The Washington herald., 1912-07-03
COMMON SBNSEM MUST
RULEFURNAGE WORK
Writer in Prominent Trade Jour
nal Says eOmmon-sense Work
Produces Similar Profit.
ny F. d. GODDARD.
In the Metal woEksr.


There has been much said and written
regarding furnace work and the neces-
isity Of employing methods on scientific
principles There have been handbooks
published, some Of them containing vaIu-
able information and data, some of them
based entirely on theory and having 1T
tie Of interest to the average furnace
man, and some OF them valueless from a
lcommon-sense point Of view. A compe-
tent furnaceman should know the prin-
ciples and laws OF heating from the be-
ginning and he must gain this know
ledge, not from books entirely, but from
actual experience, with which he can
test its correctness.
| Let US look al the conditions as they
actually exist. The business Of INSTALL
ing the warm-air furnace is gradually
being localized, that is to say, the local
dealer is getting more and more Of this
work from year to year. The large
dealers and the manufacturers are be-
coming jobbers and wholesalers.
Now the local dealer, as q rule, IL .
very busy man. He figures for and
executes all kinds OF work in connec-
ton with his line. He does plumbing,
steam and water heating. and warm-air
furnace heating. The calls on his time
are numerous and varied and naturally
he has little time to study into the scien-
heat unit. The manufacturers OF fur
naces must furnish the information and
data to enable the majority OF these
local dealers to install their furnaces
properly II they expect their goods 70
give satisfactory results.
Each manufacturer should have rat
Ings that are definite and reliable, and
these ratings should be based on what
the furnace will do under actual work
ing conditions, both favorable and I'M
favorable, an average result The sales
men who sell furnaces for manurac-
turers should have more than SEEMING |
ability, they should be well informed as
to the method OF installing and the |
proper sizes Of pipes, registers, coId-air |
boxes, &C. Any ambitious salesman can |
inform himself on these points II he de- |
sires to do so, and there is always the /
home once to refer to when a layout is |
desired. The salesman who can put his
customers right as to sizes, capacities,
and locations is the one who gets the or
ders.
The bugbear Of the furnace business at
the present time is cheap and inadequate
These cheap and inefficient
do more to harm the warm
air furnace method OF heating than all
other causes combined. The furnace is
only q part OF the plant; the registers,
piping. and cold-alr supply are impOr-
tant factors and should be properly pro-
portioned TO produce satisfactory results
The best furnace ever made will be a
failure II improperly set, and the poorest
one will do good work II properly in
stalled. The cheap furnace will consume
more fuel and be less durable.
Every one in the business Of installing
warm-air furnaces Will be benefited by
any movement toward the betterment Of
existing conditions both as TO a higher
grade Of work and better profits Sat
sfactory contracts executed at a fair
profit are what is needed and what is
coming II all hands do their part. Let
any one interested in this subject ccn-
slider a moment the conditions in his
own immediate locality. He can prob
ably name a number OF heating men, ,
some Of them prosperous and with a
reputation Of doing good, honest work,
and some OF them barely hanging on by ,
their teeth. eager to get work, profit or
no profit, but always dragging after the
devil by the tail. taking the price of
finished contract to buy the material (
FOR the next, and getting poorer every
lime.
The prosperous contractor understands
hat TO do work at a profit he must con- ,
iider what his expenses Of doing business !
Ire, and he very properly adds this ex- e
oense to the actual cost of labor and ma
erial. The contractor who shows no
,rofit usually forgets that he has his
hop rent, expense of team, heating,
lighting, and other overhead expenses to
AXE care OF before he begins to make
cent. and he very seldom gets even q
air days pay.
Let US have more of the hight Of COM