HEARTH & HOME.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18229, 13 November 1924, Page 9

HEARTH & HOME.

OPEN FIREGRATES.

EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL

HEATING.

The open fire as a means of heating the rooms of private dwelling-houses is nowadays subjected to very keen competition by its modern rivals in the forms of various types of gas and electric stoves and by systems of hot-water and steam heating.

It nevertheless continues to be the most usually adopted method of domestie heating, and the time is probably very far • distant when the open fire will cease to be considered as an element essential to the comfort of home life.

The regulation of temperature within buildings by means of one or other of the hot-water, systems, gas or electricity, obviously possesses many striking advantages, but the open fire is unlikely ever to be superseded entirely by these more scientific methbds.' The interesting companionship of a >live fire exerts a subtle influence of good cheer which is lacking in any indirect means of obtaining heat, and for this reason alone the lire on the hearth will always make a strong appeal to. human nature. In addition it must be remembered that an open fire provides an excellent means of maintaining efficient ventilation.

An even more telling reaso&, however, why the open fire continues to retain its popularity is because of the many improvements that have been introduced in the design and construction of grates by enterprising manufacturers who have given serious attention to the. production of economical and inexpensive stoves, constructed on scientific lines.

The old-fashioned grates, constructed chiefly of iron, without regard to economy of fuel, or, incidentally, the consumption- of smoke, frequently were mere recep.tacles for fuel to be burnt under a large chimney, opening ivith a straight flue, allowing seven-eighths of the produced heat to escape up the chimney—wasted—and smoke to roil away- in clouds—unconsumed.

These' proved most unsatisfactory, wasteful, and expensive in operation, and it is indeed a matter for congratulation that 'they- can to-day be abandoned in favour of many excellent types of fire-grates that give entirely satisfactory results from all reasonable points of view.