Mechanics of the Household. E. S. Keene
construction of a combination hot-water and hot-air furnace.
Combination Hot-air and Hot-water Heater.
—In the case of large houses heated by hot air it is sometimes better to use two or more furnaces than to attempt to carry the heat long distances in the customary pipes. Where heat is required in rooms located at a distance more than 30 feet, it is advisable to use a combination hot-air and hot-water heater, the distant rooms being heated by hot-water radiators.
A furnace arranged for such a combination is shown in Fig. 47. This furnace contains, first, the essential features of a hot-air furnace; next, it includes a hot-water plant. The fire-box and air-heating surfaces are easily recognized. The arrows show the course of the air entering at the bottom of the furnace, which after being heated by passing over the heating surfaces, escapes at the openings marked warm air, to the distributing pipes.
Fig. 48.—The hot-air furnace as it appears in the house.
Inside the air-heating surfaces are three hollow cast-iron pieces W, that form a part of the walls of the fire-box. These pieces, with their connecting pipes, form the water-heating part of the furnace, which supplies the hot water for the radiators. The pieces W, with the connecting pipes and radiators, form an independent heating plant, with a fire-box in common with the hot-air furnace.
The returning water from the radiators enters the heating surfaces W, through the pipe marked return pipe. The heated water is discharged from the heaters into that marked flow pipe which conducts it to the radiators. Such a furnace is, therefore, two independent systems, one for hot air and the other for hot water, but with a single fire-box. This furnace, like the simple hot-air furnace, is rated, first in the amount of space it will heat with hot air and in addition, by the number of square feet of hot-water radiating surface that will be kept hot by the hot-water heater.
In Fig. 48 is shown the location of the furnace in a cottage with the conducting pipes to the various rooms. The registers in the first floor are generally set in the floor but if desired they may be placed in the walls. Those on the second floor are placed in the walls because of convenience. The conducting pipes pass through the partitions between the studding.
Fig. 49.—Details of air ducts and damper regulator used with the hot-air furnace.
In all well-arranged hot-air heating plants provision is made so that the air for heating may be taken from the outside. It does not follow that the supply of fresh air should always come from outdoors; there are times during extremely cold weather, accompanied by high winds, when ventilation is ample without the outside source of supply. Since it is never desirable to take the air supply from the basement, such an arrangement as is shown in Fig. 49, or a modification of the same plan is commonly employed. The duct A from the outside and B from the rooms above connect with the air supply for the furnaces. A damper C arranged to move on a hinge, is so placed as to admit the air from either source as desired. The damper may be placed so as to take part or all of the air from the outside by adjusting the handle at the proper place.
CHAPTER IV
TEMPERATURE REGULATION
The method used for regulating the temperature of a house will depend on its size, the conditions under which it is to be used and the method of heating. In small houses the temperature may be satisfactorily governed entirely by hand, that is, the furnace drafts may be changed by hand to suit the varying conditions of temperature. A more satisfactory method is that of thermostatic regulation, in which a thermostatic governor and a motor automatically control the furnace dampers so as to keep a constant temperature at one point, generally the living room. Where hot-water or steam heating plants are used, another device is frequently employed to keep the temperature of the heat supply at a constant degree. This is known as the automatic damper regulator. The damper regulator is one of the boiler accessories which so governs the drafts of the furnace as to keep a constant water temperature in the hot-water heater or a constant steam pressure in the steam boiler.
In some cases both the damper regulator and the thermostat are used as a more complete means of temperature control.
Hand Regulation.
—As a means of changing the dampers of the furnace from the floor above, to suit the prevailing conditions, the arrangement shown in Fig. 49 does away with the necessity of a journey to the basement, to remedy each change of temperature.
A plate is fastened to the wall at any convenient place, to which the end of a chain is attached as shown in the figure. This connects with a second chain, the ends of which are fastened, one to the direct draft or ash-pit damper F, and the other to the check draft E, in the chimney. As the furnace appears in the drawing, the direct draft is closed and the check draft is open. By changing the ring from G to H, the movement of the chain opens F, and closes E, admitting air to the furnace. When the temperature of the room is raised sufficiently, the drafts are restored to their original position by replacing the ring at G. Sometimes one or more intermediate points are made on the plate between G and H, which permits both drafts to be kept partly open and fewer changes are required to keep the temperature approximately normal.
Fig. 50.—Cross-section of damper regulator for steam boiler.
Fig. 51.—Steam boiler for house heating, with the damper regulator, in place, attached to the dampers.
Damper Regulator for Steam Boiler.
—The damper regulator used on a steam boiler is a simple device that automatically controls the draft dampers by reason of the changing pressures of the steam. The object of the damper regulator is to prevent the generation of steam in the boiler beyond a certain pressure at which the valve is set. This point is usually 3 or 4 pounds below the pressure at which the safety valve would act. If in proper working order the damper regulator will so control the dampers that the boiler will always contain a supply of steam, but the pressure will not reach a point requiring the action of the safety valve. Fig. 51 illustrates its connections with the furnace dampers. In Fig. 18 the regulator appears at D. In external appearance and in operation of the dampers, it is the same as the regulator for a hot-water boiler but its internal construction is simpler. Fig. 50 shows its construction. It is attached to the steam space of the boiler at E. The steam pressure acts directly on the flexible metallic diaphragm B. As the pressure of the steam approaches the desired amount the diaphragm is raised and with it the lever V. A chain D, attached to the end of the lever, opens the check draft, and another at C closes the draft damper. When the steam pressure falls, the diaphragm lowers the lever and the dampers are restored to their original position. The same movements are repeated with each rise and fall of the steam pressure.
Fig. 52.—Damper regulator for hot-water boiler.
Damper Regulators for Hot-water Furnaces.
—The damper regulator for a hot-water boiler automatically controls the dampers of the furnace so as to keep the water of the boiler approximately at a constant temperature. The regulator is shown in Fig. 52. The ends of the lever are connected to the direct-draft and check-draft dampers, as in the case of the