298 



Popular Science Monthly 



Soot is even a poorer conductor of heat 

 than is asbestos. 



Coal should be used sparingly in open 

 fireplaces. Most of the heat goes up the 

 chimney. 



Don't let the house get too warm. It 

 is uncomfortable, bad for health, and 

 it means waste of fuel. 



Don't bother with chemical "fuel- 

 savers." They are humbugs. 



Keep the rooms below 68 degrees. 

 Most American houses are overheated. 



Oil stoves and fireless cookers are 

 recommended by the Fuel Administration 

 as coal-savers. 



Let the heat from the kitchen stove 

 remove the chill from the air of the house 

 as long as it will serve. 



Reduce the hours of running the 

 kitchen range as much as possible. 



Be sure that the smoke-passages in the 

 range are clean. Then keep them clean. 

 If the scraper made for the purpose is 

 lost, get another. 



When the range must be run for several 

 hours, a full firebox, carefully controlled 

 by dampers, is more economical than a 

 small fire. 



V/ith a big fire, a little air is needed over 

 the coals, as well as through them. 



When the fire is carried over night, fill 

 the firebox with coal, cover it over tightly 

 with ashes, and close all dampers. To 

 start the fire, open the dampers below 

 the grate and in the stovepipe. Break 

 up the coke in the firebox, rattling the 

 ashes into the ash-box. 



Save as much coal as you can from the 

 ashes, and use it when there is a good fire. 



When the fire is well started, close the 

 damper in the smoke-pipe as far as may be 

 practicable with maintenance of the fire 

 needed. When putting in fresh coal, 

 open this damper, to prevent smoking. 



Damper control is the secret of eco- 

 nomical heating. 



By observing these simple rules much 

 coal may be saved. Now for the furnace: 



Keep the ashes cleaned from under the 

 grate. The fire will burn more uniformly, 

 and with less clinker, with a clean ash-pit. 



It is best to keep a full fire-pot, level 

 with the firing door. 



Keep the fire clean of ashes, else it will 

 not be efficient for heating. 



Attend to the furnace regularly. An- 

 ticipate the demand for heat. Rapid 



pushing or retarding of the fire is un- 

 economical. 



Small charges of coal frequently applied 

 are more economical than frequent firing. 

 But the fire-bed should be disturbed as 

 little as possible by shaking or poking. 

 Shaking and clearing the grate twice a day 

 is usually enough. 



The United States Fuel Administration 

 and the Bureau of Mines are ready at all 

 times to aid with practical instructions 

 and advice those who are striving to cut 

 their own coal bills and save fuel for the 

 nation. 



A Motorcycle Engine used as an 

 Air Pump 



AVERY good air pump may be made 

 from an old motorcycle engine of 

 either a single or twin cylinder type. All 

 that is required besides the engine is a few 

 valves, some pipe fittings and a tank 

 strong enough to stand 100 lb. pressure. 

 The exhaust-valve lifts must be removed 

 so that the valves will remain closed all 

 the time, and must be ground in with 

 emery and oil to a good fit to prevent 

 any leaks. The connections are made 

 from the spark-plug holes to the tank as 

 shown in the illustration, 

 with a check valve near the 0) 

 tank. The intake valves 



A motorcycle engine mounted on a block 

 of wood. It is used for an air compressor 



must be altered, as they work at each 

 stroke of the piston to let in the air. A 

 aO-gal. tank, tested to 200 lb., is used 

 with the safety valve set at 100 lb. The 

 pump will supply a large amount of air 

 if run at 2()() r. p. m. and will not heat up 

 to a great extent.— J. W. WOODMAN. 



