INADEQUATE VENTILATION

Evening Star, Issue 22449, 21 September 1936, Page 13

INADEQUATE VENTILATION

Ventilation systems, such as are now popular for saloon cars, present the very great advantage of changing air within the body and so prevent harmful concentrations of carbon monoxide from being built up, states the ‘ Motor.’ An important point, however. is that provision should be made for the air to get in as well as for air extraction. Otherwise, the pressure within the body may become slightly sub-normal, which will merely encourage the entry of fumes through floorboard joints, pedal slots, etc. Tests were carried out by the Cities Service Co. in America, with the cooperation of seven State authorities. The results were presented in a paper before the Society of Automobile Engineers by Mr F. M. Van Deventer, and have'attracted considerable attention in the U.S. The most striking of the facts deduced was that in over 5 per cent, of the vehicles tested the atmosphere contained carbon monoxide in dangerous quantities. In 57 per cent, measurable traces of this deadly gas were discovered. Exhaust system leaks at various points between the engine and the tail pipe wore discovered in no fewer than 40 per cent, of the cars tested, and in very few cases were such leaks evidenced by the noise of escaping gases or by sooty stains. Exhaust gas analysis showed that 66 per cent, of the engines tested were guilty of inefficient combustion, resulting in the production of excessive quantities of carbon monoxide.