TH 6553 .K59 Uiii iMA li!!,' file Mt^ jtfjHm^H ' f ' Itftl'tt t *. . ''Bt??- '-:«riutBpifc. ■MimimsMi^M' V ^ Kitchen Boiler Connections. A SELECTION OF PRACTICAL LETTERS AND ARTICLES RELATING TO Water Backs and Range Boilers, COMPILED FROM THE METAL WORKER, v^srsr v^J^^^X )-y^l>%- - 7 DAVID WILLIAMS, PUBLISHER, 96-102 Reade Street, New York. i8g4. <^i^^ Copyrighted, 1894, by David Williams. J^ Press of The Williams Printing Co., 96-102 Eeade St., New York. PREFACE. Among the subjects that have been discussed by the corre- spondents of The Metal Worker during recent years, none has received more attention or awakened more interest than kitchen or range boilers and water back connections. It is hardly an ex- aggeration to say that there is a continual stream of inquiries bear- ing more or less directly upon the topic of water backs sent for publication in The Metal Worker. Those in trouble seek assist- ance, and their letters call forth explanations and suggestions from practical men all over the United States. The frequency with which assistance is needed in this department of plumbing work, taken in connection with the interest that is shown in the subject, has prompted us to publish in book form a selection of Letter Box inquiries with their answers. To these numerous letters we have added several special articles that have appeared in The Metal Worker bearing upon the same matter of range boilers and water backs and their connection, and have likewise prefaced the divisions of the subject with explanatory remarks where they were deemed necessary. The work is divided into two parts, the first on water backs and boilers and their connections and the second on heating rooms from range boilers, a topic that has much practical interest for the plumber. We believe that this book will appeal to a large number, not only of young plumbers who are desirous of learning, but of old plumbers who have not yet fully mastered the water back arrangement. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Pages. Water Backs and Their Construction (Illustrated) i-8 Pipe Water Front Heats Too Much — A Water Back Hinders Baking — A Plan for Heating Water (Illustrated) — A Suggestion in Water Backs (Il- lustrated)— A Water Back is Better (Illustrated). CHAPTER II. Boiler Construction, Operation and Connections 9-23 Pressure Supply and Piping to Boiler — Connecting Supply Pipe to Range Boiler — Faulty Circulation in a Range Boiler (Illustrated) — Trouble from Small Piping — Connected to Heat Rapidly (Illustrated) — Quick Heating Connections (Illustrated) — A Noisy Range Boiler (Illus- trated) — Pipe the Same as in Hot Water Heating — Piping from Stove and Boiler in Different Rooms (Illustrated) — Kitchen Boiler Without Tank (Illustrated). CHAPTER III. Circulating Pipe 24-29 Circulating Pipe on Range Boiler (Illustrated) — Arrangement of Cir- culating Pipe — Valve in Circulating Pipe — Trouble with a Circulating Pipe (Illustrated). CHAPTER IV. Multiple Connections 30-48 One Water Back and Two Boilers (Illustrated) — Boiler Connected with Iron Pipe (Illustrated) — Water Heated by Gas or Furnace (Illustrated) — Boiler Connected with Two Stoves (Illustrated)— Bad Circulation with Two Water Backs (Illustrated) — Multiple Water Back Connection (Illus- trated). CHAPTER V. Double Boilers 49-58 Double Boiler System of Plumbing (Illustrated) — Horizontal Double Boiler (Illustrated). CHAPTER VI. Difficulties Met With in Everyday Practice ; 59-75 Boiler Too Large — Cold Water from Range Boiler (Illustrated) — Keep- ing Hot Water Out of Meters (Illustrated) — Local Circulation Between Two Boilers (Illustrated)— Rusty Water from Range Boiler — A Remedy for Noisy Boilers — Crackling in Range Boiler — Noise in Boiler and Pipes — Noise in Boiler — Noisy Hot Water Faucet — Reverse Circulation (Illustrated) — Range Boiler Emptied Through Relief Pipe (Illustrated) — Water Backs Burst Repeatedly — What Caused the Explosion ? CHAPTER VII. Relief Pipe and Vacuum Valve 76-80 Collapsing Boiler — What Caused the Collapse ? — To Prevent Collapse of Boiler (Illustrated). CHAPTER VIII. Horizontal Boilers 81-88 An Upright Boiler Set Horizontally (Illustrated)— A Horizontally Set Boiler (Illustrated) — Short Circuit Brings Co-Id Water. CHAPTER IX. Miscellaneous 89-97 Air in Dipped Pipes — Connected to Overcome Trouble (Illustrated) — A Curious Connection (Illustrated) — Boiler Heated by Steam (Illustrated) — Boiler Heated with Steam Coils — Range Boiler and Warming Table — Cost of Heating Water. CHAPTER X. Heating Room From Kitchen Boiler 101-118 Heating Power of a Water Side— A Plan for Heating Bathroom (Illus- trated) — Piping to Radiator— A Tested System (Illustrated) — Air Bound Radiator (Illustrated) — Heat from Horizontal Boiler (Illustrated) — Boiler Set in Bathroom to Heat It— Radiator Below Water Front (Illustrated)— Radiator on Level with Water Back (Illustrated) — Radiator Lower Than Water Front (Illustrated)— Heating Radiator or Boiler. CHAPTER XL Radiators Heated From Coils in Stoves 119-126 Auxiliary Heating System (Illustrated) — Expansion Tank and Range Boiler— Furnace Coil and Radiator — An Apprentice's Water Heater (Il- lustrated) — Heating Store from Coil in Stove — Furnace Coil and Con- servatory. Water Backs ^^^^ Range Boilers. CHAPTER I. WATER BACKS AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION. The demand for an ever-ready and practically unlimited supply of hot water has been met by various devices, until what is com- monly known as the " water back " and '■ kitchen boiler " furnish it to-day. It is the English custom to call the water back the " boiler," ,;^N.\\^\v\\v\\vvvv\\vv\\vv\vvvv\\\vvv\v^\vvvv\v^??^ gW,\\VV\\\VV\V\\\V\\\VV-sV^V\\\\VVVV's<-V'sVV^;^?^ Fig. \, -Openings Together, One Above the Other. S \V^\\\\\'y^\VVV\VV-VV\KVVVVV\VVxVVV^^^ O" o ? ?v\V^\\\]~n "H "n Kitchen Boiler Without Tank. and E. To pump hot water in the bathtub close E, D and A and open B. To pump cold water in the bathtub close B and D and open A. The pump is an ordinary force pump. The boiler always remains full of water and would not collapse even if there was no water in it, as the hot water pipe can be left open all the time. Furthermore, there is no stop in the hot water pipe to the bathtub. C is a telltale pipe, showing the quantity of v/ater, the depth and also the temperature. I send this sketch and account of the job, thinking that " J. C." or others may get some aid from it. CHAPTER III. CIRCULATING PIPES. In order to get hot water promptly at faucets some distance from a boiler, and to avoid waiting and the waste of all the cold water in the pipe by running it off before the hot water comes, a pipe is re- turned from the furthest faucet to the boiler, so that the water will be kept in circulation and hot water always be ready to flow the moment the faucet is opened. Sometimes the return end of this cir- culating pipe is connected with a special opening at the top of the boiler, which has a tube connected with it running down into the boiler as far as the supply pipe tube. At other times the return ■end is connected with the pipe at the bottom of the boiler that runs to supply the water back. This pipe