ISO Help For Improving Idea For Medieval Heating System

[_Michael_]

So, I had an idea for a heating system to use in conjunction with cob homes with good thermal mass like those built in Wales and England. I have homes in a northern kingdom that are built round with cob, and have an attached barn. For their heating, in addition to the main hearth, they use vatrokamen, which are roughly spherical basalt or granite balls the size of large oranges. These go into a large bowl-like pan (the heat pan) about 12 inches across or so. At the bottom of the heat pan is a tiny pin hole or two. Beneath that pan is a much smaller and lighter pan (ring pan) made of bell copper suspended by a very fine chains. Above the heat pan is a smaller bowl (also attached to the three chains holding the heat pan) that has a hole in the bottom with a very fine wick. The vatrokamen are taken red hot out of the hearth, placed in the heat pans in groups of three or four, and the water bowl is filled above. Water then drips out very slowly, hits the hot vatrokamen and evaporates, putting steam in the air. When the vatrokamen are no longer hot enough to evaporate the water, the water escapes into the bottom of the heat pan and drips out onto the ring pan that rings out like a bell, signalling for the servants to come replace the stones.

I figure three or four such pans hung in a room in a medieval cob home would synergize with the thermal mass of the cob, which would absobr some of the heat and radiate it throughout the day/night. Cob homes are less drafty than stick frame wattle-and-daub homes, and such a system might be more effective without elaborate hypocausts or other systems.

Thoughts?

 

[GMMichael]

Does every home have tongs strong enough to lift the vatrokamen? And enough servants to replace those lost in the last orc raid? Why isn't the fire that's heating the vatrokamen heating the home as well?

 

[_Michael_]

I imagine they’d be no more than 3-5 pounds a piece. There’d probably be carried by cross-tongs and wouldn’t be a huge heat source but enough to raise the room temp 5-10 degrees, perhaps, and adjust the humidity a bit. While the main hearth would definitely get the entire interior warmer, there would likely be cool spots that could benefit from vatrokamen. They could be used in other places, too, such as in castles, in perhaps larger sizes to account for the greater air space.

What is nice is they’d be smokeless, essentially.

Doesn’t have to be servants, either. Could be the homeowner. The ring would be loud enough to notice but not enough to be disruptive so if the person wanted, they could simply ignore the ringing and go back to sleep.