The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-12-17
HERE'S ECONOMY
REGULATIONS FOR
FIRING FURNACE
United States Department of
Mines Tells How to Save
Your Coal.

The following rules have been IS
sued by the Department of Miners IN
der the title of Saving Fuel in Heat
ing a House
The suggestions have to do espe-
cially with preventing incomplete COM
cushion and the admission of a large
excess OF air into the furnace. and the
minimizing of the attention necessary
to maintain the proper temperature in
the rooms heated.
Whatever fuel may be selected
convenience will be promoted by nav
ing the heater large enough to main
tain for at least eight hours, "lthout
attention, proper room temperatures
Under any weather conditions, except
/ .fae most severe. II heater VIII not
do this. IL is too small or the draft Is
Insufficient. Satisfactory regulation
OF the fire~wiI be facilitated by the
proper equipment Of hampers, includ-
ing a hand damper in the smokepipe,
a check damper, also in the smoke
pipe, and a damper, preferably lift
damper, in the ashpit. The ashpit
damper and ash door, as well as the
pit itself, should be made so that the
,upply Of air under the CRATES can be
entirely cut off by closing the door
and damper; otherwise proper con-
trol of the fire will be difficult if not
impossible. This is point often neg
lected If bituminous coal is TO be
burned a lift damper in the firing door
is advisable.
Should Be Closed.
Whether the fuel be hard or soft
coal coke, or wood, the stack damper
should be kept partly closed at all
times except in severe weather, I'M
less the conditions as to the size OF
the boiler and draft are such that all
available draft is regularly needed. In
most cases, with the stack damper
partly closed, the proper regulation
can be obtained by varying the posi-
tons of the check damper and the ash
pit damper The fire door should not
be used to check the fire except in
emergencies, for the reason that the
cold air admitted through the open
door cools the firepot at the same
time that il checks the fire.
Other suggestions that apply re-
gardless OF the fuel used are: Attend
10 the fire regularly; do not wait until
IL has burned low and heat is needed
throughout the house. Often the need
can be anticipated and by attention
at the proper time trouble can be
avoided. In addition, economy of fuel
Is more likely to be obtained by fairly
uniform rates of burning than by at
tempting to supply a large amount of
beat in short period and then sud-
llenly checking the fire.
Uniform Size Helps.
Let the size Of the coal fired be as
nearly uniform as possible. Using
coal of uneven sizes prevents an even
flow of air through the fuel bed and
increases the tendency OF the fire to
burn through in spots.
Try to keep the fuel bed from air
holes, as they cause waste of fuel and
may prevent the heater from maintain
ing the desired temperature.
Avoid excessive shaking of the
crates and thus reduce the amount OF
coal lost by falling into the ashpit.
Ordinarily the shaking of the CRATES
should be stopped as soon as bright
particles begin to drop through, or,
under some conditions, as soon as
light from the fuel bed begins to show
ia the ashpit.
ITO get the best results in firing an
fhracite, the following recon? menda- !
lions are made:
Keep the fuel bed thick SO that it ,
will not burn through in spots and adj /
nit Il large excess of air. If there is a .
bright bed of Goals over the entire !
crate, as there should be before
heavy charge is fired, some of the ,
burning coal should be pushed to one
side or end of the grate--the part !
nearest the opening where the gases |
leave the fire poland the bed of live !
Goals made thicker there. Then fire
the fresh charge so as to make the .
bed approximately of uniform thick
ness and yet leave visible a bright .
spot of live coal 10 ignite the COM
bustible gases coming off the freshly |
fired fuel.
Don't Throw on Too Much. |
IF the fire is low, take care not to |
put it out by throwing on too much .
fresh coal. Fire lightly and allow each !
firing to become ignited before fresh |
coal is thrown on. Use small sizes OF
coal If they are available.
When preparing the fire to last !
over night or for Il similar length of
time, push some of the burning coal |
aside and fire the fresh charge so as
70 leave a bright spot visible to ignite
the distilled gases. The drafts should
then be allowed to stand open for a
short period. possibly half an hour. be-
fore they are closed for the night, so
that a part of the volatile matter or
gases in the coal can be driven Off be-
fore the air supply is greatly reduced"
The amount of fuel consumed will
depend, it further is pointed out, on
the size of the house, the number of
rooms, and more largely still on it's
construction. A brick or stone house
may be heated more easily than a 1.
frame dwelling, and ill-fitting doors
and windows. especially where the
house is exposed to high winds, are
not conductive to economical heating.
One of the largest factors in the prop
or and cheapest method of heating a
house is it's location with reference to
exposure to winds.