Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-02-04
DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
Philosophy Of Properly Heating
and vrentilating Houses
During Winter.
Topics of Varied Interest to the Hus-
bandman.
How TO Keep Warm.

houses, writes a correspondent OF ~
Pail Mall Gazette, ard Jet compar;
lively few people C themselye
with the SCIENTIFIC aspect of the que'
ton SO as properly 70 understand il
praoAieal bearings. The general ide
of warming a room is, after making
good fire, to stop up as far as possibl
all cracks and crevices through whic
draughts can come, with sandbags Of
the window sashes, india-rubber roun
the doors, and so on. The success tina
attends these strategic operations i
more or less complete according to tn
accuracy of the various fittings of tn
room; but, unfortunately, success il
keeping the air out NEAR a~close, stuff,
room, and very often a smoky Gimme.
in addition, because the air can not Q,
up the chimney faster than it comes in
to the room. OF course the closenes
end unhealthfulness of such a place
much aggravated in the evening, whel
the lamp or gas-burner pours its quoti
of noxious vspors into the apartment
Let it not be supposed from this tha
we advocate draughts. We regarC
them, on the contrary, as insidious enc
mics tc health and comfort. But al
will find its way in, and, if q special en-
trance be not provided for it, it vii
rush in impetuOusly at any small open
ing that exists. 1t would be better, in
stead of trying to stop up these open
ings, to dispense the cold currents by
fringes, etc, OF direct them upward to
ward the ceiling.
Now, Objectionable as draughts are,
they are often credited with more than
is really their due. Frequently the chilly
feeling that one experiences from the
window-ward side as one sits in a room
is caused, not by a current of cold all
setting from tn window TO the fire, but
by the coldr ess of the window itself.
For this latter, being kept at low tenn,
p~erature by contact with the outside air,
draws the heat from the body, or rather
the heat radiates rom the body to the
windOW-the tempcI Ature of the air in
between making no difference to this
transfercnCe, in accordance with a we'll
known property of radiant heat. For
Instance, the air i II a room may be quite
not, and yet a large window, however
air tight, will make itself u~npleasantly
'elt on a cold day, just as on board ship
she propinquity of an iceberg is an
bounced by a lowering of temperature.
A screen interpoSed between the Win
low and anv one exposed to its malign
influence will often afford great relief;
and one reason why rooms so frequent
" feel more comfortable in the evening
S that the cold glass is ~effectually shut
off behind the closely drawn curtains
and blinds. In countries where the
winters are habitualIy severe the adj
gent of frost is usually the signal for the
liking up of inner windows, the layer of
sir between these and the outer ones
forming an excellent barrier to the es-
cape of heat, owing to its low conduc-
i've power. Cold wall. also induce 4
sense of chiliness, but if they are prop
srly bull there should be no difficulty
n keeping them warm on the inside.
The experiment has sometimes been
Tied of warming rooms by means of
not air only, but the result hGs never
been good and for this reason: That,
n order to warm the walls to the ex-
Juisite degree, the ar must be far hot
sr than is healthy or agreeable for
breathing. In fact, the principle is
wrong. The air should not warm the
walls, but the walls should warm the
Iir. An open fire acts in this latter
way. The rays Of heat from it pass
through the air without heating it, and
produce no effect till they impinge on
he walls, furniture, and carpet of the
room. These, being thus gently
warmed, communicate their heat by
contact to the air about them, and in
bis way, while the objects in the room
n raised to a sufficient temperature,
me air is not rendered unpleasant by
being over heated. We see, then, that
lur. favorite open fires have much to
recommend them, whatever may be said
tbout their wastefulness, and rs regards
health and comfort they are much better
han close stoves, which, though they
'adiate their warmth, also heat the air
n contact with them, and are apt to do
70 to excess.
With regard row to the air. 1t is
rery desirable that the impure vaporS
lue to respiration and the combustion
If gas or oil should be removed as COM
oletely and constantly as possible. Usu-
lily no special provision is made for
his, but fortunately our habit of using
,pen fires secures a good current of air
up the chimney, and so draws in air
rom without, thus producing a more or
ess satisfactory ventilation. Now, as
he vitiated air being warm rises to the
eiling (whence the advantage of lofty
:OomS), it is at the top of the room that
re should naturally provide an outlet
or it. Perhaps the best and simplest
method is that introduced by Dr.. Arnott
namely, an opening INTO the chimney
lear the ceiling, with a valve to prevent
my return current should the chimney
PC inclined to 'smoke." A more diff
:ult matter, however, is the introduce
ion of fresh air. In the ordinary way
his forces an entrance where it can,
much of it flowing along the floor direct
o the fire, chilling the feet but not
hiding its way into the lungs. 1t is
mich more satisfactory to provide a
special inlet for the air, as this greatly
essOns the thrash at hidden ~creviccS.
The way of actually introducing it into
he may be varied greatly. On
he whole, as far as my experience
goes, it is better not TO let it pour in at
one opening only (Which would, of
course, De directed ~upward), but to
make it escape through numerous small
orilices in such a way that each little
stream may be gently warmed by flow
ng over some object exposed to the
heat of the fire. For instance, we
might lead it round the w~ainscoting in
l suitable channel furnished with nu-
nerous small p~crforasions, or under
;he floor and through the carpet; or,
again, to secure greater warmth, it
might be discharged onto the warm sur
faces near the fire. In this way a con-
siderable body Of air may be warmed
without the use of any special appara-
tus, the principle being to distribute it
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