Central heating

“ In buildings of the second class, such as residences, office buildings and hotels, we have been, as a rule, satisfied with sufficient heat, and have relied upon such ventilation as is secured by the natural circulation methods. In such buildings, therefore, the system of heating most used is that known as "direct radiation," in which radiators, or some form of radiating surface, are located in each room, and connected by an arrangement of piping to a central source of steam or hot-water supply. ”

“ An important consideration in all cases of hot-air heating is that the air be taken from the outside through a conduit instead of using the air from the cellar, as is too frequently done. In some cities and suburban towns, pure air is brought into the cellar through a conduit where it passes through a box in which it is heated by steam pipes, the steam being brought from a central plant which supplies several hundred houses. The air when heated passes through flues to the several rooms of the dwelling, and is turned on and off by registers in the usual way. ”

“ The problem of heating water is of serious dimensions for life without hot water to civilized man and woman is a poor struggle.
At present there are on the market, distinct from the usual hot water plant installed in properly built and equipped houses—many different and efficient heaters and boilers.
In houses where there is no hot water central plant there can be bought for moderate rates an electric heater which is attached to the faucet in tub or wash basin or sink and through its system of copper coils over which the water flows through, you can get hot water immediately! ”

“ Heat loss in buildings.—There have been considered in previous chapters the various kinds of radiators in use and the amount of heat given off by them under different conditions; and the subject now approaches a study of the particular way in which the heat is utilized. The object of any heating system is, of course, to maintain a uniform temperature in the building in question, and to do this it is necessary: First, to replace the heat lost by convection and radiation from the windows and walls of the building to the colder surroundings outside ”

“ The warm air can carry the humidity, but the cold air does not do it as well, and when it strikes the warm air the latter is forced to condense.
Comfort is the main thing in the home, even more sometimes than saving fuel bills.
“Comfort,” says Professor Allen in an address, “is the prime consideration, more than maintaining a definite temperature. Getting the temperature right brings comfort. We should aim at 40% to 50% of moisture in the winter with 68 to 70 degrees.”
The fact is that the heating engineer to-day allows for about 1⁄3 more heating area when the house is not weather stripped. ”

“ Particular care should be taken to make sure that whatever type of heating is employed is adequate in size. It is more economical to operate a heater that is somewhat oversized than to “rush” one which cannot easily maintain a comfortable temperature in cold weather. Heating engineers and contractors are available to furnish information on heating costs in every locality. The generally used types of heating include stoves, circulator heaters, warm air, hot water and steam systems, and fireplaces. ”

“ The extra framework and material for the roof cost a good deal, yet add practically nothing to the efficiency of the house."
"Heating of greenhouses is best done by hot water, and in a small house the pipes may well be connected with the heating system used for the dwelling, if the greenhouse and the home are within any sort of reasonable distance from each other. For large houses, or ranges of several houses together, the independent heating plant is necessary. Steam is used for heating by commercial florists, but it is economical only on a large scale." ”

“ The hot water in the radiators cools and, in cooling, gives up its heat to the rooms and thus warms them.
In hot-water heating systems, fresh air is not brought to the rooms, for the radiators are closed pipes containing hot water. It is largely for this reason that thoughtful people are careful to raise windows at intervals. Some systems of hot-water heating secure ventilation by confining the radiators to the basement, to which cold air from outside is constantly admitted in such a way that it circulates over the radiators and becomes strongly heated. ”

“ It will be well to understand a little more in detail how to heat glass structures, as temperature is, next to moisture, the most important factor of success. If steam or hot water is used in the dwelling house and a greenhouse of the lean-to type is used, the problem becomes a very simple one, as additional pipes can be run through the greenhouse. But as this advantage is not always ready to hand, we will consider the heating of an isolated house, and the principles involved may be adapted to individual needs. ”

“ From the earliest times in the latitudes of northern Europe and North America, some form of heating in cold weather has been a necessity for all buildings, whether caves or palaces, but even as late as the latter part of the nineteenth century such a thing as a uniform temperature in heated rooms in severe weather was never expected, while ventilation was invariably secured only by such means as would be accomplished by the circulation of air through doors and other openings. ”

“ The imperfect character of most boiler and furnace arrangements, and the large quantity of fuel which passes into the ‘ash-pit’ unconsumed, together with the irregular ‘draught,’ and the amount of heat absorbed by excess of cold air, result practically in an enormous loss of heating power, even under the most careful management. ”

“ First, it is like the old-fashioned stove in that an even heat is hard to maintain. Second, with coal or wood as the usual fuel, there is a discouraging amount of dust generated. Third, the doors to all rooms must be left open so that the currents of hot air can circulate. One chooses between frosty seclusion and balmy gregariousness. Yet, in spite of these very definite "outs," it is far better than no furnace at all. It is, in fact, an excellent stop gap for the country house owner who is not prepared to invest in the more expensive heating plants at the moment. ”

“ However, some farmers will desire either an air, water, or steam heater. Air heaters are dangerous, because if the valves are not properly managed, the pipes may become superheated and may set the building on fire. They carry fine dust into the rooms, and the heat cannot be evenly distributed when the house is exposed to the full force of the wind, as it usually is in the country. The system of heating by means of hot water has many objections when used in the farm house. The water in the pipes is likely to freeze at night in the unused rooms if it is cut off ”

