Conservatory Heat Regulation 



E. J. WILCOX 



Fig. 1 



i 



Heating the conservatory for tropical 

 fishes is a serious problem, because, un- 

 like houses in which plants are grown, it 

 is absolutely essential that it be kept 

 warm at all times. A sudden drop in the 

 temperature will work damage that can- 

 not be repaired. Some conservatories are 

 heated by gas, some by coal fires, others 

 by steam, but the most satisfactory re- 

 sults are obtained with a hot water sys- 

 tem. The operation of any of these sys- 

 tems is so well known as to remove all 

 necessity for description. Heating dur- 

 ing the day is a simple matter, but for 

 the night it is the custom to "bank the 

 fire" and trust to luck. Without doubt 

 you recall the many times when, arriving 

 home late at night, your first thought was 

 of the conservatory. If the temperature 

 out of doors does not fluctuate very 

 much, that within the house may not 

 reach low danger mark. However, by 

 the use of a very simple apparatus, the 

 temperature can be automatically main- 

 tained at any predetermined degree, both 



Fig. 3 



night and day, provided the fire is occa- 

 sionally fed and cleaned. This is accom- 

 plished by a comparatively inexpensive 

 thermostatic regulator. 



The source of heat supply may be at 

 any point distant from the conservatory, 

 but the thermostat must be installed in 

 the room or building to be heated. This 

 instrument, which is illustrated as Fig- 

 ure 2, is attached to the wall. It should 

 be placed at a neutral point — not near a 

 radiator, a window or on an outside wall 

 — and about four or five feet from the 

 floor. The regulator is small, hand- 

 somely finished, measuring about eight 

 inches high. It contains a blade composed 

 of two metals, which moves between two 

 electrical contacts as the heat or cold 

 causes it to contract or expand, thereby 

 permitting the transmission of the cur- 

 rent from two dry batteries through a 

 fine cable to the motor, which is placed 

 near the furnace or heater. The motor, 

 upon receiving this current, will open or 

 close the drafts. Protecting the blade of 



