Warm Air Pipes Continued 100040

Fig. 34.

The smoke pipe damper should be opened only enough to carry off the gas or smoke and to give the necessary draft. The openings in the feed door act as a check on the fire and should be kept closed during cold weather, except just after firing, when with a good draft they may be partly opened to increase the air supply and promote the proper combustion of the gases.

Keep the ash pit clear to avoid warping or melting the grate. The cold-air box should be kept wide open except during winds or when the fire is low. At such times it may be partly, but never completely closed. Too much stress cannot be laid on the importance of a sufficient air supply to the furnace. It costs little if any more to maintain a comfortable temperature in the house night and day than to allow the rooms to become so cold during the night that the fire must be forced in the morning to warm them up to a comfortable temperature.

In case the warm air fails at times to reach certain rooms it may be forced into them by temporarily closing the registers in other rooms. The current once established will generally continue after the other registers have been opened.

It is best to burn as hard coal as the draft will warrant. Egg size is better than larger coal, since for a given weight small lumps expose more surface and ignite more quickly than larger ones. The furnace and smoke pipe should be thoroughly cleaned once a year. This should be done just after the fire has been allowed to go out in the spring.