should be smaller in size than the regular service pipe, as it is only intended to bring back the water that has cooled and make room for the hotter water. Natu- rally, this pipe wastes some heat, and if of full size would make un- necessary loss. CIRCULATING PIPE ON A RANGE BOILER. Fro7n Young Mechanic. — Please inform me where to put a circulating pipe •on a range boiler and how high to carry it up. Note. — In order to cover all points of this inquiry a drawing is given of an ordinary circulating boiler, and its connections lettered so that the explanation may be made clear. A is the supply pipe, and connects with either of the openings in the top of the boiler, providing the tube shown by the dotted line connected with it ex- tends down below the point C and within one foot of the bottom of the boiler. There should be a ^-inch hole in the tube at F near the top to prevent syphonage. B is generally called the distributing pipe, though sometimes the circulating pipe. If the .query refers to this pipe with the intention of- avoiding the usual wait for hot water at a washstand in a third story or distant room until all the cold water in the pipe has run off, it should, after connecting with the faucet, WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS, 25 instead of stopping there, be reduced in size and run back to the boiler, as shown by E, and connect with the pipe D, which takes the cold water from the boiler to the water back. Then, as the water cools at the distant stand, it will drop down the pipe E and permit hot water to come up B and always be ready immediately when the faucet is opened. When a pipe like E is used it is called a fo ^ COLD WATER J A, B Circulating Pipe on a Range Boiler. circulating pipe, and must necessarily go to the highest point to which the hot water is carried, and this point is determined by the pressure or force on the supply pipe. The pipe C is far more gen- erally known as the circulating pipe, and connects with the top opening in the water back and the opening in the side of the boiler. There is an advantage of some importance to be gained by having the pipe C one size larger than the pipe D, for when the water is expanded by the heat in the water back it finds. 26 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. its way to the boiler in a larger pipe much more readily. The bottom of the boiler should preferably be enough above the water back level to permit an easy turn and a slight decline in the pipe D. Circulation will go on if both of the water back pipes are of the same size and the boiler is so set that the pipe C enters only a few inches above the water back level, but that practice should be avoided. There should never be even a slight drop in the pipe C from the time it leaves the water back till it enters the boiler. The hight of the point at which C enters the boiler is fixed by the boiler makers, and is usually about one-third of the hight of the boiler from the bottom. ARRANGEMENT OF CIRCULATING PIPE. From J. B., Hudson, Mass. — I inclose a rough sketch of a system of plumb- ing work. What I wish to know in regard to it is this : When the water is hot COLD TO BOILER ^i =^ Mi''yirri~m rr^TFT i ^n \ ^'"^ / f^T — ^ Arrangement of Circulating' Pipe. in the boiler, will it circulate through the circulation pipe B D when the faucets are closed ? You will see by the sketch that the hot water pipe on leaving the boiler goes to the ceiling, then down lo feet into the room below, thence 12 feet on a level, and returns to the boiler by the same route, the sink being as per sketch. I claim it will not circulate. Am I right ? Answer. — Our correspondent is correct in his views. Circulation will not take place with such an arrangement — that is, as far as ac- WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 27 complishing the desired end is concerned. It is doubtful whether the slightest mov^ement would take place without inducement by drawing at the faucets. We suggest the changes indicated by the dotted lines in the sketch. Pipes A, B, C and D would then be un- necessary. VALVE IN CIRCULATING PIPE. From G. B. S., Buffalo, N. Y. — In discussing the question of cir- culating pipes I would state that in using a circulating pipe to insure a constant flow of hot water, there are two ways of looking at the matter. It is undoubtedly a convenience if hot water can be had at any time without waiting, but if it costs anything to heat the wster, a supply cannot be had without increasing the expe -se. Keeping the pipe warm will entail a cost just in proportion to the area ex- posed to radiation and to cooling influences ; and it will cost less to heat the pipe after it has cooled than to keep it hot. This fact is too obvious to need more than the bare statement. The prevention of a mixture of cold and hot water being drawn from a circulating pipe may be partly accomplished by putting a cock in the circulating pipe, nearly throttling it, so that it will pass barely sufficient water to maintain the desired heat in the service pipe. It may be wholly accomplished by using a check valve instead of the throttle ; the valve being reversed so that it will fall open at ordinary times, and close by the current of water set in motion when any is drawn The valve must be light, so as to be readily seated by the current. This plan is in use and operates well. To prevent " water hammer," which may prove to be an annoyance, air vessels should be attached to the pipe on either side of and as close to the check valve as they can well be put. TROUBLE WITH A CIRCULATING PIPE. From J. M., Odebolt, Iowa. — I have a problem in some boiler and range connections, and would be thankful for any information that would lead to a solution of the problem. I inclose drawings of the work as it now is, Fig. i, and as I think of rearranging it, Pig. 2 being the proposed alteration. I do not wish to change the work unless it will give better results than it does at present. My desire is to be able to draw hot water instantly when the hot faucet at the washstand is opened, instead of having to draw the dead water between the stand and the boiler first. It is to avoid this waste of water that I wish to em- 28 WATER BACKS AND KANGE BOILERS. body the feature of return circulation in this job, and I trust that you or some of the readers of The Metal Worker will show me the proper way to do it. Answer. — The proposed plan shown in Fig. 2 can only be con- FUj. 1— The Original Arrangement of Pipes. VALVE RETURN Fig. 2.— Arrangement Proposed by "J. M." sidered for its novelty and should not be put in practice, as it is open to many objections and would be a very slow heating arrangement. In Fig. I it would be quite possible to draw cold water at the wash- WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 29 Stand if the check valve was not used. Check valves should not be needed in well arranged work, but the end they accomplish should be secured in some other way. Fig. 3 shows a method that will be satisfactory, as it carries the hot water direct to the washstand m^^JU SUPPLY TANK ,FAUCET SINK Fig. 3.