Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-16
HOW TO KEEP WARM.

cut LhliuIe Vi certain systems 10 provide
comfort has led in some instances to the
condemnation of all systems which have
been denominated scientific, and of the
advocacy of a return to the old method
OF heating by stoves, on the ground that
they are free from the curse of being
scientific" The fear of draughts is q
great bugbear. II wave OF moving
air, whether warm or cold, and as gentle
as a fragrant evening breeze. strikes
sensitive person.; horror of taking
cold at once possesses him. As
writer in the Pail Mall Gazette recently
says. draughts, Objectionable as they
are, are often credited with more than
is really their due. Frequently the chill
ing feeling that one experiences from
the window-ward side as one sits in
room is caused, not by current of cold
air setting from the window to the fire,
but by the GOODNESS of the window itself.
For this latter, being kept at q low
temperature by contact with the outside
air, draws the heat from the body, or
rather the heat radiates from the body
to the window-the temperature of the
air in between making no difference to
this transfcrence, in accordance with a
well-known property of radiant heat.
For instance, the air in room may be
quite hot, and yet large window. how
ever alright, will make itself unpleasant
ly felt on cold day. just as on board
ship the propinquity of an iceberg is an
nounced by lowering of temperature.
A screen interposed between the window
and any one exposed to its malign in
duence will often afford great relief; and
one reason why rooms frequently feel
more comfortable in the evening il that
the cold glass is effectually shut off be-
hind the closely drawn curtains or
blinds. In countries where the winters
are habitually severe. the advent Of frost
is usually the signal for the fixing up Of
inner windows, the layer of air between
these and the outer ones forming an ex-
cellent barrier to the escape OF heat, ow-
ing to its low conductive power. Cold
walls also induce sense Of chilliness,
but il they are properly built there
should be no difficulty in keeping them
warm on the inside.
Heat may be obtained, as from stoves,
without any apparent movement of tho
air in the room, and, consequently,
without draughts; but on the other
hand, there cannot be any ventilation
without movement of the air; hence
there must be draughts If we would have
pure air. No danger need be feared
from them ii the current is not too strong
and the air itself is properly warmed.
The writer referred to above, who would
evidently be considered an expert, says,
that the experiment has sometimes been
tried OF warming rooms by means of
heated air only. but the result has never
been good. While he is certainly mis-
taken i'll this, as the success of warming
of rooms by hot-air furnaces proves, the
facts which he states as supposed reasons
for his statement are interesting. IN
order to warm the walls to the requisite
degree the air must be hotter than is
healthy or agreeable for breathing, he
says. Now this is true enough if the
mistake is made Of placing the furnace
in the basement in the centre of the
building and conducting the hot-air
hues directly to the rooms directly above.
This introduces the hot-air into the
rooms near tho interior walls and, Of
course, in the warmest part of the room.
1t is plain enough that under such cir
cumstances the air must be raised to
temperature too hot for respiration in
one part of the room, for sufficient
warmth for comfort in another part.
Let these fiucs be so constructed that the
hot-air will first make its appearance
near the outside windows and the ex-
terror walls. There will be no trouble
then in maintaining an even and COM
Portable temperature. The Pail Mall
Gazette writer argues that the principle
of heating by hot air is wrong; the air
should not warm the walls, but the walls
should warm the air He is in favor Of
open fires. The rays of heat from an
open fire, he says, pass through the air
without heating it and produce no effect
until they impinge on the wall. furniture
and carpet of the room. These being
thus gently warmed communicates their
and in this way, while the objects in the
room are raised to sufficient tempera-
ture, the air is not rendered unpleasant
by being overheated. This is well
enough in mild climates like those of
England, but the experiment of heating
rooms by open fires in this climate,
where the temperature frequently drops
below zero, cannot be made a success.
In this country we are compelled to fall
back on the use of not air, which serves
the double purpose of conveying heat
from one room to another and aids very
materially in ventilation. But we are
not obliged to use the common hot-air
furnaces, and the Jackson heat-saying
OF &c .
ton OF system which answers these
purposes very successfully In it we
seem to have the problem of heating and
ventilation solved; ~ We'll 10 we secure
he exhiliarating influence of the open
tire. With this CRATE the air is intro
duced to the room through an opening
above the fire, after having passed over
the heated surface of the crate itself
The doors and windows OF the room
might be made alright, if possible, by
memberships and double sash, vet the
air of the room would be kept constant
ly fresh and pure, being changed en-
tirely. it is claimed. every twenty or
thirty minutes by a supply of invigorat-
ing. pleasant and warm mir brought di-
rectly from the outside.
The difficulty and danger attending
the ordinary open fire are found in the
fact that it is impossible SO to close the
cracks and crcviccs about the windows
and doors as to prevent the cold air
rushing in and sweeping across the
room against the back, head or feet of
the occupants. In cold weather, it be-
comes necessary to raise the fire to so
high a temperature that it will blister
the face, while the cold air rushing to-
ward it is both uncomfortable and dam
gcrous to the health.
1t is often argued in favor of high
ceilings that there is abundant space in
the upper part of the room for the viii
ated air which accumulates. Labored
arguments are put forth to show that
this vitiated air should be removed with
out becoming the source of danger by
breathing, and all sorts of devices are
made and introduced for the removal of
this air near the ceilings. Would it not
be better to return TO the construction
of the old-time low ceilings; then see to
it that we have such systems of heating
and ventilation that there can be no ac-
emulation of foul air?- The Sanitary
NeUs.