowned as one of Korea's greatest developments in architectural design. Although the modern ondol has been altered much from its traditional roots, current ondol's consist of a network of hot water pipes flowing under the floor for indoor climate control. It is widely believed that the ondol dates back to the Three Kingdoms (37 B.C-A.D. 668) era where the hot smoke and exhaust of stoves in cooking rooms under the living quarters were used for warmth. The traditional ondol consisted of utilizing the smoke coming out of the wood or coal burning stove by sending it through a series of smoke passages under the floor with a vertical chimney on the opposite end of the home to provide draft. This type of heating system was used with concrete and wooden floors, with all types of floor covering (e.g., stone, tile, wood, vinyl, and carpet), and at ground level or upstairs. Choice of floor finishing requires careful consideration, because changes of floor finish may affect performance. My floor is mainly cement with a very thin vinyl floor covering.

I turned my ondol on a few days ago and am continually adjusting the temperature, but can say that it is a pleasure to remove my shoes and walk on a nice and warm floor. It also helps me understand Korean's obsession with sitting and sleeping on the floor. If it ever gets too cold in my house this winter I know already where I am headed.