— Showing Proper Arrangement of Pipes. before it starts to return and the effect of a check valve is secured by making the return pipe of a smaller size than the main flow. A ^-inch pipe would be used on a job where the tank was higher above the fixtures. CHAPTER IV. MULTIPLE CONNECTIONS. Where a large supply of hot water is required and a large boiler is used, it is not uncommon practice to couple several water backs to the boiler. In some cases where the heating capacity of the water back has been sufificient more than one boiler has been coupled with a water back, but this is unusual. Sometimes a boiler is connected with two water backs, one of which is in the stove that is used dur- ing the winter season and the other in the stove that is used in the summer, and so arranged that the circulation through either water back can be cut off by stop cocks, or the heating capacity of both used when a large quantity of hot water is desired. In running the pipes for such connections everything should be done to favor circu- lation and provision made for a drain cock to empty the pipes when not in use, to prevent them freezing. ONE WATER BACK AND TWO BOILERS. From W. C. S., Alexandria, Va. — I inclose sketch showing boiler connec- tions, and wish to know why the water does not circulate properly. Boiler No. I, holding 20 gallons, did not give a sufficient- supply of hot water, and I there- fore connected with it boiler No. 2, holding 35 gallons. After emptying No. i. No. 2 refuses to act, although filled with water, the cock at sink drawing cold water. When drawing hot water at the sink the side connection becomes cold when boiler No. i is exhausted. Please let me know what the trouble is. Answer. — Fig. i is a reproduction of the sketch furnished by our correspondent with the reference letters added. Fig. 2 illustrates an arrangement of pipes which will tend to produce circulation in the two boilers. To facilitate the explanation, reference letters are used in Figs. I and 2. F denotes the flow pipe from back to boilers, R the return pipe from boilers to back, C the cold water supply pipes, H the hot water supply pipes from boilers to faucets and fixtures, and Hi vertical hot water pipe on No. i boiler. In Fig. i R^ indi- cates "trap" in return pipe between No. 1 and No. 2 boilers. It is WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 31 apparent from the arrangement of pipes shown in Fig. i that the two boilers are not connected to the water back, cold water supply, or to the distributing hot water pipes in the same manner, the piping of boiler No. i being more favorably arranged at three points : i. The return pipe R, Fig. i, is not " trapped " between the water back and boiler No. i, whereas the return pipe R' is considerably " trapped " between water back and boiler No. 2. The effect is that when cold water enters through pipe C it passes to water back through pipe R, retarding, and it may be said stopping, circulation (f^^§ \ i Fig. ]. — Faulty Way of Connecting. in pipe R' of boiler No. 2. 2. The cold water supply through pipe C (Fig. i), boiler No. i, is more favorably arranged than through the pipe C, boiler No. 2. 3. The hot water supply pipe H' (Fig. i), from boiler No. i, offers less resistance to the flow than the hot water pipe from No. 2 boiler, because the cold and hot water pipes of No. I boiler offer less resistance in changing the directions of the flow than is presented in the same pipes from boiler No. 2. It is quite possible that the water in these two boilers becomes heated with the pipes connected and arranged as shown in Fig. i, on ac- count of the circulation between the water back and boiler No. i and the circulation between No. i boiler and No. 2 boiler. When the hot water faucet is opened hot water flows -from the smaller boiler, 32 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. No. I, because the cold and hot water pipes connected to this boiler No. I are more favorably arranged, as already described. The water thus drawn off is replaced by cold water through pipe C in boiler No. I, which passes to water back through pipe R, and from water back through pipe F into boiler No. i, cooling side connection, be- cause the back will not heat the water as quickly as it can be drawn off from boiler No. i through pipe H^ to faucet. The passage of this cold water through pipes R, F and H retards, and it might be said cuts off and nearly stops, ail circulation between the boilers Nos. Fig. 2. — Correct Way of Connecting. I and No. 2 and between the water back and boiler No. 2. Thus the heated water remains in No. 2 bo ler, as would also cold water, be- cause the easiest and most favorable circulation offering the least resistance between the cold water supply and the open faucet is through the pipe connections of No. i boiler. To overcome this difficulty of unequal circulation it will be nec- essary to place each boiler under equally favorable conditions as to the pipe connections as far as practicable. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 2. The connections of flow pipe F oh sides of boilers and the openings of cold water pipes C within the boilers should be level, as well as the connecting pipes R and H between the boilers. WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 33 When the pipes are thus arranged any displacement that takes place in the water back promotes a nearly equal delivery into each boiler> with at the same time an equal discharge from each boiler through return pipes R R into water back. When water is drawn off at the hot water faucet an almost equal discharge will take place from each boiler, the difference being due to the slight excess of friction in pipe H, Fig. 2, which practically will be imperceptible, while the water withdrawn at the faucet will be replaced in each boiler at about the same rapidity. BOILER CONNECTED WITH IRON PIPE. Range connections, except in the very best jobs of plumbings have received less attention from the generality of plumbers than any other branch of the trade. To meet the great and increasing demand for such goods, innumerable designs of range boilers have been put upon the market. Some styles of range boilers cannot be used except under certain conditions, and the plumber who works a boiler into a place not suitable for it, just because he has it in stock, does himself an injustice as well as his customer. The plumber should not expect his customer to direct the work. Not- withstanding that the range connection is one of the most impor- tant features of modern plumbing work, the plumber will often, when the customer says " Do it as cheap as you can," do what he knows is going to be a failure, and then console himself with the delusive thought, "I was ordered to do so," instead of explaining that the really cheap way to do work is to it properly. A range connection, if improperly made, is a perpetual expense and annoyance Therefore, let the plumber display the best of his ability in making it properly. Also let him put in the best of and all new pipe and fittings. When a range connection shows signs of being " rusted out " and it has been long in use, the plumber may very conscientiously put in an entire new connection, as it is no economy