The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-03-24
HIS NEW BOILER FOR HOT WA.
TER HEATING PLANTS.
He Applies for Patent and Will
Try to Organize Company to
Manufacture Article.

Friends of John b. Hodapp will
be glad to know that he has not
been idle during the past few months.
but working hard at an invention
that, if pushed, could undoubtedly
be the means of coming money for
those interested. He says that while
he has not been making money he
has paid out some, taking his
chances on realizing any in return,
but if not he is content to know
that he is doing his part in making
some homes more pleasant, and in
making it possible to economic in
the cost Of living. He has completed
and successfully tried out new
boiler for hot water heating plants,
that utilizes every bit Of the heat
from the fire and takes up compare
lively little space in the cellar. The
boiler can also be used for steam
plants. 1t is built especially for
hard coal, with self feed, the same
as baseburner coal stoves. and can
be made in any size.
Heats His Own House Nicely.
Some time ago Mr. Hodapp figured
out that while the distribution of
heat has been well taken care of
in heaters, there still remained much
to improve in utilizing the heat from
fuel, and he set to work on this
with such success that yesterday a
Free Press reporter found his nine
room residence on North Fifth street
kept very comfortable with small
sixteen inch CRATE boiler, feeding
500 feet of hot water radiation, with
bath and other connections to the
system. There is boiler of stand
ard make in the cellar, with eighteen
inch CRATE, but Mr.. Hodapp says that
his boiler, with less fuel, does bet
ter work, and needs attention only
twice a day in very cold weather,
and at other times but once day.
The fire would burn for forty-eight
hours without going out.
Has Applied for Patent.
Mr.. Hodapp has applied for d pat
cnt on his device, which includes
return pipes connected to the ash
pit, the water circulating under the
fire as we'll as through it in four
transverse walls set directly in the
bed of Goals. Then the water also
goes through series of sections
that the warmed air passes around,
and the air is drawn back again to
the base of the furnace, and the pipe
that it passes out of is absolutely
cold, showing that every bit OF the
heat has been given into the water.
Any size of coal can be used, even
down to pea and buckwheat grades,
which latter can be had for about
the cost of soft coal. The heating
surface is all perpendicular, which
allows no SCOT to accumulate and
keep the heat from the pipes. No
cleaning is needed and even heat is
kept.
Unique Features Noted.
There are two features that Mr..
Uodapp has devised that are unique
and labor saving. One is an auto
matte check draft. which is worked
by the draft from the chimney,
furnace in all weather conditions.
The regulator for the front draft is
separator hot water chamber over
the boiler, and the variation in the
temperature of the water in the
boiler contracts or expands the wa
ter in this chamber, thereby dimin.
fishing or increasing the pressure on
"A diaphragm, which by a chain works
a lower door. With sliding ar
rangement conceived by Mr.. Hodapp
the diaphragm is set for colder or
warmer weather. In this way the
temperature in the house is kept
even all day long and all winter
long Mr.. Hodapp says that this reg
ulator works better than a themo-
stat.
Improvement in Crates.
The CRATE is also an Improvement
upon others, as the coal does not
melt into clinkers, but burns up into
fine ashes. Onehalf of the fire can
be shut off in mild weather, if de-
sired, by close fitting lid.
Mr. Hodapp's sample boiler was
made by the Mankato Manufacturing
company. 1t has fully come up to
his expectations. While not certain
what the possibilities of it may be,
he has become convinced that it is
far ahead of any now on the mar
ket He believes that there is very
little chance for improvement left
He shows figures claiming over fifty
per cent more direct heating space
than any other of the same size, be-
sides far more secondary heating
space than others. With everything
considered he estimates the canacftX