Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-11-27

Isau.tsry Erginser.l

There are the widest and widest opinions as
20 the relative value OF wrought and cas- iron
Ia IN i :. For several years the wrouSar iron
would have cast-iron furnace. but the comYu-
NIFTY have recovered their senses upon this point
ana now cast-iron have the lead. Wrought
ron, when new. being denser than cast-iron
aces not pass the limits OF heat as freely but tt
may DE made much thinner: thus q radiator OF
three-sixteenths wrought iron Is about equal TO
ore or cast-tron one-Quarter inch thick In its
power or giving of heat but wrought iron
heafea 10 l.Aa degrees or about half way I'D 20
cnefIy rsd, deteriorates very rapidly. and the
niHereace In It's heating capacity in the third
winter Is practically dppsrent. Another I'm
portant advantage ia the use of casI-ir)u is the
forms Il may De made in, while It is dni ,alt ana
expensive 10 make a good form OF ia IiatbrS Tor
not AIR furnaces OF wrought iron. The best
forms OF radiators In cast-iron cost 10 ore per
cent than plain castings The joints OF csSt-tron
furnaces may be made as tight as it Is possible
to make them Ia wrought iron; or course there
are many detective constructions OF cast iron
Iurnace' , sueh h, as nas ISlnts Depending upon
opened when heated by the difference 10 eXpan-
sion, but tt is not necessary 10 have such l5in;s
as several OF the leading furnaces are entirely
without objection In this respect. TIE forms OF
raliators sh 1uld be such as present tue greatest
amount or surface with the heated gases In
pinging on the other side. This cannot be Oo-
talned III a horizontal radiator, as with a low
nre and small volume OF heated gases they i'm
ptnge only the upper surface of h9rlzontai
bottom. Vertical or detecting lines are better.
The form which shall spread the air into thin
sheet and move IL quickly is the best CAst-iron
furnaces, except the nre pot should b. III lde
very thin, the thinner the better, AMI con-
Sructed SO that the air passes over their ent re
surface with no dead points; then the paris Will
not warp or turn out.
The furnace should be ALWAYS over largo for
the house, SO that a shallow. low IRE N ~ tie
carried and not require forcing. No part OF
tne furnace should be heated 70 re1aess, as
Then IN no ar
scorched, and sitting, choking attnosphe re
produced. The popular idea is that oxygen Is
burned, but that Will hardly hold water Speak
ing OF water, there should be no wafer vase
near the heated surface of a furnace. The GUS
tomary use OF water vases In furnaces Is very
onlecuonaole. as great quantity OF steam ~
thrown Into the air, c0rrode5 the surfaces or
the tin conductors, and, passing into the apart
nentS. is condensed on pictures and furniture.
a porous jar hung upon the register face sat-
urateS the air. but does not SuperSalurate It.
and IL Is the sine qua non.
A furnace should be located on the north or
west side OF the house 60 be heated Ii Is din
cult TO convey heat more than 10 TO 10 feet, de-
pending upon elevation In north or west
direction but twice this distance can be reached
la the opposite direction.
The cold air supply is OF the first Importance.
Ii should be brought from the outside OF the
house. from the north or west Ii possible. by
Sheettron duct above ground, but ii from neceS-
Ity IL must be taken underground. 1t should be
carefully walled up With cement and made
accessible, so that fn case rats or other vermin
take possession they may be cleaned out. Spe-
clal care should be taken that cold air duct is
not built over or contiguous 10 an eartheD
sewer. The cold air should, If possible. be in
PRODUCED underneath the bottom plate OF the
furnace, and allowed to pass up in a thin
sheet or about four inches In thickness entirely
surrounding the fire. pot. and SO as to sweep all
the surface OF the entire furnace. In brick
furnaces, III the brick chamber is built square
or obiong, there should be an interior cylinder
built so as to prevent any portion of the air
passing up In The corners without becoming
heated. The hot air leaders should be taken
on at the top, IL possible. ard the space or
not air chamber between furnace and cover
ing should be 5 TO l2 inches. For casing OF
furnaces, instead OF brick, which ABSORB a
great deal OF heat, we prefer an exterior
tin, with about half inch space between for air
to circulate; this keeps the exterior casing cooi,
and is better In form. The use OF coke or mas
common. but very bad practice; only prime
quality of bright charcoal tin should be used,
thus giving Clean bright surface. and prevent
ing radiation OF heat The pipes should be kept
free from dust and Dirt mortar, ETC., both inside
and outside, The common practice OF HAVING
! pipes built In walls OF new buildings by brick
layers is objectionable. as they are 50 long ex-
posed to the weather that they often become
badly rusted and almost Invariably besmeared
with mortar, and frequently lady mashed
There should be fiueS left large enough to
have ha,ee pipe inserted after completion OF the
put In and slated over before plastering. It Is
peSt 10 nave only one register on a pipe and
! never more than two. Round pipes are prefer
able: square or oval pipes should never be less
than four inches In their smallest measure.
Area OF registers should be twice the area OF
pipe. and for short pipe the register area sh Juld
be still greater than that
1t Is sometimes the case that houses are bu .t
so nearly alright, and no provision made ID
ventilation, that hot air will not rise into the
rooms. Houses built with open fire placeS nave
the best ventilation and are easiest heated a a
room SO ventilated does not require SO high
degree OF heat to give comfort. Each hoT-tIr
pipe should have q cloSe-1ttlng damper nelr
the furnace, so that pipes not in use may De
closed. The area Of cold-air duct should be two
thirds the aggregate area Of hotrair pipes. A
convenient damper should be placed Ia cold air
ducts. so that at will one-half OF its capa 1.y
may be shut of, but never more.