OCR Text |
Show FIRST-AID AILING HOUSE by Roger B. Whitman ((B Roger B. Whitman-WNU Servlee.) Dusty Hot Air Heat QUESTION: I have installed a new hot air furnace with four vents to rooms for heat. Everything working work-ing well except for the fact that the Lir being taken from the cellar, is faden wi?h dust. This dust comes into the rooms through the registers. regis-ters. We seem to be living m a sort of western dust storm most of tne time. Is there some way we can filter the dust out of the air before it reaches the living rooms? Answer: Your best move win be to install a filter unit, which comes equipped with a fan to force the air through the filters. Your local heating contractor can give you information. in-formation. It would also help to make a dust catcher for the registers. regis-ters. This is a simple job, consisting consist-ing of putting one or two thicknesses thick-nesses of dark muslin mosquito netting net-ting inside the register. Take off the grille, and cover the end of the pipe with the netting, which will be held in place when the grille is put back in position. When the netting becomes clogged, replace it with new, or else clean the soiled netting. The material is inexpensive. inexpen-sive. Cold Bathroom Question: My warm air furnace does not heat my second story bathroom, bath-room, although other rooms on the second floor get plenty of heat Pipes to the bathroom and one of the other rooms are close together in the wall, but while plenty of heat comes up one of the pipes, there is very little in the other. The heating contractor cannot locate the trouble. What do you think it might be? Answer: If there is no difference in the connection of the pipes to the jacket of the furnace, one possible possi-ble explanation is an obstruction in the pipe. During installation the pipe may have been plugged with newspapers or otherwise to keep out dirt, and the plugging forgotten. You can check on this by dropping a weight on a string through the pipe opening in the bathroom to note whether it strikes an obstruction. Noisy Motor Question: The motor of a large oil burner makes a terrific noise. What is the remedy? Answer: An electric motor that is in good condition should run almost al-most without noise; noise is due to worn bearings or to some other part that needs replacement or repair. With an oil burner, noise is more likely to be due to a blower or pump, and is usually from wear or misadjustment. A machine that is naturally noisy can usually be quieted qui-eted by setting it on blocks of cork or rubber to absorb the vibration. Any piece of machinery that develops de-velops noise should be looked over by a competent service man to locate lo-cate the cause and to remedy it. Cold Floor Question: A concrete floor laid on the ground is covered with a wood floor and surfaced with linoleum. It is miserably cold during the winter months. Can this be corrected? Answer: Concrete laid on the ground picks up dampness and is cold. Wood laid over it is likely to rot, and the condition of this wood floor should be investigated. To protect pro-tect the floor against coldness as well as dampness, the wood floor should be taken up, the concrete covered with a layer of waterproofing, waterproof-ing, and then with a layer of insulation, insu-lation, such as corkboard or something some-thing similar. The linoleum can be laid on top. Draft Adjuster Question: One oil burner engineer tells me that an automatic draft adjuster would effect a saving in oil, and another engineer tells me that the amount of oil saved would not pay for the installation of the unit. What is your opinion? Answer: The saving in fuel will depend on the improved efficiency of the heating unit. 11 the unit is working well the' way ' It is, there would be no particular advantage in putting in a draft adjuster. But if the boiler was originally designed for burning coal, and then was converted con-verted into an oil burning unit, the draft adjuster would be of help in improving the heating efficiency. Pounding Radiator Question: My radiator pounds and makes a loud noise as steam gets up. What remedy would you suggest sug-gest to eliminate this noise? Answer: This condition can usu-aUy usu-aUy be corrected by raising the radi-ator. radi-ator. Place blocks of wood, one-quarter one-quarter inch thick, under each leg of the radiator. An additional quar-ter-mch thick block may be needed Be sure the radiator is standing evel and not tilted either way Tee that the radiator valve is either fully closed or wide open. Weatherprooflng Windows Question: Which is more economi cal; storm windows or metal weaTh er-stnpping for windows on I sun Porch? If metal stripping is v" ru" 1 U it m. chooseom"?"6 S6Veral "o Answer: To make windows reallv weatherproof both storm L Z. I butTif adv" saebreretQmhany """ PeriencedmXn'dotVb1: |