to the customer, and surely no credit to the plumber, to be repairing first one end and then the other of a con- nection, thereby straining and injuring the joints that are sound. A great deal of trouble may be traced to the disproportion of water backs and range boilers, especially in rented houses. One class of tenement houses have boilers ample enough for any service that can possibly be needed from them, while another class have boilers that 34 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. will only furnish hot water for a small family when connected to the proper size of water back or front. Consequently some persons' boilers "steam " and others do not get hot at all, because they can- not afford to adapt the stove to the boiler and the landlord will not adapt the boiler to the stove. Another cause of trouble is that one tenant moving into a place finds that the party who preceded him did not use the range boiler, and for some reason, perhaps to save expense in some former repairs, the sediment pipe has been cut loose from the sink waste and not connected again. Instead of con- necting it, the plumber takes it out to stop cock near boiler and tells the cook to draw the water from the boiler in buckets in order to clean it, &c. ; but the cook finds it too much like work and neglects it until a deposit of mud has baked on the inner surface of the water back and connections, thereby lessening their heating and circulating capacity respectively. A rapid circulation is the vital point in water heating, and the fitter should bear in mind that any- thing which will retard the circulation is equivalent to losing heat and it should be avoided. No matter where circumstances compel you to place a range or boiler, make the connections as direct as possible. Use as few fit- tings as will answer the purpose, and never use quarter bends where fittings with less ang e will answer, as shown by Figs, i and 2. In Fig. I it will be seen that a pipe put in as per dotted line will not only save one fitting and 9 inches of pipe, but will reduce the friction equivalent to the difference between the friction of water flowing through 27 inches of straight pipe and the same flowing through 36 inches of pipe and turning an angle of 90*^. Also, the trouble from incrustation in some cases would be a fraction less and worth considering, by taking the shorter route. In Fig. 2 the fric- tion of turning an angle of 90° and flowing through 9 inches more of pipe would be avoided. To be brief, in any place where the hypotenuse of an angle can be followed it is sensible to do so, un- less there is some special reason why the angle should be made, as in case of placing a drain or sediment cock. Open pattern or long sweep elbows are good, but pipes properly and accurately bent and furnished with ground joint unions are best. Where common unions are used they should be joined with asbestos or pasteboard washers. Either plain iron, galvanized iron, copper or brass pipe m^y be used. Lead, if employed at all, should not be used on the top con- WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS, nection, except temporarily. Notw'thstanding that the damage of what might otherwise have been very serious accidents has been limited to wet kitchens, in some cases by the bursting of lead con- nections near the water back when fires were built in the range J^,-. ^ sj 24 in. Fig. 1.— Two Ways of Running Pipe. while pipes were frozen, I believe that the objections to using lead pipe for range connections are greater by far than the points in favor of its use. Range boilers should be set high enough to allow for drain- ing into kitchen sink when practicable. The sediment pipe should c 12 in. ^ ^ :3 12 in. Fig. 3.— Avoiding Quarter Bends. have a stop cock and be taken from the lowest point in flow from boiler to water back, and when run into the kitchen sink waste it should be above the trap. The sink waste and trap may be cleaned by holding a cloth over the sink strainer and overflow and turning on the sediment cock. This method is more convenient and effective than using a force pump. Where the water supply contains much sediment, a sediment chamber with bottom trap screw should be screwed into the bottom connection. The sediment pipe may be connected to the chamber 36 WATER BACKS AXD RANGE BOILERS. as shown by Fig. 3. A round wa; cock should be put in between the sediment branch and the boiler; by shutting this off and opening the sediment cock the full force of supply may be obtained to clean the water back. The boiler may be cleaned by emptying and then turning on the water with sediment cock open, which will allow the delivery pipe in boiler to rinse it clean. The sediment pipe should be as large as the supply to keep it from filling up into the boiler too quickly, which would stop the rinsing. Also the boiler may be emptied quicker when the sediment pipe is large. Fig. 3.— Sediment Chamber. I will now mention a few questionable points concerning the pres- ent general manner of connecting range boilers. I. The supply is introduced through the top of the boiler and carried down nearly to the bottom, where it discharges from the open end. The delivery pipe has a hole in it near the top end to prevent syphoning, and this hole is often filed instead of drilled, which reduces the metal on each side of the hole. After being used awhile the hole becomes much larger from corrosion. Now, this "syphon hole," as it is called, delivers a jet of cold water into the hot water in the top of the boiler while hot water is being drawn, and in some cases, unless the boiler is large or very hot, it cools the water to a noticeable degree in a short time of drawing. Assuming that A is the heating capacity per minute, that B is the water issuing from syphon hole while water is being drawn from hot faucets at the rate of ^ x 2, and that the absorbent power of ^ = 15 per cent, of A, it will be seen that the water drawn has been appreciably cooled by warming B. Why not put in an automatic WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 37 air valve or pet cock on the cold water pipe on top of boiler, instead of the syphon hole ? '? w & o ^ J ? T =^ c u=M G' M 9 Fig. 4.— Range Boiler and Connections. 2. It is rarely that any provision is made for drawing hot water immediately after the fire is started. 