WEBVTT 1 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:28.520 We've already got about 38 man hours of duct work in. 2 00:00:44.300 --> 00:00:47.360 Honey, why don't we put the kids playroom here? 3 00:00:47.620 --> 00:00:49.960 For the tenth time, Ruth. That's where the furnace goes. 4 00:00:49.960 --> 00:01:00.640 I'm afraid I'll have to take the whole thing out, lady. 5 00:01:02.360 --> 00:01:08.700 Now, I think that any day now, somebody's going to come up with a whole new concept in heating. 6 00:01:09.640 --> 00:01:14.900 A system that takes advantage of the tremendous advances in technology that we've seen lately. 7 00:01:15.580 --> 00:01:21.140 Something that'll get rid of the cumbersome equipment that we've had to design into houses so far. 8 00:01:22.100 --> 00:01:26.740 And when that happens, you future architects are going to be... 9 00:01:36.940 --> 00:01:42.060 This is Thermalux Electric Heating, new, from United States gypsum. 10 00:01:43.220 --> 00:01:47.720 People call it the most startling home heating development in the last 20 years. 11 00:02:01.520 --> 00:02:03.700 And this is all there is to it. 12 00:02:04.320 --> 00:02:10.640 These gypsum panels, all by themselves, will give the people in this house the most natural, comfortable, room-by-room heat 13 00:02:10.640 --> 00:02:12.580 they will have ever experienced. 14 00:02:25.180 --> 00:02:26.340 Now, this is how it works. 15 00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:31.460 The basic panel is essentially a standard half-inch gypsum board. 16 00:02:33.180 --> 00:02:38.620 Running down the entire length of the board on both sides is a thin copper electrode. 17 00:02:40.640 --> 00:02:46.620 Now, on this side of the board is a chemically bonded layer of graphite. 18 00:02:46.620 --> 00:02:51.760 It's sandwiched between two sheets of asbestos insulation. 19 00:02:57.140 --> 00:03:05.520 When the Thermalux panels are installed in the ceiling, these copper strips here and here are fitted with connectors. 20 00:03:11.640 --> 00:03:15.560 And then they are wired directly to the power supply of the house. 21 00:03:18.020 --> 00:03:21.960 Now, this layer of graphite acts as a large electrical resistor. 22 00:03:22.540 --> 00:03:29.180 And as the electric current passes through it, 100% of that electric current is transformed instantly into heat. 23 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:34.560 Now, because the Thermalux resistor spreads the electrical energy over such a large area, 24 00:03:35.040 --> 00:03:38.660 the standard operating temperature of these heating panels is quite low, 25 00:03:38.660 --> 00:03:41.460 about 105 degrees Fahrenheit. 26 00:03:44.920 --> 00:03:49.200 Even after hours of continuous operation, the temperature remains stable. 27 00:03:52.200 --> 00:03:55.040 Now, let's suppose the panel gets wet. 28 00:03:59.220 --> 00:04:03.900 The Thermalux can't short out because the resistance will increase rather than decrease, 29 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:08.140 and the heat of the Thermalux will evaporate the water in a short time. 30 00:04:09.540 --> 00:04:13.660 The Thermalux system is based upon the concept of radiant heat, 31 00:04:14.160 --> 00:04:18.180 which is much more efficient than the convection system used in other heating. 32 00:04:21.420 --> 00:04:30.600 A radiant heat is like the heat of the sun, which travels through space in visible rays at the speed of light. 33 00:04:34.900 --> 00:04:39.080 Now, convection heating is like the heat from this match. It heats the air around it. 34 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:44.720 The hot air rises and the cold air sinks, and eventually the circulating current of air heats the house. 35 00:04:45.320 --> 00:04:50.600 Now, whether you use a coal furnace, a radiator, or a forced air system, 36 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:55.340 you are still depending upon convection currents of hot air to keep you warm. 37 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:04.440 But Thermalux, like the sun, heats people and objects directly with invisible radiant heat. 38 00:05:08.840 --> 00:05:16.400 In other words, these two objects would be heated by the Thermalux panel, 39 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:19.520 even though the air surrounding them were below zero. 40 00:05:19.520 --> 00:05:26.860 Now, if your eyes could see heat waves the same way they see light, the panel would look something like this. 41 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:33.380 This scene was taken with camera film that is sensitive to otherwise invisible radiant heat rays. 42 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:39.720 At the top, we see the Thermalux panel, and in a moment, 43 00:05:41.260 --> 00:05:47.140 the invisible rays transmit the heat to everything beneath the panel, the people, the floor. 