Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-19
0Id.Fashioned Heater
Easily Converted 10
Porcelain Type
inexpensive Motor Driven
Fan Can Be Connected
To Furnace
By LAWRENCE CROLIUS.

by LAWhENCE ChOLlOS.
What can we do to make our
warm air furnace into an AIR con-
ditioner?" This is a stock question
asked by numerous people who have
suffered along for years with an old
gravity type heater, and would seem
to indicate two things. First. that
they have had trouble heating their
houses with their old equipment,
and also that they had learned to
like the idea Of air conditioning and
wanted to enjoy its benefits in their
homes.
1t isn't at all difficult to convert
your present old-fashioned gravity
type heater into practically the
equivalent of the forced air heaters
which are now being installed in so
many homes. both large and small.
The same sheet metal ducts which
carried. or should have carried
quantities of warm air to each room
will nearly always serve as air con-
ductors with the converted system.
Houses equipped with the so-called
one pipe. centrally located heaters
will have to have additional sheet
metal piping installed, and often
times 1t is a good idea to put In a
few extra leads on multi-pipe in
stallation
If you have a number of rooms
which are all but lost to you the
day that the weather turns cold
you will welcome the installation OF
q device which will force heat to
those rooms regardless Of how the
wind is blowing and the distance
they might be from the basement.
The little unit which turns this trick
Is merely large capacity motor
driven fan which forces the air
through the furnace and up into the
house instead Of relying on the
forces OF nature and other vague
conditions. You have possibly
already tried out the idea of putting
an ordinary electric fan of the desk
cooling variety in the back of the
heater with dubious results, but
don't be scared of. Your lack of
success in this little project was
caused by the relatively small
amount of air which these fans
move, and the fact that it has to
be moved against no little pressure.
An inexpensive unit is now on the
market which can be connected to
any warm air furnace with a mini
mum Of installation work. 1t is
placed in the main cold air return,
~ have !,
one you had better have one in
stalled. The fan itself is a heavy
duty. four-bladed affair which really
moves quantities of atmosphere
against the back pressure which is
placed upon it by the air in the
ducts. You can either control its
operation manually by means of a
switch located upstairs, or auto
matically with a furnace controlled
thermostat, and either way YOU
will be assured of heat when YOU
want 1t.
To remove the dust from the air
which causes so much trouble with
most hot-air heaters this little unit
Is equipped with an efficient air Al
CeA. 4luS, oil VI tI1c AlT WHICH Is
sucked down from the house passes
through the filter before 1t Is gently
warmed and sent back upstairs.
This filter is renewable, Of course,
and should pay for itself in no time
IN cleaning and upkeep savings. The
motor on the fan is nicely mounted
IN rubber so that it operates quietly
and without vibration which some
times causes a noticeable uproar
upstairs.
X X X
II you would like to know the
names of the makers of the products
described in this column just tear
the column out and send it with a
stamped. self-addressec envelope to
Lawrence Crolius, Sc East Sixty
seventh street, New York, N. Y.