Naked Science Forum

General Science => General Science => Topic started by: CZARCAR on 11/02/2012 16:34:54

Title: heat my new room with Kirchoffs?
Post by: CZARCAR on 11/02/2012 16:34:54
& radiant woodstove. Black ceiling,well insulated, absorbs & radiates heat well? Black floor does similar?..............comments?....thanx
Title: Re: heat my new room with Kirchoffs?
Post by: CliffordK on 11/02/2012 19:58:09
For instantaneous heat, you are probably no better with black, than reflective surfaces. 

The advantage of heat sinks is that they will help even out the temperatures, and perhaps also spread it throughout the house.  So, you can let the fire die down, and the heat sinks will continue to radiate heat.  If a heat sink (brick, ceramic, steel) is less than body temperature, it will still feel cool to the touch.

Most people would be unhappy with an all-black house.  While you could have some great heat sinks, the lighting would be a pain.

For your floor, some people like under-tile heating which you could do with water coils heated from your wood furnace, or even using solar energy.
Title: Re: heat my new room with Kirchoffs?
Post by: Mazurka on 16/02/2012 09:36:28
As Clifford says, a black room would be better to provide an even heat over a longer period.

Such an approch would also depend on the thermal capaciatance (aka thermal mass) of the building materials used.  This is different to issues of insualtion which relates to the rate at which heat can move through a material.