3. There is no arrangement made for cleaning the water back. Fig. 4 shows the arrangement of a range boiler and connections 35 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. which has given satisfaction. Any special feature of it may be omitted without interfering with the balance, or any part of.it may be used independent of the other. The boiler is connected to two ranges, one on the first floor and the other in the basement. There is also a radiator in the bathroom that may be heated by either range. Reference letters in Fig. 4 are as follows : A is the kitchen sink ; B, a 60-gallon galvanized boiler ; C is the cold main ; C^ cold to boiler; C^ cold to bathroom; C^ cold delivery in boiler; C*, ; cold branch to sink; D, special for immediate hot water; F, i^- inch circulating pipe from water backs to boiler ; G, i-inch return from bathroom radiator ; G', i-inch flow to radiator ; H is the main hot supply ; H', hot to bathroom ; H'^ and H^, hot to kitchen sink ; H*, hot to laundry ; I and J are circulating pipes to water back No. I ; K and L are the same to water back No. 2 ; M, i-inch cir-' culating from boiler to water backs ; O, O are air chambers over sink faucets ; N is a pip&. supplying faucet Z from the bottom of boiler ; P, sink drainer ; Q, bracket supporting sink ; R, sink waste ; S, air pipe to roof from crown of sink trap ; U, U, U, unions ; T, sink trap ; V is an automatic cock on cold water, which opens when the water is shut off to admit air ; W is a ^-inch waste leader from cocks I, 2, 3 and 4 ; it also furnishes air to V ; X is the sediment pipe ; Y Y are the sink faucets. The waste of cock No. 2 is turned down to prevent it from wast- ing when shut off. To use water back No. i, turn on cocks Nos. 9, 13 and 14 and shut off Nos. it and 12. To clean water back No. i, shut off cocks Nos. 9 and 12 and turn on Nos. 10, 11, 13 and 14. To use water back No. 2, shut off cocks Nos. 10, 13 and 14 and turn on Nos. 9, II and 12. To clean water back No, 2, shut off cocks Nos. II, 13 and 14 and turn on Nos. 10 and 12. The boiler may be emptied through faucet Z or cock 10. For general use, cock No. 5 is kept shut off. Hot water may be obtained in five minutes after the fire is started by turning on cock No. 5 and shutting off No. 8. Cock No. 8 is left open while cleaning water backs to furnish press- ure, while No. 9 is shut off. Side connection to boiler and cock No. 8 might be omitted if the water supply never fails. Without the side connection, if the supply should fail for an hour and a single bucket of water should be drawn from Z the water in the boiler would be too low to circulate, whereas with it the circulation will continue for days, and some may be drawn from Z when the supply is shut off for repairs, &c. Delivery pipe in boiler is plugged and perforated to rinse the boiler when cleaning WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 39 WATER HEATING BY GAS OR FURNACE. From E. B., Chicago. — The residence of a customer is heated by means of a warm air furnace, and as a gas range is used in the kitchen for cooking purposes the kitchen is also heated by the furnace. A gas water heater is placed on a HOT WATER CP^ GAS WATER HEATER C.W, ^Ci UQ RADIATOR Water Heating by Gas or Furnace. shelf in the laundry and can be used as required. The object of the arrange- ment shown in the accompanying engraving is to utilize the furnace heat for warming the water during such time as the furnace is in operation ; or should the furnace heat at any time be found insufficient the gas water heater in the laun- dry can be used in connection with the furnace. During warm weather, or when the furnace is not in use, the gas water heater is to be used for water heating. 40 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. Stop cocks are placed between the gas water heater and furnace, as indicated at S S', and unions are provided near the furnace at U U'. Should repairs be re- quired about the furnace at any time the stop cocks S S' can be closed and the coil disconnected at U U'. The furnace fire pot is of cast iron, and the iron water pipe being formed about it in two coils the water is rapidly heated. iV^/r.^Some provision should be made against the possibilities that would arise in case of a fire being started in the furnace when there was water in the coil and the stop cocks S S' were closed. If another cock was used of the stop and waste style and placed be- tween the furnace and the ell just below the unions U, all of the water would run out of the coi . BOILER CONNECTED WITH TWO STOVES. Fro7n B. & S., Franklin, N. V. — Will T/ie Metal Worker give the best method of doing the work suggested by the accompanying sketch ? It repre- sents a 40-gallon boiler connected with a range in a farm house kitchen, which has been in satisfactory operation one year. In an adjoining room, separated by a partition, is a heating stove in which a coil is to be placed and properly fil i i i W Boiler Connected with Two Stoves. connected with the boiler. The object is to secure a supply of hot water from the heating stove when the range is not in use. There is about 20 pounds pressure and I wish to ask if it would be advisable to run a supply pipe under the floor to a heating coil in the stove ? How many elbows or return bends should be used in the coil ? WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 4I Note. —A branch from the cold water pipe at the bottom of the boiler should be run under the floor to the coil in the stove. A pipe taking the hot water from the coil in the stove should run up to the ceiling and then through the par ition, where an air cock should be placed, and be connected with the hot water service pipe from the top of the boiler. Some may prefer a more direct connection with the boiler, even by running down and connecting with the return from the water back ; but either way will answer. A condition that may be troublesome will arise when there is a good fire in both stoves, which may heat the water more than is desirable. The size of the coil in the stove and the number of elbows or returns to use is difficult to decide without knowing the size of the stove and how much of the time its door is left open to check the draft. However, to give something that our correspondent can use as a basis from which to make a decision according to his own judgment, with all the conditions before him, a coil of i-inch pipe running once around inside of a 14-inch cylinder stove and located just above the top of the fire would do the work. Such a coil would not interfere with adding fuel, and if the door of the stove was opened the inflow of cold air would not strike directly against it. If a coil is used as shown in the illustration more surface should be exposed in it to do the work, possibly one-third more. BAD CIRCULATION WITH TWO WATER BACKS. From W. C. K., Oakland, Cal. — Will you kindly inform me through the columns of The Metal Worker how to prevent the hammering and thumping of the pipes and boiler whenever the fire is started in either range illustrated in the accompanying sketch, Fig. 1 ? The hot water or upper pipes are marked A from the water back and run horizontally. I was thinking of putting a stop cock in the hot water pipes at the points marked B, to be stopped from the range which is not used while the other is used, but decided not to do so, thinking it might be forgotten when used, which would be worse than a hammering noise. The water backs are not choked up or filled, but have worked so from the begin- ning. The water backs and pipes leading to the boiler are 3^ inch. The pipes marked C are cold water and D and D are sediment cocks. Answer. — To simplify our answer to our correspondent's query we have reproduced his sketch, Fig. i, and added another sketch. Fig'. 