The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-04-29
LAMPS AS STOVES.
Keroa,ne Gives More Heat Than Coal,
but 1t Has Drawbacks.


We often hear people say: THAT
kerosene lamp is almost as good as a
stove," or something to that effect; but
the statement is generally considered
an exaggeration, and the speakers
themselves would probably be sur
prised if told that their words were
literally true, says writer in Youths
Companion. Let us see if they are so.
The burning of pound of kerosene or
other mineral oil produces about q, 900
units of heat-that is, an amount of
heat sufficient to raise the temperature
of q, 600 pounds of water l degree
Fahrenheit. The unit of heat used in
all such calculations is the quantity of
heat which is required in order to raise
the temperature of q pound of water /
degree.
Air is more easily heated than water.
One unit of heat will raise the tempera-
ture of about four pounds of air one
degree. Therefore, the heat produced
by burning a pound of kerosene will
heat "a, 600 pounds of air one degree,
or eighty-four pounds of air is equival-
ent to rather more than 1, 100 cubic
feet, or about half the air contained in
a room fifteen feet square and ten high.
This quantity of air can, therefore,
be heated about 500 degrees by the
combustion of single pound, or lit
tie more than a pint, of kerosene, a
quantity which is consumed in about
three hours in one of the powerful
tubular lamps now SO much in use. As
a matter of fact, the air of our rooms
never attains any such startling tenn
perature, for several reasons.
In the first place, unless the ventila-
ton is very bad, the air of the room is
renewed several times in the course of
three hours, SO that several roomfulls
of air are warmed by the lamp. Again,
a large part of the heat of the lamp is
radiated directly to the walls. which
absorb it if they are cold, and in any
case conduct great deal of it to the
outside air. The heat of the warmed
air of the room also escapes by conduc-
ton to and through the walls to some
extent.
The little calculation which has beer
given, however, shows that an ordinary
lamp is by no means contemplate as I
source of heat.
A coal stove suitable for the room
we have been considering would burn
perhaps, four or five pounds of coal il
the three hours of which the lamp con
sumes pound of kerosene; but it mus
be remembered that a pound of Goa
produces only about two-thirds as mucl
heat as pound of kerosene, and alst
that large proportion of the heat o
the best stoves goes up the Gimme.
and is wasted.
There is not so much waste in th
anu fee44b fe HE lamn.- the hot gases from
heated much less rapidly and direcfi
by the stove, by means of contact wit
its hot surface and with the walls of th
room, which have been warmed b
direct radiation from the stove. It
plain, therefore, that so far as the al
of a room is concerned the heatin
effect of single large lamp is NO
much less than that of an ordinar
stove.
No such apparatus should ever b
employed in bedroom or sitting-roor
unless the ventilation is exceedingl
good. The hot gas which their chin
neys discharge directly into the air O
the room consists chiefly of air who's
oxygen has been partly or wholly re
placed by carbonic acid and the vapo
of water.
If the oil stove is used for lon
time in close room it will reduce tn
oxygen and increase the carbonic aci
of the air so greatly as to render it un
fit for breathing Furthermore, sue
stoves usually produce small quantitie
OF other and poisonous gases whic
soon give rise to unpleasant and dang
erous symptoms. OF course, the Of
and gas stove may be connected wit
a chimney, but its use is then mucl
less economical. as the greater part O
the heat escapes up the chimney.