The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-12-02
REPORT OF |. 4. LARSON
Consulting Engineer, on ACCESSIBILITY Of In.
Sailing Private Power and Lighting
Plant for Virginia Schools.

The following is the complete text
of the report of L. A. Larson, of Du-
luth, consulting engineer of the
Board of Education of the Inde-
pendent School District of Virginia,
anent the advisa bility of the install
lation of private power and light
ing plant to provide for the needs
of the Roosevelt and new Technical
High School buildings:
DULUTH, MINNESOTA. Nov. l6, 1910.
BOARD OF EDUCATION,
Virginia, Minnesota.
J. H. Fleming, Secretary.
Your consulting engineer begs leave to
make the following report
Having visited your new plant on Nov
| enlber 14tll and as far as it has gone, be-
lieve you have received first class work
1nanship and material The contractors
and their foreman. Mr.. Miller. are certain
ly to be commended for their efforts to do
a good job.
The two following recommendations
have been found necessary since the plant
was started: First, l wish you would
cause two Cross walls to be built in the
combustion chamber of each boiler. gave
your superintendent, Mr.. Bliss, a rough
sketch of same sufficient to instruct the
briCklayer how to do it. This became neces-
sary from the great depth of the Combus-
| ton chamber SO as to hold the hot gases
| up against the boilers You will find by
doing this you can make much steam
with one boiler as you can now with the
two, and not increase the fuel consump-
tion
The second recommendation is that a
small Wright's Air Trap be placed on the
highest point of your boiler feed pipe. This
was made necessary on account of the
large loop that had to be made in this pipe
in getting it over from the eConon1izer to
the boilers, and as YOU know, a consider
able amount OF air is always present in
feed water, especially after it has been
churned up in a vacuum pump. This
when it gets under pressure in the eConom-
izer and teed pipe will separate from the
water and gather at the high points.
Hence the necessity of an automatic air
trap at the highest point of this pipe to
prevent it from becoming air bound. in
which case it would prevent the water from
going into the boiler. This air trap will
prevent this trouble and it only costs a
trit1e; besides, the contractor has promised
me he would put in tee to receive it, so
all the expense you will be put to is the
cost of the trap. Get the T. size.)
Do not forget to instruct the man you
have in charge of the plant to blow out all
the air from the econonizer coils every
morning, and if you run night and day it
should be done both evening and morning.
This is done BY opening the small pet
cocks on top of economizer loops; and let
them blow as long as air escapes, and
when water appears, close cock. This must
be done with all the cocks that he finds on
top of economizer. And impress upon him
that this must not be neglected.
There is also another thing he must not
neglect and that is the feed water purifier.
During the first two months he must
change the cloths on the CARTRIDGES every
two DAYS. washing the set he takes out
imm ediately SO as to have them ready for
the next change. After two months have
passed he may put off the changing to
once week, but that is as long as it should
ever be between cleanings. The frequent
changing at the start is made necessary
by the great amount of dirt and oil in the
| system from oiling pipes and fittings, and
especially the lard oil used in cutting
threads. This will all come back with the
return water and if allowed to enter boil
ers, may ruin them in one day. After the
above Oil has been gotten rid of you have
the cylinder oil from your pumps and en-
gines to take care of, and that must not be
permitted to find its way back to the boil
ers. hence the necessity of cleaning the
filter cloths once week. You must i'm
press on this man that these instructions
must be carried out just as religiously as
the attention he gives to his own stomach,
as upon this depends the life and safety of
your boilers. Would also advise that you
wash boiler every two weeks during the
first three or four months. and after the
boiler has been washed and before filling
up, put in about 40 lbs. of Sal Soda in each
boiler. Night also add two gallons kero-
sene. Leave this init will not hurt any