2, with letters for reference, and in which the heavy black lines indicate the changes required and the dotted lines the existing ar- rangements. The arrows we have also introduced. To account for 42 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. the noises it is necessary to consider the arrangement of the pipes and the course provided for circulation when the fires are lighted First we will take the rarge in kitchen. When the fire in it only is started the heated water or water of less density or weight is forced up by gravity in the direction of the arrows along pipe A2, Bi, Fig. 2, and up to Ai, partially heating the water between Ai and A3. Fig. l.-Sketch Submitted by "W. C. K.' This operation reduces r latively the density or weight of the water in the column Ai A3 A4 A5 A6 C4, and the column of water F Ci C3 G, being colder, is more dense or heavier, and raises the column C4 to Ai. The cold water at F, by the law of gravity, will descend more rapidly through Ci to G than it will pass at right angles in a horizontal direction to C4. Only a little water through pipeC2 sup- plies the displacement in back K when the fire is first started, and as the temperature of the fire increases on account of the short or meager WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 43 water supply steam is readily produced in back K. The steam from back K heats the water in pipe A3 to Ai, and as circulation is pro- duced in the manner already described from F to G and C4 to Ai, a continuous supply of cold water is maintained at the opening of the pipe Bi A2, from which the steam passes to Ai A3 pipe and is Fig 2.— Proposed Cliange in Pipe Connections. condensed. This rapid condensation of the steam produces the noises. In the second case, where the fire is lighted in back L and not lighted in back K, the heated water is forced upward by gravity in the direction of the arrows along pipe A6 B2 A5 A4 A3. At Bi a part of this heated water is reduced in temperature relatively and passes along Bi A2 ; that portion of it which is of the highest tem- perature and least density passes to Ai. From A2 the circulation passes through the back K through C2 to pipe Ci. As the tern- 44 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. perature of the fire increases, the relative temperature in pipe C2 (the temperature in C2 being always less than in A2) also increases and heats the descending column in Ci pipe, gradually reducing and impeding the supply of cold water from F to back L through pipe Ci C3 C4, because hot water does not circulate downward. Ultimately the circulation by means of hard firing may be con- fined to a short circuit in the pipes from back L, Fig. 2, upward through pipes A6, B2, A5, A4, A3 as the flow pipe, and down- ward through Bi, A2, back K, C2, C3, G, C4 as the return pipe. On account of the short or impeded supply of cold water thr*. ugh Ci from F, because hot water will not circulate downward, steam is readily produced in back L, and its condensation as quickly as produced by the column of water which it is not powerful enough to remove produces the noise within the pipes. The third case is where the fires are started in the two ranges at the same time. We will assume that both fires are of the same temperature at all times when used together. The heated water or the water of least density is forced toward Ai from the two backs K and L. The circulation through back L is more rapid on account of the hight of the column F G. Nearly all the more dense or colder water falls to G and thence into back L through pipe C4. On account of the impeded and meager supply of water through pipe C2 back K soon produces steam, which is possibly forced out of back K through pipe A2 and C2. This steam will be condensed more rapidly at the opening of pipe C2 into pipe Ci than at Bi into Ai pipe, the water in pipe Ci being of a lower temperature than in pipe Ai. This condensation of steam in pipe Ci impedes the supply of cold water from F — that is, impedes circulation to back L — which also produces steam, and the condensation of which produces the noises complained of. A fourth case may be stated when the fires in the two ranges are assumed to be of unequal t-emperatures. Under such circumstances impeded circulation, steam and its condensation, with the accom- panying noises, will also occur. It is now apparent that the cause of the noises is due in the first place to the arrangement of the pipes, which do not permit circula- tion to take place in accordance with the laws of gravity. The re- suit of such an arrangement is the stoppage of circulation by the production of steam, and the condensation of this steam is the cause of the noises. WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 45 The remedy, therefore, lies in a rearrangement of the pipes. The changes required are shown by heavy black lines on sketch, Fig. 2. It will be observed that the change in the pipes to back L is in the flow pipe and that to back K in the return pipe. The pipe A3 A4 on the flow pipe of back L is removed, and in its place the pipe Ei E2 E3 is used. The connection Ei need not te placed opposite connection Ai, but it will be well to have both connections to hot water reservoir on or near the same level The return pipe C2 to back K will be disconnected from return pipe Ci at J, and the pipe H used so as to connect the back K directly with the reservoir. By this arrangement it will be ob- served that the circulation between each back and the reservoir is independent, and that whichever back is used there is no circulation possible except through the one heated. Again, there is no cir- culation possible through the pipes and backs independent of the reservoir. The horizontal pipes will not materially affect circula- tion, but to insure against any possible dip or trap or improper inclination, it is always well to incline the horizontal pipes in the proper direction. The horizontal flow pipes should therefore incline upward from the backs to the reservoir, and the horizontal return pipes C2 and C4 may incline upward from points J and G to backs K and L respectively, the sediment cocks Di, D2 being placed at the lowest points, J and G. This is an interesting example of mistakes in the arrangement of pipes, producing defective circula- tion on account of the pipes being ar- ranged in a manner to interfere with the action of gravity, which is the cause of circulation of water. Froni^ . H. B., Scrantoji, Pa. — In answer to " W. C. K." you give two cuts of double water back connections. While I think No. 2 would work all right, would there not be danger of the coil in the laundry freezing up ? Circulation would cease in this pipe as soon as the fire was drawn. Secondly, would an old boiler stand tapping ? I inclose a drawing showing a double water back connection, of which I would like to have your opinion. In the sketch A is the boiler ; B, coil in kitchen ; C, coil in laundry ; D, cold water pipe ; E, connecting pipe between coils ; F, hot water s t: c ^ 4* Pipe Afrangement Suggested by ,"W, H. B." 46 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. pipe ; G, sediment pipe. This plan will prevent freezing as long as there is fire in one or the other of the stoves. Answer. — When replying to the queries referred to by our correspondent, the matter of circulation was alone considered. If the