The Three Methods of Heating.—The heating of a room can be accomplished either directly by the rays of the sun or processes of combustion. We thus receive radiant heat, exemplified by that of open fires and grates.
Or, the heating of places can be accomplished by the heat of combustion being conducted through certain materials, like brick walls, tile, stone, and also iron; this is conductive heat, as afforded by stoves, etc.
Or, the heat is conveyed by means of air, water, or steam from one place to another, as in the hot-water, hot-air, and steam systems of heating; this we call convected heat.
There is no strict line of demarcation differentiating the three methods of heating, as it is possible that a radiant heat may at the same time be conductive as well as convective—as is the case in the Galton fireplace, etc.
Materials of Combustion.—The materials of combustion are air, wood, coal, oil, and gas. Air is indispensable, for, without oxygen, there can be no combustion. Wood is used in many places, but is too bulky and expensive. Oil is rarely used as a material of combustion, its principal use being for illumination. Coal is the best and cheapest material for combustion. The chief objection against its use is the production of smoke, soot, and of various gases, as CO, CO2, etc. Gas is a very good, in fact, the best material for heating, especially if, when used, it is connected with chimneys; otherwise, it is objectionable, as it burns up too much air, vitiates the atmosphere, and the products of combustion are deleterious; it is also quite expensive. The ideal means of heating is electricity.
Chimneys.—All materials used for combustion yield products more or less injurious to health. Every system of artificially heating houses must therefore have not only means of introducing fresh air to aid in the burning up of the materials, but also an outlet for the vitiated, warmed air, partly charged with the products of combustion. These outlets are provided by chimneys. Chimneys are hollow tubes or shafts built of brick and lined with earthen pipes or other material inside. These tubes begin at the lowest fireplace or connection, and are carried up several feet above the roof. The thickness of a chimney is from four to nine inches; the shape square, rectangular, or, preferably, circular. The diameter of the chimney depends upon the size of the house, the number of fire connections, etc. It should be neither too small nor too large. Square chimneys should be twelve to sixteen inches square; circular ones from six to eight inches in diameter for each fire connection. The chimney consists of a shaft, or vertical tube, and cowls placed over chimneys on the roof to prevent down draughts and the falling in of foreign bodies. That part of the chimney opening into the fireplace is called the throat.
Smoky Chimneys.—A very frequent cause of complaint in a great many houses is the so-called "smoky chimney"; this is the case when smoke and coal gas escape from the chimney and enter the living rooms. The principal causes of this nuisance are:
(1) A too wide or too narrow diameter of the shafts. A shaft which is too narrow does not let all the smoke escape; one which is too wide lets the smoke go up only in a part of its diameter, and when the smoke meets a countercurrent of cold air it is liable to be forced back into the rooms.
(2) The throat of the chimney may be too wide, and will hold cold air, preventing the warming of the air in the chimneys and the consequent up draught.
(3) The cowls may be too low or too tight, preventing the escape of the smoke.