HOUSE AND GARDEN 
January, 1912 
_ “Under no circumstances should a room or office be heated exclu¬ 
sively by direct radiation from exposed steam radiators or pipes. 
It is one of the most unhealthy, killing systems in existence. 
“LEWIS W. LEEDS,” 
“Consulting Engineer of Ventilation and 
Heating for U. S. Treasury Department, 
in ‘Proceedings of Franklin Institute.’ ” 
“After careful study and trial and observation, I am compelled to 
condemn all direct methods of heating by radiators located in the 
rooms. . B. G. LONG, M. D., Buffalo, N. Y.” 
“In_ all cases, tubercular diseases of the lungs and pneumonia are 
the diseases which are the most prevalent among persons living and 
working in unventilated rooms.—The Composition of Expired Air, 
and Its Effects upon Animal Life, by J. S. Billings, A. M., M. D., 
S. Weir Mitchell. M. D., and D. H. Berger, M. D.; Smithsonian 
Contributions to Knowledge.” 
“During all the cold winter months we have a steadily increasing 
death rate from the bad air diseases, namely, bronchitis, pneumonia, 
and consumption. Especially is this true in Chicago, where so large a 
percentage of the population is living in steam-heated tunnels, called, 
by courtesy, flats or apartments. E. R. PRITCHARD, 
“Former Secretary of Dept, of Health 
of the City of Chicago.” 
“I have noted that direct steam and hot water have an unfavorable 
effect upon health, and this is particularly marked in diseases of the 
lungs, throat and respiratory passages. I attribute this unhealthful 
condition to the lack of proper ventilation in rooms thus heated. 
Living rooms should be heated by pouring untainted warm air into 
them, and in no other way. 
“CHRISTOPHER H. SHEARER, M. D., Reading, Pa.” 
“It is well worth while for every man to understand that an abun¬ 
dance of fresh air is not merely theoretically a good thing, which 
is to be accepted if it come in his way, but that it is a necessity for 
the preservation of health and happiness, and that it is worth taking 
special pains to procure. JOHN B. BILLINGS, A. M., D. D.,” 
in “Ventilation and Heating.” 
The only method of heating that lends itself to ventilation and 
humidifying the air in a building is the indirect method, wherein 
pure outdoor air is warmed and moistened by apparatus in the 
basement or cellar of the building and then conducted through 
ducts to the rooms to be heated. 
The indirect method of heating in addition to hygienic superi¬ 
ority, has marked architectural advantages, in that it does not re¬ 
quire the presence of radiators within the room. Unless direct 
radiators are concealed in recesses in the walls, they are a distinct 
impediment in the decorative scheme of the room. Radiators con¬ 
cealed in recesses do not give satisfactory service, aside from the 
consideration of the extra expense involved in providing a larger 
radiator than would otherwise be required, lining the recess to 
avoid excessive loss of heat through the wall and providing an 
ornamental grille to 
conceal the radiator. 
It is claimed that 
radiators can be dec¬ 
orated in keeping 
with the decorative 
scheme of the room ; 
however, the radia¬ 
tor is still occupying 
valuable floor space 
in the room and re¬ 
tains its beautiful 
enameled tints for 
but a few months af¬ 
ter the hot water or 
steam is allowed to 
circulate through the 
radiator. The heat 
destroys the enamel 
on the radiators 
within a short time. 
Experience has 
proved that the only 
d u r able decorative 
25 
covering for radia¬ 
tors is the unsightly 
bronze that is rarely 
.nentioned in articles 
on hot water and 
steam heating, but 
which is used almost 
to the exclusion of 
other decorative ma¬ 
terials. 
The indirect meth¬ 
od of heating is the 
method followed in 
heating modern 
school buildings, of¬ 
fice buildings, fac¬ 
tories, etc., when 
ventilation is r e - 
quired. 
There are but 
three practical sys- 
t e m s of heating 
based on the indirect 
method, namely: in¬ 
direct steam or vapor heating, indirect hot water heating, and 
warm air furnace heatinq- 
Of these systems the warm air furnace system, properly in¬ 
stalled, is the most practical system for heating and ventilating 
999 of every 1,000 residences. 
The indirect steam or vapor or hot-water radiation systems 
have no real advantages over the warm air furnace system for 
heating and ventilating residences. In fact they have many dis¬ 
advantages, such as cumbersomeness (occupying as much as 35% 
of all the space in the basement), difficulty of operation, extrava¬ 
gant fuel consumption (50% to 100% more than good furnace 
heating), high cost of maintenance and excessive first cost (twice 
the cost of direct radiation heating), difficulty of humidifying the 
air. 
In contrast to these disadvantages of the indirect radiation sys¬ 
tem of heating are the decided advantages of the warm-air fur¬ 
nace system which occupies from 5% to 8% of the space in a 
basement, is easy to operate, is moderate in fuel consumption 
(well installed furnaces require less fuel than is required to heat 
by the direct radiation system because of the much greater aver¬ 
age efficiency of good furnaces as compared with standard types 
of house heating boilers), low in cost of maintenance, durable 
(good furnaces last from 25 to 40 years), moderate in first cost 
(a trifle less than cost of direct steam radiation system). 
The best heating results in residences are obtained with indirect 
systems of heating when they are combined with a formal system 
of ventilation—consisting of vent ducts, vent registers, ventilating 
shaft, etc.—and it is a curious fact that the superior heating results 
are obtained without an increase in fuel consumption in the case 
of the warm air furnace. In residences there is actually a reduc¬ 
tion in the fuel consumption when a proper ventilating system is 
installed with a warm air furnace system of heating; this being 
due to the fact that the free circulation of air through the rooms 
makes it unnecessary to force the fire to secure the desired heat¬ 
ing results. To the prospective house owner it is of interest to 
know that the combined first cost of a good warm air furnace 
heating system, with a formal system of ventilation, does not ex¬ 
ceed the cost of a direct hot water radiation system. 
It is but proper to warn the public that cheap furnace heating 
always proves unsatisfactory in heating results, in fuel consump¬ 
tion and in durability. A heating contractor who is competent 
to properly install a warm air furnace heating and ventilating 
(Continued on page 4) 
Wall registers are made in an infinite variety 
of patterns and can be had to coincide with 
the decorative scheme 
Even in the most formal room the register does 
not detract from the delicate decorations 
or present an unsightly appearance 