laundry is not heated and freezing temperature possible, the water in the laundry coil is liable to freeze when not in use, as there will be no circulation through it. The thickness of the plates in a new or old boiler is not sufficient to receive a thread ; tapped re- enforcing pieces are generally used. The arrangement suggested in our correspondent's sketch we here reproduce. By it some circulation is secured through the lower coil when fire is applied to the upper one. Circulation is im- peded between the boiler A and the upper coil on account of the trap in the return pipe. When the lower coil is used and no heat applied to the upper one, a regular circulation is secured. If a strong fire is applied to both coils at the same time steam may be produced, and impediments to regular and free circulation are liable. MULTIPLE WATER BACK CONNECTION. From F. L. R., Castleton, Vt. — I am about to set a boiler and connect it with a four-fire 1 6-foot hotel range having four water backs, one in each fire {t 150 GAL. BOILER J .ff£lS " ,^^^ «' Multiple Water Back Conuection. pot. I send you a sketch of my plan of connecting the boiler with the water backs. Kindly advise me, through the columns of The Metal Worker, if you think my plans are correct, and if they are not, state the proper way of con- necting the same. WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 47 AnsTi'er. — It would be all but impossible to connect four water backs with one range boiler in such a manner as to give entire satis- faction, and it would be still more difficult to obtain good re- sults when an ordinary type of boiler is employed, from the fact that the connections would not be suitable. Such a connection as our correspondent describes is very unusual, the rarity of such and ■similar work being due to the ever-succeeding trouble from steam, &c. If, for any special reason, however, the method in question is employed, we recommend the following : 1. Let the demand for hot water equal the aggregate heating capacity of the water backs ; also the supply to boiler and the hot water outlet from same be equal to requirements under such con- ditions 2. That the circulating pipes, as shown in the accompanying engraving, be as follows : The portion between A and B and a^ and B' have capacity equal to the combined capacities of all the branch pipes to water backs from each line respectively, with no contrac- tions at the boiler openings. In this way those sections referred to will carry a surplus equivalent to the capacity of the three backs most remote from the boiler. Likewise, in the manner above de- scribed, the sections of pipe between B and C and B^ and C^ should have an area equal to b, c and d, thereby insuring a surplus to c and d, &c,, throughout the run. 3. That all general and minor requirements be strictly adhered to — that is, avoid traps, use the minimum number of bends, direct the water from the boiler into the water backs with Y fittings, and from the backs to the Doiler in the same manner; see that the up- per holes in the backs are in the highest part of the cavities ; let the lower pipe " fall to " the upright under the boiler, and the return " rise to ' the boiler opening A, &c. We are well aware that range boilers do not ordinarily have the openings as large as would be needed in this case, but nevertheless a multiple connection of the kind will require them. If at all practical, it w^ould be far better to use two smaller boilers, one at each side of the range, and con- nect them in multiples — two to each boiler and each set of connec- tions, independent of the other two ; or have two backs to each boiler and independent connections from each back, entering at op- posite sides of the boiler. The hot water outlets of the boilers may then be joined in such a manner as to admit of using their delivery jointly or independently. If there is more heating surface than is 4o WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. actually needed, some of the backs may be omitted and the fire pot lined with tile instead. From E. W. C, Harrisburg, Pa. — I notice an illustration of a mul- tiple water back connection. I would state that I have a number of ranges in many of our principal hotels connected with a water pot to each fire, giving very satisfactory results, and if your instructions are earn d out there will be no failures. The only fault I find is the capacity of the circulating boilers. They should not be less than 300 or 500 gallons, and made with openings in proportion. I have in one hotel a five-section range with five water pots and one 5oo-gal]on boiler, which furnishes hot water for 350 people every day and a pub- lic bath in a barber shop, as well as for culinary purposes and wash- ing in laundry, and there is never a lack of supply of hot water. As you state, the ordinary range boilers are not made in the above sizes and they seldom have the openings made for this purpose. I have my boilers built of J^^-inch steel with 3/^-inch heads, all the holes punche«d and tapped of the proper size. I use brass pipe for making my connections, and all the pipes are outside of range, giving a very neat looking job. I may state here that I have met considerable opposition to the use of the range in hotels as a medium for heating the water to any large extent, but my success has brought all the hotels tp having their ranges put to this use instead of having a sep- arate and independent hot water heater. My experience has been that the fault in heating water by these ranges is in almost every case that they have been fitted with insufficient heating surfaces, and the boiler has been too small, the result being that they would draw the water faster than the range would heat it and very naturally give a cold water back, which would add to the cooling of the range oven. There can be no mistake in the multiple system properly applied — that is, provide large heating surface and large boiler capacity. CHAPTER V. DOUBLE BOILERS. Where the water supply will not rise to fixtures on an upper floor a tank is generally used to supply them, and in order to supply these upper fixtures with hot water a double boiler is used and sup- plied from the same tank. The double boiler is made in different fo'ms, both vertical and horizontal. Sometimes one boiler inside of another, and again, two short boilers butting together, each con- nected with. a separate water supply and sometimes with a special water heating device or receiver. The one in more general use is a boiler of smaller diameter inside of one of larger diameter. The outer boiler is supplied from the regular water supply and con- nected direct with the water back. The inner boiler is heated by the hot water in the outer boiler surrounding it and is supplied from the tank above the highest fixtures. The same principles govern the operation and circulation of such boilers as govern in the ordinary single boiler. The receiver mentioned is made with two separate chambers so arranged as to secure an indirect passage of considerable length through which the water flows. One chamber is connected with both the water back and one of the boilers, and the passage of the heated water through it to the boiler heats the water in the other chamber, which is connected with the other boiler only. A more recent practice is to cast the water back with a division, making two separate parts and four openings, connecting a separate boiler saipplied from the tank with one part in the usual way and another boiler supplied from the street service with the other part. This avoids cooling the water in the tank boiler when a large quan- tity of water is drawn from and enters the street boiler, which is experienced with the use of double boilers. The piping between the two boilers is so connected that both are sure to be supplied in case either source of supply fails. 