Borders
Underfloor Heating
Romans
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1st Century Inspiration and Innovation for Today's Comfort |
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| The Romans brought underfloor heating to Britain 2000 years ago. With their unparalleled construction and road building skills, they also knew that the most comfortable and efficient way to heat their homes was by heating the floor. Underfloor heating - or Hypocausts - as they were known, was a luxury reserved for the rich and powerful. | ||||
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| The system worked by passing hot air through ducts built under the floor by use of brick or concrete columns (they invented concrete too!). The hot gasses from a fire located beneath the house were channelled under tiled or paved floors, after which | ||||
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hot
air would rise through hollow clay boxes (tubulii) built into the
walls before rising further and leaving via chimneys. The hottest
rooms – usually the baths – were often so hot that bathers
needed to wear wooden sandals to protect their feet, whilst the coolest
rooms would be the bedrooms. Even so, it was only possible to heat
a few rooms in a villa. Heating this way meant a smoke-free
room, which was far superior to the then usual heating method using
open charcoal burners or fires.
Click here for our 21st Century method. |
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Updated:
16 January 2002
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