44 00:05:47.760 --> 00:05:51.560 Everything in the room is comfortably warmed by the even radiant heat. 45 00:05:53.220 --> 00:05:57.880 Even though Thermalux is radically different from any heating system we've known in the past, 46 00:05:58.580 --> 00:06:02.100 it is more economical to install than conventional systems. 47 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:10.380 This is the living room. You'll find for a room this size, 15 by 20, in this part of the country, 48 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:13.820 we will need a heat output of 2,700 watts. 49 00:06:13.820 --> 00:06:21.300 Since Thermalux delivers 15 watts per square foot, this calls for 180 square feet of Thermalux panel. 50 00:06:26.960 --> 00:06:30.240 First, the electrical wiring is brought in from a branch circuit. 51 00:06:38.820 --> 00:06:48.700 From this point, the wiring will be carried to each individual Thermalux panel through an electrical raceway recessed into the ceiling. 52 00:06:58.140 --> 00:07:02.640 The base for the electrical raceway is made from half-inch gypsum filler panel. 53 00:07:30.220 --> 00:07:33.080 Thermalux panels can be cut to any desired length, 54 00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:41.580 and this special type 2 panel can also be cut to width because the heating element covers only one half of this panel. 55 00:08:07.940 --> 00:08:14.440 The panels are nailed directly to the ceiling joists with these special insulated nails. 56 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:20.520 These nails can be driven anywhere in the panel except through the copper electrodes. 57 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:39.500 After the Thermalux panels have been installed, the wiring can be completed. 58 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:46.060 This special bushing anchors the branch circuit to the base of the electrical raceway. 59 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:12.000 The copper electrodes are peeled back at the end of each panel, and the Thermalux connectors are fitted in place. 60 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:23.640 And that's all there is to it. The electrical hookup on this panel is complete. 61 00:10:26.460 --> 00:10:29.820 From this point, the rest of the panels are simply connected in parallel. 62 00:10:47.980 --> 00:10:56.920 After the installation is inspected, the ceiling is finished with a layer of special high-density 1⁄4-inch Thermalux finishing panels. 63 00:10:58.400 --> 00:11:02.140 Then the ceiling will be ready for the conventional joint finishing and painting. 64 00:11:12.760 --> 00:11:18.240 Well, actually this Thermalux is pretty simple. It's about like lamination. 65 00:11:18.680 --> 00:11:20.740 So maybe a few extra things you have to check out. 66 00:11:21.020 --> 00:11:24.780 Thermalux was under development for five years before it was released to the market, 67 00:11:24.780 --> 00:11:31.040 and in 1961 several test installations were made in new homes and apartments in Northern Illinois. 68 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:34.760 This is Chicago, the Windy City. 69 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:40.520 This is the area that was selected for the field tests of actual Thermalux installations. 70 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:46.120 The test installations were made in real homes, lived in by real people. 71 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:49.980 They are typical houses with normal rooms, normal floor plans. 72 00:11:50.700 --> 00:11:53.520 The only difference is the heating. Thermalux. 73 00:11:53.520 --> 00:11:58.480 After three rugged Chicago winters, this was the reaction of the people involved. 74 00:11:59.420 --> 00:12:01.740 This is research engineer Tom Fitzpatrick. 75 00:12:01.800 --> 00:12:07.320 ...the creation of Thermalux about the latter portion of 1961. 76 00:12:08.660 --> 00:12:16.400 At this point, we decided to install Thermalux in actual homes to get experience from people, 77 00:12:16.740 --> 00:12:20.440 to find out how their reactions would be to the heating system. 78 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:26.080 We had proven everything in the laboratory. Now we want to get correlation data. 79 00:12:26.660 --> 00:12:33.380 One of the first trial jobs of Thermalux was the Ray Resonance in South Chicago. 80 00:12:34.820 --> 00:12:40.540 Mrs. Ray was extremely enthusiastic about the performance of the Thermalux system 81 00:12:41.400 --> 00:12:44.680 because she was primarily concerned with comfort. 82 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:50.280 We find Thermalux heating system a very comfortable heat. 83 00:12:51.640 --> 00:12:57.140 It is a regular, even heat in every corner of the room or in the center. 84 00:12:58.540 --> 00:13:02.640 The cost of the heat we have found to be a little bit more, 85 00:13:03.260 --> 00:13:07.300 but from a woman's point of view, at the end of the year, 86 00:13:07.980 --> 00:13:11.680 the cost of cleaning draperies and upholstery and carpeting, 87 00:13:11.680 --> 00:13:15.780 I found that it really averages out. 88 00:13:18.420 --> 00:13:22.340 The Tories Resonance was selected for a few reasons. 