The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-11-14
HOt-Air Furnaces.

| CARL PrEIFFER, civil engineer and secra
| tary of the American Institute of Archi
tects, read very interesting piper on Tuea
! day last before the American Public Health
Association, in session in New York city
| He discussed the subject Of the sanitary
regulations and health principles of archl'
tcc.ulc. Unayoidably he had to talk about
the plan of heating houses with hot-air fur.
naceS; and lie spared not these disease.
breeders. After saying that cold air was moi
necessarily a hcaltbful air for the bedroom,
though one might with impuni'y sleep in Il
very cold atmosphere out Of doors where
the air was pure, and after discussing other
questions connected with the proper con.
str,lctlon Of houses, he comes to the cues
ton of how to heat them. lie says that the
distinctive feature to, which he objects is the
application Of tirc-heat directly 10 metallic
surfaces without the intervention Of water
or steam. We quote:
"There seems to be a general concession
that the heat produced by hot-air furnaces Is
of the most Injurious character in It's lnflu-
encc upon health.
'Air heated thus mtiicially, without con-
tact OF water, acquires an aFldltY winch
causes it rapidly 10 absorb moisture from
the skin and lungs of persons exposed 10 us
influences, and the evaporation, by It's re-
frlperating effect, contracts the biood-'csscis
1T The surface, while other parts not being
evnosed TO this influence become in conse.
nu.nce surcharged with the fluids which
are repe,led from the eXtremitles.
"All observers, indeed, are agreed on this
;ni1lrious characteristic Of heating with hot.
mir furnaces MS causing the absorption of the
necessary humidity in the air Of rooms, and
| thus inducing certain nervous disorders, is
well as being the cause OF many other dis.
cases.
! "Dewpoint is that ther.nometric Temper
allure OF the atmosphere ut which vapor is
condensed. By exposing a cold body to tho
air fine dew Is deposited OH lis surface, and
by observing the temperature OF this cold
body the exact quantity Of vlpor contained
| in The air at that time is nycertaiucd.
CAS- the dewpoiut Of the air in room
rises beyond its proper degree the drync.:
I OF the atmosphere draws quautum Of mos
turc from one body altogether beyond wba
the BODY cau well spare. The most healthy
state of the atmosphere can DC obtained only
| when The deWpoint of the air is not less thai
ten degrees nor more than twenty degrees
Fahrenheit lower than the temperature o.
the room. When these limits are exceeded
the air will be either too dry or too damp FOL
healthy respiration. Moreover, this drynes:
of the air, which is the invariabc result o.
hot-air furnaces, depriyes the atmosphere, to
an inordinate extent, OF positive electricity
whereas the evaporation produced by steam
heating excites it, and thus relieves the I'LL
pleasant and injurious effect OF close rooms
$50 greatly does evaporation affect thu
electric condition of the air. says 1lr. Hood
that the diurnal variation in the quantity
OF electricity follows nearly the same course
:, as the eXhl!atiOn of moisture, and eyapora
ton is considered 10 be the principal source
Of atmospheric electricity Theu, again, til,
air is always full of myriads Of PARTICLES o
animal and vegetable matter, partly cmi
mating from our own bodies. and most 0
which are easily decomposed by heat; ant
experiments have demonstrated that the Dir,
heat from metallic surfaces operates particu
larry most injuriously in etfecting this de
composition. Hence the unpleasant smell il
buildings thus heated, the atmosphere be
coming mass Of putrid, noxious matter
And not only says Mr.. Hood, will til,
hot-air furnace, which is particularly liablt
to these objections, act powerfully i'll dc
composing the floating particles of extra
neols matter contained in the mir, re
solving them into sulphuretled, phOs
phuretted, and carbllretted hydrogen, will
various compounds of nitrogen and carbon
but it will likewise decompose portion o
the vapor contained in the air, absorbing th,
oxygen and Iibcratins the hydrogen TC
this must be added that the iron OF the fur
mace, when heated to Il glow, is rendered
penetrable TO tho various hydrogen and estr