The Topeka state journal., 1922-01-26
TENDING YOUR FURNACE
Keep Air Well Mixed With Your
Fuel and Fire, Bureau of Mines
Tells January Coal Heavcrs.

Washington, Jan. 26.7Advice to op-
| orators of house heating furnaces,
| who, under the keen urge of the chill
blasts of January, have applied to
the Bureau of Mines for a solution
of difficulties experienced in caring
Tor their fires over night, is given in
a statement made by 0. P Hood,
chief mechanical engineer of the bu-
reau.
There are several ways of manag-
lng a furnace, as there are. several
ways of driving a horse, saws Mr.
Hood. The general principle is quite
! obvious, but that principle can be ap-
I pued in different ways. In the pro-
cess of combustion two quantities
must be supplied-coaI and air. The
coal we pay for, the air we get for
nothing, but the quantity of air re-
| qulred in weight is from twelve to
twenty times as much as the quantity
of coal required. If we had to pay
for the air we would pay a great deal
more attention to the supply of this
necessary material
Given a bed of Goals that are red
hot, the fire will burn just in propor-
ton as air is. fed thru the fuel bed
The question of keepingt a fire over
night is one of having a bed of fuel
large enough so that at least the cen
ter of it can keep red hot without be-
ing chilled by the cold sides of the
furnace, or the cold ash pit below If
absolutely no air was fed thru the fuel
bed, in time the fire would go out
because of loss OF heat The problem.
then. is to feed just air enough thru
the fuel bed to maintain temperature
The ash pit of most furnaces leaks
enough air so thatif there was a con-
siderable draft or suction above the
fuel bee, produced by the chimney,
more air would leak into the ash pit
and up thru the fuel bed than enough
to simply maintain the temperature.
Too much air fed thru the fire would
burn up the coal and the fire would
not keep. The problem, then is to
cut down the flow of air thru the fuel
bed. This can be done in numerous
ways; one can put on a-large amount
of coal and cover the top with very
fine coal, or even with ashes This
increases the resistance thru the fuel
bed, SO that only a small amount of
air flows. Another way, and a good
way, too, is to allow ashes to accumu-
late on the CRATE to add to the re-
sistance of the flow of air While this
is a good way in mild weather it is
not so good in severe weather, because
one cannot get as much coal into the
fire-box, and it is usually best to keep
the fire-box completely filled with
fuel Even when the resistance thru
the fuel bed is increased. If the draft
is maintained there is apt to be too
much leakage thru the ash pit and
too vigorous a fire. BY opening the
check draft so that air can flow up
the chimney without flowing thru the
fuel bed, the air passing thru the fuel
bed is greatly reduced It makes little
difference whether this is done by
opening the check draft in the Chin
ney, OF done by opening the damper in
the door. allowing the air to flow
above the fuel bed. In the latter case.
however. the air is drawn thru the
boiler and helps to cool off the boiler
in addition to checking the flow of
air thru the fuel bed.
Detailed Instructions regarding the
economical operation of house-heating
furnaces are given in certain publica-
tions on the subject. which may be
obtained on application to the Bureau
of MiHfs. Washington. D. c.