Dickenson County herald. [volume] (Clintwood, Va.) 1939-195?, 1942-06-04
HOUSE HEATERS SHOULD BE
OVERHAULED NOW

!
THIS is a good time of year for
l. home owner to overhaul his heat
ing system in the light Of troubles
that he has had with it IN the pre-
vious winter; uneven distribution Of
heat, excess fuel consumption, etc.
First, he should make sure that the
chimney is in good condition and
that the fue is clean. The heater
itself should be gone over and
cleaned thoroughly. All open joints
by which air can enter should be
closed, for these will interfere with
the draft and cause waste of fuel.
Leaks may be around warped doors
and hampers, or between the bottom
of the heater and the floor. If there
had been dust in the house from
hot air furnace, the fault is likely to
be in open joints between the Sec
tons. These joints should be closed
with a special cement that with
stands high temperatures. Even the
best cement will not last longer
than five years, however, and in
cracking will permit smoke and dust
to enter the air passages. A hot
water house heater that is slow in
heating, or that heats unevenly, can
be greatly improved by adding a
circulating pump to operate auto
matically. A steam heating plant
can be improved by replacing the
old radiator air valves with a mod
ern adjustable kind, with which all
radiators will heat at the same time.
The best move, of course, is to have
the plant inspected by competent
steam6tter, with the idea of putting
things into prime condition before
the coming cold weather.
Wet Foundation
Question: My foundations are
made of cobblestone with cement
blocks on top. In rains and thaws
the blocks become wet and the cob
blestones beneath them are soaked
through. Outside the wall the side
walk is graded, and gets drip from
the caves. Is this the cause of the
dampness in the foundation wall?
Answer: Dampness in the founda-
ton wall comes from the collecting
of water in the filled-in part Of the
excavation outside of the wall. Your
best remedy will be to lay drain
tile at the footings of the wall out
side to carry the water away to
some low point where it will dis
charge. You should also equip your
roof with cutters and leaders.
Care of Floors
Question: How should new oak
floors be cared for? They have been
waxed, but not stained. They turn
dark after washing them.
Answer: A new floor should be
given a varnish, shellac or similar
finish before being waxed, to pre-
vent wax from soaking into the
wood. Without an undercoat, dirt
will 60 through the wax and dis
color the wood. A hardwood floor
should never be washed with water.
Dirt can be taken up by dry wiping.
When heavy dirt must be removed,
take it up with damp cloth, fol-
lowed by wiping dry. A waxed floor
can also be cleaned with liquid wax
not water wax. which is to be used
only as finish.
Mirror in Bathroom
Question: Will you tell me what
kind of back mirror must have
to Withstand steam, etc.. in a bath
room? I have been told that any
kind of mirror would peel, and then
again, that an enamel back would
give protection.
Answer: The best type Of mirror
for bathrooms and other purposes
is one that is made with a copper.
plated back. A mirror with paint
ed back may be serviceable il the
silvering is well coated, but for the
small additional cost the copper
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