Date:         Tue, 19 Nov 2002 19:57:48 EST
Reply-To:     THX0001@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         George Goff <THX0001@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Winters in the van... HYDRONIC HEAT
Comments: To: eric@SENIORNET.ORG
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 11/19/02 6:51:54 PM, eric@SENIORNET.ORG writes:

<< Radiant heating AND thermal underwear.  Open door - there goes all hot the
air again, but your entire surface area of your floor and a lot of the metal
body of your van will still be warm and heating the air that is in there. >>

I have to agree with Stan in that you are pissing into the wind by trying to
make a camper as toasty warm as your bathroom.  It is an unnecessary
complication which only insulates you from the gestalt of the whole
let's-spend-some-time-in-the-woods deal.  If you want to stay warm in the
outback, stay dry and clean, eat fat, break down and buy a good bag and piss
as soon as you feel the urge.  I guess a dog or hooker would help if you can
stand the smell of either one.

Also, it is called radiant heat because, guess what, it is a form of energy
which is RADIATED and it warms whatever it falls upon.  Air is almost
invisible at this portion of the spectrum, so the air is heated very little.
I've had some experience with radiant systems and the only ones worth a damn
have been in concrete slabs.  The reflectors used when radiant tubing is
installed under wooden flooring are only Band-Aids which are needed to keep
more heat from going into the joist space than is delivered into the living
space.

By the way, let's learn the definition of words before they are bantered
about; all radiant heating systems are not HYDRONIC just as all hydronic
heating systems are not radiant.

George