On 26/10/2020 10:51, Vir Campestris wrote:
It used to be we had open fires. But then hot water radiators came in -
much cleaner, and easier to manage.

Nowadays we seem to be moving towards underfloor heating - where
effectively the entire floor is a radiator. Efficient, but slow to respond.

But there was a time when hot air systems were popular, and I think
still are in the USA.

Does anyone know why they went out of fashion? It can't just be because
they made a great place for spiders to hide!

Not sure they were ever that popular - although there was a time some
places were built with central columns to allow installation of the
heater and easy ducting.

I would guess that the fact much of our building stock is quite old and
predates CH of any sort, a wet system is a much easier retro fit. Is
also generally more space efficient, and runs quieter with no fans etc.

Still popular in the US though - probably partly helped by many places
seeming to have basement space to install them, and larger properties in
general, so loss of space to ducting is probably of an issue.

There is still at least one major provider of the kit for UK installs
though:

http://www.johnsonandstarley.co.uk/p...rm-air-heating




--
Cheers,

John.

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