Ancient Korean floors can hold heat for eighteen hours
Long before modern radiators, Korean builders used a sophisticated stone flue system to trap heat from kitchen fires and circulate it beneath the entire home.
Traditional Korean homes utilize a heating system called ondol, which relies on heavy masonry to store energy. By channeling smoke from a wood fire through a network of horizontal flues beneath the floor, the system turns the entire room into a massive radiator. While modern concrete floors lose their warmth quickly, traditional floors lined with charcoal and thick stones can retain heat for eighteen hours after the fire has gone out.
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