89 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:27.180 The first reason was the actual house construction. 90 00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:34.040 It had a very large cathedral ceiling in which we could put Thermalux 91 00:13:34.040 --> 00:13:36.840 to heat the living room and dining room area. 92 00:13:37.700 --> 00:13:41.840 The cost of electric heat was not as high as we had anticipated. 93 00:13:42.920 --> 00:13:46.320 Last winter when we had one of the most severe winters in the area, 94 00:13:46.820 --> 00:13:52.900 our bills ran an average of less than $50 per month for the entire year. 95 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:55.180 Of course, our house is total electric. 96 00:13:55.880 --> 00:14:03.440 We have cooking, air conditioning, drying our clothes, heating our water, our own water well. 97 00:14:04.180 --> 00:14:09.520 So we have just one utility bill, and as far as comfort, what do you think, honey? 98 00:14:09.820 --> 00:14:11.140 I think it's wonderful. 99 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:14.880 Another thing is quiet also. 100 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:19.660 You don't have the noise of the furnace, which you have with the other heating system. 101 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:24.680 And so you're completely unaware that you're even in a heated house. 102 00:14:24.680 --> 00:14:26.880 You feel like it's a nice warm day outside. 103 00:14:27.940 --> 00:14:33.600 The results of the Raymond House were very promising as far as we were concerned 104 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:41.140 because the people, that is the Ravens, were extremely happy with the quiet performance of the system. 105 00:14:42.340 --> 00:14:51.860 They told us that the quiet performance was the major point as far as they were concerned with the whole heating system. 106 00:14:52.860 --> 00:15:00.220 The thing that interests me most about our electric heat is there is no noise to it. 107 00:15:00.420 --> 00:15:04.100 I very much object to extraneous noises. 108 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:11.940 No air blowing around or no blowers grinding out like we used to have in the old gas-heated house at all. 109 00:15:12.280 --> 00:15:13.240 Just complete silence. 110 00:15:13.500 --> 00:15:14.800 Oil heat too, remember? 111 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:15.960 Yeah. 112 00:15:17.980 --> 00:15:24.540 One thing I think that you probably would like about it too is the room-by-room control. 113 00:15:25.060 --> 00:15:28.780 You know, a guy go around at night and sneakily turn those things off a little bit? 114 00:15:29.060 --> 00:15:39.880 One of the things your friends keep being amazed at is they can't understand how the floor can be warm, so warm, when the heat's on the ceiling. 115 00:15:40.560 --> 00:15:42.420 Have you ever find a way of getting that over to you? 116 00:15:42.420 --> 00:15:43.600 No, no. 117 00:15:43.860 --> 00:15:45.000 They simply don't understand it. 118 00:15:45.180 --> 00:15:47.040 I'm not sure I do. 119 00:15:48.520 --> 00:15:52.580 People often ask us about the cost. I think it's extremely high. 120 00:15:54.540 --> 00:16:01.160 Before we built the house, we had the public service company engineers give us an estimate of the annual operating cost, 121 00:16:01.420 --> 00:16:08.260 and they come up with a figure around $350 for all use of services, I remember it. 122 00:16:08.860 --> 00:16:18.120 We fooled them. We're under $350 a year, and particularly since the last rate reduction came along, I guess it was... 123 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:20.300 And what does Thermalux mean to you? 124 00:16:21.060 --> 00:16:24.140 If you're a builder, it means a chance to sell more houses. 125 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:26.660 Houses with clean, quiet, flameless heat. 126 00:16:27.220 --> 00:16:30.100 A heating system with no moving parts, no maintenance. 127 00:16:31.960 --> 00:16:42.780 If you're an architect, it means a chance to design a home or apartment with a completely concealed heating system that takes up no space and allows for complete design freedom. 128 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:55.180 And if you're a contractor, it means a chance to offer your builders the selling advantage of a cost-saving heating system that becomes as much a part of the house as the ceiling itself. 129 00:16:55.960 --> 00:17:00.880 A home with natural heat, with an independent heating system in every room. 130 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:07.040 This is Thermalux, new, from United States Gypsum. 131 00:17:08.040 --> 00:17:12.320 Some people have called it the most startling home heating development in the last 20 years. 132 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:15.740 When you've seen it in action, we think you'll agree.