“ The principle of warming by means of an open fireplace, or by means of a German stove or a Gill stove, is applicable to single rooms, that is to say, each room must have its own appliance, and each room may be self-contained as far as regards its heating and ventilation.
The close stoves employed in Germany use less fuel in warming the room than any open fireplace, but they are economical because the heat generated is not removed by the frequent renewal of the air. This element of their efficiency in warming, however, makes them most unhealthy. ”

“ Radiation and complete utilisation of the heat generated from all parts of the grate, as not only the heat given off from front of fire, but also all heat radiated from sides and back of grate, which is usually absorbed in brickwork, is here passed into warm-air chambers and thence into the room. Economy of fuel, with increase of heating power. Prevention of down-draught, and partial consumption of smoke. Simplicity of construction and fixing, so that easy access is afforded to all parts of the grate, more especially those likely to want renewing. ”

“ In mild climates a properly built fireplace will heat a single room, and when equipped with a convection heater will also heat a second room on the same floor or an upper floor. In colder climates it is a useful adjunct to other heating systems if provided with a damper. ”

“ In arranging heating-surface, the effort should be to impede the draught as little as possible, and so to place them that the circulation of water within the boiler should be free and rapid at every part reached by the hot gases. ”

“ Modern heating arrangements are capable of maintaining large buildings at a summer temperature even in the coldest weather, but in order to do this at reasonable cost the building must be made as nearly air-tight as possible. The temperatures secured through artificial-heating plants have also brought another evil. The air raised to a high temperature is abnormal in humidity because it is taken from outdoors, where it is cold and the humidity is low, and is raised by heating to a condition where it can absorb a great quantity of moisture. ”

“ The heating is a single-pipe steam system, the heat generated by a boiler in each building. The principal rooms are heated by radiators, with heating risers used elsewhere. The hardware and lighting fixtures are simple and substantial. ”

“ At the same time the relative humidity can be controlled and this is very essential, not only as a means of providing air that is most desirable for breathing, but also in point of fuel economy, since air of high humidity is more easily heated and is more desirable in conserving the heat of the body as has already been explained. Steam heating is especially suitable for high and irregularly shaped buildings. The fact that the radiators and pipes are empty when not in use reduces the risk of damage to the house furnishings from bursted or leaky pipes. ”

“ There are a number of methods available for adoption in the heating of buildings, but it is a matter of considerable difficulty to suit the method of warming to the class of building to be warmed. Heating may be effected by one of the following systems, or installations may be so arranged as to combine the advantages of more than one method: open fires, closed stoves, hot-air apparatus, hot water circulating in pipes at low or at high pressure, or steam at high or low pressure. ”

“ As the heat transfer does not, therefore, increase proportionately with the volume of gases, the exit temperature for a given furnace temperature will be increased as the volume of gases increases. As this is the measure of the efficiency of the heating surface, the boiler efficiency will, therefore, decrease as the volume of gases increases or the capacity at which the boiler is operated increases. ”

“ Must be heated, where artificial heating is necessary to prevent freezing, by steam or hot-water systems, the heater to be located in a separate building, and no open flames to be permitted within generator enclosures. ”

“ This comprises about the whole system of arrangements in the construction for warming the house with heat radiated from the floors and interior walls.
Its mode of operation simply consists in the body of warmed air passing from the heating-chamber upward, through the walls and under the floors, and in its passage giving up its surplus heat to the surfaces of these flues. As the air becomes reduced in temperature, it naturally descends through the pipe and trunk passage-ways provided for its return to the heating-chamber, where it is again recharged with heat. ”

“ The indirect system of heating is the most expensive to put in; as to the cost of providing nearly double the heating surface in the coils must be added the cost of suitable air boxes, pipes and registers. For a large installation, this is a serious matter, although for office warming the advantages gained on the score of healthfulness and greater efficiency of employees much more than counterbalance the extra expense. ”

“ This factor of furnace temperature more properly belongs to the consideration of furnace efficiency than of boiler efficiency. There is a point, however, in any furnace above which the combustion will be so poor as to actually reduce the furnace temperature and, therefore, the proportion of heat absorbed through radiation by a given amount of exposed heating surface. ”

“ No wood or coal range is provided for in this plan, because the use of an oil, gas, or electric stove saves space in the kitchen and correspondingly reduces the cost of the house. This saving and the convenience of a small, compact cooking unit deserve careful consideration in localities where these fuels are cheaply available. Heating is accomplished by means of a circulator heater in the living room. ”

“ The wolf of winter was the arresting phrase originated several years ago by no less a practitioner of the art of advertising than Bruce Barton, to drive home the merits of adequate domestic heating. But no matter how efficient your heating system may be, unless the country home has been made ready for the cold months, insufficient heat and excessive fuel bills result.
Against this, there are a number of simple things the home owner may do himself or have done. Nobody begrudges money spent for fuel that keeps the house at a comfortable, even temperature. ”

“ This rule when applied to a boiler with a well-designed furnace, stack and setting should be very conservative. It is much better to estimate the steam consumption of the entire plant (see Chapter V., page 60 for steam consumption of radiation) and calculate the boiler requirements according to the rules of boiler design. The designs of the cast-iron heating boilers are innumerable and can only be selected by the careful judgment of the engineer. ”