Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-02-24
Some Good Advice
on How to Run
Family Furnace

Washington. Feb. 23-Advice to op-
orators of house-heating furnaces
who under the keen urge of chill
blasts of winter have applied to the
Bureau OF Mines for a solution of diff
flculties experienced in caring for
their fires over night. is given in a.
statement made today by 0. p. Hood,
chief mechanical engineer Of the bu-
reau.
There are several ways of manag-
ing a furnace, as there are several
ways of driving horse, says Mr.,
Hood. The general principle is quite
obvious. but that principle can be ap-
Piled in different ways. In the pro-
cess of combustion two quantities
must be supplied--coal and air. The
coal one pays for, the air one gets for
nothing. but the quantity Of air re-
uuircd in weight is from twelve to
twenty times as much as the GUAM
tity of coal required. If one had to
pay for air he would pay a great deal
more attention to the supply of this
necessary material, Mr.. Hood says.
Given a bed of Goals that are red
hot, the fire will burn just in pro-
portion as air is fed through the fuel
bed. The question of keeping a fire
over night, Engineer Hood asserts, is
one of having a bed of fuel large
enough so that at least the center of
1t can keep red hot without being
chilled by the cold sides Of the fur
mace. or the cold ash pit below. If
absolutely no air was fed through the
fuel bed, in time the fire would 20
out because Of loss of heat. The
problem, then, is to feed just air
enough through the fuel bed to main
tain temperature.
The ash pit Of most furnaces leaks
enough air so that II there was q
considerable draft or suction above
the fuel bed produced by the chimney.
more air would leak into the ash pit
and up through the fuel bed than
enough to simply maintain the tenn
perature, Mr.. Hood explains. Too
much air fed through the fire would
burn up the coal and the fire would
not keep. The problem, then, Is to
cut down the flow of air through the
luel bed. This can be done in nu-
merous 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
through the fuel bed, SO that only a
small amount Of air flows. Another
way. and good way. too. according
to MIR. Hood, is to allow ashes to ac-
cumulatc on the crate to add to the
resistance of the flow of air. While
this is good way in mild weather 1t
is not so good in severe weather, be-
cause one cannot get as much coal
into the fire-boX, ard 1t is usually
best to keep the flrc-box completely
filed with fuel. Even when the re-
sistance through the fuel bed is in
creased. If the draft is maintained
there is apt to be too much leakage
through the ash pit and too vigorous
q flre. BY opening the check draft so
that air can flow up the chimney
without flowing through the fuel bed,
the air passing through the fuel bed
Is greatly reduced. 1t makes little
difference whether this is done by
opening the check draft in the
chimney, or done by opening
the damper in the door, allow
ing the air to flow above the fuel
bed. In the latter case, however, the
air is drawn through the boiler and
helps to cool off the boiler in addition
TO checking the flow of air through
the fuel bed.