heating a yoga studio

[bayboy]

Someone mentioned using radiant heaters to heat a yoga studio to 100 + degrees. I have one that I am looking at but it has 24 ft. ceiling and no gas. Any ideas where I would locate the heaters to get the maximun temperature in the space? Since heat rises I'm not sure if that concept would work. Any thoughts?

 

[moltenmetal]

With radiant heaters, at least in theory you're heating the people, not the air. Imagine standing in the sun on a cold day.

In reality, heating purely radiant-mode is going to make people a little uncomfortable- especially if they get in each other's shade. They'll feel drafts due to free convective circulation of the air. So you need to do a little air warming as well.

Radiant energy intensity is going to fall off with L^2. So unless you want to install a plasma "solar simulator" 24' above the yogis' heads, you can't put the sources up near the ceiling and expect them to provide comfort. You need them lower, closer to the people, and more of them to cover the space.

The ideal thing to heat is the floor. It'll radiate uniformly to all the people in contact with it- and it's close, so the L^2 effect is minimized. The enlightened ones who can levitate won't mind the cold...Tubing embedded in a concrete or gypcrete slab, circulating hot water, is the usual solution. If you've only got electricty to work with, you can use sub-floor mat-type heaters that go under a (thermally conductive) finished floor surface such as tile.

 

[rb1957]

i don't know that i'd like to stand on a floor that's trying to heat a room to 100F ... radiant heaters /convective heaters and ceiling fans (to (gently) blow the hot air down to floor level)

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Ceiling fans are a must - as noted... Run VERY slowy and blowing UP - not down on the people. In summer - run them blowing down..

 

[Artisi]

Fom memory this was addressed quite some time back - maybe a search will turn something up for you.

 

[plasgears]

You might want to install a suspended cieling to limit the volume and height of the space to be heated. Supply heated air thru ducts above the cieling, and return the air thru the cieling, too. The free body of the space is thus reduced, and the heating load reduced. Insulate all of the ducts above.

 

[moltenmetal]

Use a conductive finished floor surface and enough tubing, and the approach temperatures will be quite good. No risk of burning anyone's feet! And the yogis work out on mats mostly, right? No burned rear ends then either.

 

[ornerynorsk]

I'm sorry, I can't resist. Can't you just have everyone concentrate on warm thoughts??? My bad, sorry :>)

 

[moltenmetal]

ornerynorsk: I don't know why you'd want to do anything physical in a room at 100 F personally...

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Somebody makes a very simple vertical tube that goes to the top of the ceiling with a small fan that draws the heated air off the ceiling and blows it down on the floor. Can be reversed in summer.

 

[chicopee]

Suspended radiant heaters will also heat the floor and this is the reason that they are extensively used in machine shops as the machinist are expected to stand all day long on concrete floor.
100 dF would seem to me to be too hot for any one doing yoga. Of course you could also increase attendance as each human generates about 100 watts of heat. I understand that Grand Central Station in NYC is heated by people.

 

[Artisi]

The yoga undertaken in a heated room is a praticular style who's name escapes me at the moment, but is undertaken in a room which is heated to round 100f - ie as asked by the OP.

 

[Artisi]

Google search turned up the following

http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/yoga/bikram_yoga