1883.] 
Economy of Fuel in House Fives, 
637 
II. ECONOMY OF FUEL IN HOUSE FIRES. 
By T. Fletcher, F.C.S. 
f HE opinion expressed in the September issue of the 
“Journal of Science ” that open fires should be re- 
nounced in favour of stoves is one not at all likely to 
be a general one where the cost of fuel is not excessive. 
Having for years in succession tested, in aCtual practice in 
my own house, nearly every possible system of heating, — by 
warm-air flues, hot water, close and open stoves heated by 
gas, coal, and coke, open fires of coke and coal, gas stoves 
and gas fires, — it will possibly be a matter of interest to some 
how the series of trials has terminated by the survival of 
the fittest. 
The tests have been undertaken partly as a question of 
personal comfort and economy, and partly to obtain informa- 
tion for business purposes ; and the latter reason has enabled 
me to carry out the experiments in a much more exhaustive 
and complete form than is likely to be done by any private 
individual for his own comfort. 
Where a large body of air has to be heated in public 
rooms, plant-houses, and similar structures, there can be 
little doubt that hot-water pipes give the best result ; and 
in my own experience the most satisfactory boiler is a simple 
coil of iron pipe, with the fire in the centre. Where equal 
and steady heating is required it is advisable to put in the 
circuit a large tank for hot water, into which all surplus 
heat is taken and stored. By this means, with the most 
irregular firing by careless and unskilled servants, the tem- 
perature of plant-houses and rooms which require to be 
kept aired can be controlled with perfect ease and little 
trouble ; but to sit quietly and comfortably in rooms so 
heated is out of the question, apparenly for the simple reason 
that the temperature of the floor and lower strata of air is 
always lower than that of the upper parts, the consequence 
being cold feet and a feeling of general discomfort. 
My own sitting-room — containing my private comfortable 
corner, special easy chair, and other matters which consti- 
tute my den, to which I retire for ease and absence of 
“ bother ” — has gone through a series of slow-combustion 
grates fired with coal, then with coke ; grates with warm-air 
apparatus ; grates without warm-air apparatus, supplied 
' with fresh air from the outside, and heated with coal and 
