HEATING THE HOME.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5072, 7 January 1927, Page 3

HEATING THE HOME.

OLD AND NEW METHODS* THE MODERN TREND. The open fire remairfs highly popular, and much is being done, to improve both the appearance, and efficiency o'f fireplaces and grates. There arc many authorities, however, who maintain that the general adoption of central heating in all places where firejs are regarded as a necessity during a considerable part of the year is only a matter.of time. Writing on this subject in a British technical journal, Mr E. - Cove, Meeh. E., that ce.ntr.al heating gives an even temperature all over the house, passages and stairways included. ‘‘lt means, he adds, “that one can move about freely all over the house, fbrget about the, weather, avoid catching cold, and have an easy mind regarding, particularly, the children and old people. It is impossible to catch cold in a warm house with an even temperature, and a cold caught outside will soon be thrown off. in such a house. The psychological effect o’f living in such a house’ is not the least of its advantages from the health point of view. We know the mind act powerfully on the body. The happiness of mind which results from being able to shut out th,e gloomy, depressing meteorological conditions, and the 'freedom from anxiety regarding the children, must play an important part in keeping us well.

“Till recently central heating has been a luxury for the comparatively wealthy. It involved installing a hotwater furnace with tanks, flow and return pipes all over the house, and landings. All these things are expensive in themsejves, but, added to this, is the heavy cost for labour to fix them. Americans and Canadians have solved the problem of central heating for all, and their method is not only incomparably cheaper and simpler, but has certain advantages over the hot water method.

“It consists merely Of a close-fire, siow-combustion stove, with dampers and draught doors to provide for a wide range Of rapid or slow’ burning. Around the stove is a sheet-iron casing, sometimes two casings, with a space between each. These spaces act as ducts. By natural physical law, cold air, being heavy, enters these ducts at the bottom, travels upwards, and leaves the stove, at the top, warm or hot, according to t,he rate at which the 'fuel is burning. This warm air travels all over the house, taking the place of the cold air, which is gravitating to the lowest point of the heater ducts. The. air o'f the house is therefore constantly on the move, and this constitutes one of the advantages of This form of central heating. Another advantage is. that all the air of the house, being compelled by this physical law .to pass through the heater, .comes into contact withvery hot iron, which sterilises.it, killing the germs. Still another advantages—and a most important one—is that this form, of central heating Permits of. adding to the humidity of the air as, its temperature rises. People complain that hot-water, central heating causes a feeling Of, stuffiness. ThA reason is*this. The. warmer the air the more moisture will it absorb. Humidity, therefore, is always relative, Air that is sufficiently moist at 45 feels dry and stuffy at 65 degreeSj and it, is necessary to add moisture. With hot->v'at,er central heating there is no means of doing this, but there is with the heater described above. A water-pan, whichhas to be filled Occasionally, is heat,ed by its close proximity ,to the fire—it is part of the stove—the water slowly . evaporates and mingles with the air coming out of the ducts. Thus the warmth- of the house becomes, as pleasant and as comfortable as the warmth of a summer's day. , “Three types of this heater, are made —basement type, wall type, and - hall type. The basement type draws in cold air and sends out warm air through a grating in the floor above. The wall type does this .through two gratings in a wall by its side —the cold air grating being at the bottom. The hall type draws in cold air at the. bottom and sends out warm air through a grating pt the top. All three types are Quite effective.

“They are connected to a chirffikeF by a flue pipe. None of the; products o’f combustion mingles with the air. off the hoifs,e ( but all pass, up the chimney ; the air of the housei which circulatejs round the heater is kept entirely separate from the fire/ the fumes, and the smoke. They will burn any kind of fuel, and will incinerate rubbish. If they are stoked at night, with the dampers set to cause the Are to burn slowly, toast can< be made in the morning a minute or two after opening the dampers.

“As has already been indicated, everyone can afford .this method of central heating. The heater costs lefea. to instal than the chimney and the’open-flre stoves it replaces, “More still is the- economy of fuel. It is probably well known that there is no more wasteful method Of obtaining warmth than by the open-flre system. It is estimated that not more than 10 per cent, of the thermal value of the fuel is given out in radiant heat, the remainder passing up the chimney. Can the average. family afford to be so extravagant ? An open fire does not, heat the room. Everyone has had the experience of toasting one fe,ide and freezing the other while sitting round an open fire, most of the heat passing up the Chimney. It seems strange that people should be satisfied with these, fires whep the general cry is ’’for efficiency and economy.” A party of Paeroa sportsmen, comprising Dr. W. W. Little and Messers ■G. H. Taylor and G. P. Lamb, spent ttlre Christmas holidays at JVhitianga, ;and had an exciting time deep-sea 'fishing. On December 27 the party ■Rft Whitianga in a launch for the ■Jiapuka grounds. In the vicinity of s Diena Island they caught 30 large hapuka. A party 'from Auckland on another launch caught 16 hapuka on the same grounds: