Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Newbie]

Two years in Seoul, I didn't have the stuff and was quite content.

Now living in Daegu in a brand new apartment with ondol, and while I haven't made up my mind for sure, so far I'm not liking the Korean heating system much. It's great at heating my floor, but the rest of my place is freezing.

Here are the pros and cons as I see'em

PROS
1. Great for those days my back is sore and I want to sleep on the floor
2. Warms up quickly
help me out here, surely there is something i'm missing...

CONS
1. Doesn't give me the feeling of all around warmth.
2. Most nights I have to tip toe around cuz my floor is so bloody hot.
3. In the bathroom, where I would most appreciate a hot floor, there is no heating at all.

What do you guys think about it? I was surprised when I read on other posts that some people love it. Why do you love it so much, am I doing something wrong?

[JacktheCat]

My cats are very much fans of ondol flooring.

In fact, right now they are laying spread eagle on the floor purring away.

[numazawa]

Ondol definitely belongs in the realm of "Things about Korea you are categorically ambivalent and studiously apathetic about in a deliberately inadvertent way."

[Wangja]

Brilliant. Should I ever build a new house in UK, and should I have enough cash, it shall have ondol heating.

[tacon101]

the only bad thing about it is that i have to remember to keep certain things off of it...

laptop, camera, birthcontrol/ meds...not so great to leave on ondol floors for long time spans

other than that, fabulous

miss it when i'm back in the states

[SuperHero]

[Wangja]

In energy costs it is, but it is far more expensive to install and is no good for someone who likes carpets!

[uberscheisse]

what are the pipes/construction actually like? i'm curious. has anyone ever seen an ondol floor ripped apart?

[Ya-ta Boy]

I think they are fabulous. I'd put one in any home I ever built...but I'd include the bathroom floor. Why bathrooms don't have it is a puzzler. I find them far more comfortable because the whole room is warm and my feet are toasty warm. Maybe the OP needs to check to make sure the windows are sealed.

The drawback is setting things on the floor...like a glass of Coke. That doesn't work well with ondol.

My quandary is carpets. I decided to put down two carpets, for the color. If they block too much of the heat I'll have to roll them up for the winter. So far, they've not been a problem.

I looked at a house being constructed. What I saw was a cement floor with a W-shaped trench. On the bottom of the trench was a plastic hose. I was told the trench would be filled with something before a thin layer of cement was poured over the top of everything.

Repairing them can be a hassle. I guess you have to chop holes in the floor till you find the leak.

PS: Someone has invented a waterless ondol. It's some kind of plastic stuff that heats up in like 3 seconds. It's poured over a floor and 'plugged in' somehow.

[SPINOZA]

One wonders whether the Ondol in the bathroom would be compatible with the water than flows down the drain?

[Ya-ta Boy]

[kermo]

[fidel]

Jongno seems to have dropped the ball on this one, he getting old you know so his eyesight is probably failing him.

This will bump it to the top of the pile where he'll hopefuly spot it.

[Demonicat]

I don't care for it. When its cold outside and the floor is REALLY hot, it makes me feel almost nauseous- don't know why. Furthermore, it tends to burn the hell out of my feet/whatever else is touching the floor. Not my cup of tea, but the cat likes it.

[Wangja]