Every one who owns a steam-boiler, as well as the engineer who is responsible for the same, should at all times exercise the greatest care. A fifteen-story building may be fire-proof and ever so strong, yet a defective boiler in the basement or carelessness in its management, may cause an explosion which will wreck the whole structure. The following suggestions are important:

1.     Great care should be exercised to see that safety-valves are ample in size and in working order. Overloading or neglect frequently leads to the most disastrous results. Safety-valves should be tried at least once a day to see if they will act properly.

2.    The first duty of an engineer before starting is to see that the water is at the proper height. Do not rely on glass gauges, floats or water alarms, but try the gauge-cocks.

3.    The steam-gauge should stand at zero when the pressure is off, and it should show same pressure as the safety-valve when the latter is blowing off. If not, then one is wrong, and the gauge should be tested by one known to be correct.

4.    Both gauge-cocks and water-gauges must be kept clean. Water-gauges should be blown out frequently, and the glasses and passages to gauge kept clean.

5.    Feed-pumps or injectors should be kept in perfect order, and of ample size. No make of pump can be expected to be continuously reliable without regular and careful attention. It is always safe to have two means of feeding the boiler. Check-valves and self acting feed-valves should be frequently examined and cleaned. Satisfy yourself that the valve is acting when the feed-pump is at work.

6.    Cold water should never be fed into a boiler if it can be avoided, but, when necessary, it should be caused to mix with the heated water before coming in contact with any portion of the boiler.

7.    In case of low water immediately cover the fire with ashes (wet if possible) or any earth that may be at hand. If nothing else is handy use fresh coal. Draw fires as soon as it can be done without increasing the heat. Neither turn on the feed, start or stop engine, or lift safety-valve until fires are out and the boiler cooled down.

8.    Fusible plugs, when used, must be examined when the boiler is cleaned, and carefully scraped clean on both water and fire sides, or they are liable not to act.

9.     Moderately thick fires are most economical, but thin firing must be used when draught is poor. Take care to keep the grates evenly covered, and allow no air-holes in the fire. Be especially careful to lay the coal along the sides and in the corners. All lumps should be broken into the size of a man's fist. With bituminous coal, firing in front, and then shoving the coal back, when it is coked, gives the best result. Do not " clean " fires oftener than necessary. The cleaning of the fire is best done, in ordinary working, by a "rake," or other tool, working on the under side of the grate, and not by a "slice-bar," driven into the mass of fuel above the grates.

10.    Clean all heating surfaces outside and in, or there will be serious waste of fuel. As a rule, never allow over one-sixteenth scales or soot to collect on surfaces between cleanings. Hand-holes should be frequently removed, and surfaces examined, particularly in case of a new boiler, until proper intervals between cleanings have been established by experience. Examine mud-drums and remove sediment therefrom.

11.    When foaming occurs in a boiler, checking the outflow of the steam will usually stop it. If caused by dirty water, blowing down and pumping up will generally cure it. In cases of violent foaming, check the draught and cover the fires.

12.    Never empty the boiler while the brickwork is hot.

13.    Don't indulge in rapid firing. Steam should be raised slowly from a cold boiler.

14.    If a boiler is not required for some time, empty and dry it thoroughly. If this is impractical, fill it quite full of water, and put in a quantity of common washing soda.

15. All things about the boiler-room should be kept clean and in good order. Negligence tends to waste and decay.