Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-08
Fireplace Experimenter Gains
Bio Dividend in Fuel Oil
Horace W. PeusIee
Tells Of Cool,
Wood Methods

A man who has brought fireplaces
into his heating problem 50 efiec-
lively that he is using only 4 frac-
ton of the amount of fuel oil allowed
him under the OPAs rationing pro-
gram barred his secret to the public
today. -.
tits a matter OF more heat and
less smoke generously divulged
Horace w. Peaslee Of 1884 Nine
teenth street NV, nationally known
architect.
He has attained this goal by de-
vising certain methods of regulating
the draft of his fireplaces 80 that
wood and coal burn more evenly
and last longer.
The fundamentals OF his formula
have been established to his own
satisfaction and to that Of his Their
mostat, which means that the oil
burner in the Peaslee residence
stays quiet most Of the time So
far this winter the eight room
dwelling has been heated with a
half ton of camel coal. a quarter
ton of anthracite, a half cord OF
WOOD and a third of his oil allow
ance.
Burner Used In Morning.
Most days the burner is started
early in the morning to get the
chill OF the house and then the
fireplaces take over allowing the
burner to remain Of fer thu rest
OF The day. Mr.. Pelslee.s home IS
fedsip6e4 with I'VE fifeplacss, but 90
farshs has found Il necessary to
use only two. !;
To keep q wood fire going, he ex-
plains, the wood should be massed
and not added stick by stick. The
| easiest way, he has found. Is, to
mass it on a bed Of ashes. cutting
OF too much draft from below,
He found two methods by which
to do this with andirons and a
few loose bricks One, as demon
strated in sketch E, is to lay = con-
tinuous line Of brick along the
1 front Of the fireplace opening, ct the
back Of which ashes may atctmu-
late. The other, shown In sketch
D.. with or without . top line Of
bricks, provides a smaller Aah pit,
but similar control over draft.
Sketches A, B and c. are devices
to regulate q coal fire. They en-
ploy loose bricks, = piece Of slate
and an odd piece Of wire framing.
| Banks Fires 1t Nirht.
This is gadgeteer's Joy with its
combination Of strong draft tunnel.
plus q method Of taking out the
ashes from below without disturb
ing the bed Of GOALS" commented
Mr.. Peaslee. -. Z,
The architect often banks his
fires at night This again Is done
through the use of ashes. r
He also has met with considerable
success in burning green wood. He
starts fires In the morning with a
few pages from a newspaper, a few
sticks Of kindling and a few Jumps
of coal On this is piled stick OF
two of green wood and, by the time
the fire gets going we'll. the green
fuel Is dry enough to burn.
Mr.. Peaslee reported further that
the device shown in sketch A has
served to check a smoky fireplace.
Smoking, In many instances, is
caused by f1ue that is too small
for the fireplace opening. BY re-
ducing this opening, the trouble
often is remedied.
Cap for Chimney.
Another plan he advises to, re-.
duce smoking Is to place a cap over
the top of the chimney The sim
plest device Is piece of fiagstone
laid on four bricks as legs, thus cut
ting OF the down draft and its con-
sequent scattering inside the house
Of SCOT and ashes.
In barring his secret, the architect
emphasized that a controversy over
the best way to get the most out Of
your fireplace was not his first aim.
but he admitted that argument
might result.
If there's any one thing that
every man has his own ideas about,
and any one thing that's uppermost
in every ones mind" he recalled,
its how to keep the home fires
burning