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Wednesday, November 15, 2017

The Apartment Heating System In London


This bathroom towel heater gets very hot.

In the old days - London Apartments had a coal fireplace in every room. They were drafty because the thick stone walls were not insulated. In the 1950s - there was so much smoke from the coal fireplaces that people were dying from respiratory problems. The smoke mixed with the London fog to become smog. People in China today have the same problem from all the coal they burn.

In 1956 - they passed the Clean Air Act. All the old fireplaces and chimneys were sealed - you could no longer burn coal.

The heating system in this apartment today is elegant. In the kitchen - in a cabinet - is a simple gas furnace. When you turn it on - it heats the water to 150 degrees. Then there are tubes to flat radiators in each room. The thermostat controls the flow of water. In the bathrooms - they have these wonderful towel heaters - that act as radiators. They also let you dry towels or clothes on them. There is nothing like a hot dry towel for your shower in the morning.

In the summer - this apartment does not have air conditioning. We sleep with the windows open - no screens necessary. The breeze goes right through the home. We are on the 4th floor - no worry about crooks.

In the old days - coal was king. There were big areas of Coal Regions in the north. They burned smokey brown coal - a grade much lower than Anthracite - closer to Lignite. Now they harness the oil and gas coming from the North Sea fields.


A flat water radiator



Thermostats turn water flow on and off



Control for the gas furnace boiler - right in the kitchen cabinet



This tiny furnace does the whole apartment


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