50 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. DOUBLE BOILER SYSTEM OF PLUMBING. The numerous inquiries received for information pertaining to double plumbing is evidence that many plumbers in the country are but slightly acquainted with the system and the conditions which re- quire its adoption. Althougi double boiler work is a system of years' standing, the plumbers in general seem not much to blame for their lack of knowl- edge concerning it, as the conditions favorable to the use of the same can be found in comparatively few places. The plumbers who look no further than their present employment do not care enough to in- vestigate, since they can make no immediate use of the knowledge. However, the truly ambitious plumbers are not satisfied until they are familiar with everything pertaining to their business, because they cannot tell how soon circumstances will place them where they will sadly need the information which at present is not required. When the plumber is called upon to do a first-class job, it is often optional with him whether he puts in one or another kind of pipe. If, according to his knowledge, he thinks brass pipe will answer best, then brass pipe is used ; but it is quite different in regard to the sys- tem to be employed. It is not so much a matter of choice as to whether the single or double system will be used or not. The proper conditions must exist before the double system can sensibly be pre- ferred. A double system could be placed under almost any con- ditions, but such work in the wrong place would entail more work than would be necessary to place a double system in the right place, in addition to the difference in the original cost of the two systems. The accompanying illustration shows a double boiler system. Let us suppose that the street pressure will force the water into the tank in attic through A, instead of only to the second floor ceiling, for then the pump in the basement would be unnecessar}^ The in- side boiler Ai and its system of pipe would also be useless. The pipe M could be continued to the fourth floor for cold water and branches made into J for hot water. If the street main furnished regular pressure and clear water, the tank could in some cases be omitted ; but where the tank is omitted the auxiliary to constant pressure is lost — /.^ feet high, and as I wanted to use a high stand, and as the pipe had to cross the ceil- ing I had a boiler specially made without the side connection and Fig. 1. — Side and Top Connections. Fig. 3.— Bottom and Top Connections. only 4 feet high. The hot water connection on top of the boiler was I inch, and was connected to the range with a i-inch pipe, as shown in Fig. 2. This heats water quickly; but if a bath or two are wanted before it all gets hot it seems to draw the colder water at the bottom of the boiler through the water front instead of taking the hottest water from the top of the boiler. A CURIOUS CONNECTION. jFrom W. B. K., Boston, Afass. — ^In recent issues of The Metal Worker yoiVi have given sketches of different way^ of setting range boilers. Four years ago I was sent to a town in New Hampshire to add a few more fixtures to the work WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 91 that was in the house. It was here that I saw a boiler setting, of which I send a sketch. It was a fine piece of work, ^-inch brass tubing, union bends on boiler and range, the pipes all bent to fit, and no Ts. It was the nicest piece of work I have ever seen. Will you please tell me what advantage this way has over the usual way of setting looilers, or if it was done for looks only ? Note. — The accompanying engraving was made from our cor- respondent's sketch, and shows the double system of connecting the A Curious Connection. water back and boiler. We fail to see, however, what particular advantage is to be gained by doubling the pipes in the way shown. The natural circulation will be through the lowest and highest pipes — that is, the water from the bottom of the boiler will enter the bot- tom pipe to the range water back, and returning, will rise through the top pipe above the boiler. If each of the two pipes from the water back to the points where the double pipes begin was of a capacity equivalent to the combined capacity of the two pipes, then there would be circulation through all four pipes. But we assume, and in fact our correspondent says, that ^-inch pipe is used 92 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. throughout. We cannot see, therefore, what good purpose the doubling of the pipes will secure. BOILER HEATED BY STEAM. From D. W. B., Massachusetts. — A customer of mine has a 6o-gallon copper boiler attached to his kitchen range in the most approved manner, but some- how or other he cannot obtain hot water in bathroom until about noon. The range has a large water back and the connecting pipes are i inch in diameter. At first I thought the trouble was in the water back, and so put in a new one, but with no better results. I thought that a coil of pipe could be inserted by- some means into the boiler, and steam employed to heat the boiler. Steam could be taken from the mill the year around. Do you think that a coil could be inserted in the boiler, or would it be necessary to have another or entirely separate heating arrangement ? The water that supplies the boiler is taken from a tank in the attic. Note. — The way our correspondent has put the question makes it difficult to furnish an answer. He tells us that all the connections are perfect, and the pipes are run in the right way, by which we as- sume that the connecting pipes in the boiler are led to the proper openings in the water back, and that the two pipes have the proper inclination so as not to interfere with circulation, also that the water back is of sufficient size and well exposed to the fire. Assuming that the work is done as described, in the best possible manner, there is no way to account for the difficulty unless it be that the size of the boiler is too large for the heating surface of the water back. The remedy for that is to put in a smaller boiler or put in a larger water back. Boilers are made with steam coils in them for heating water and do good service. The only difficulty, in this case, would be in put- ting the coil in the range boiler. To do this it would be necessary to take the boiler apart and put it together again. The coil could be made to encircle the cold water pipe running down to the bottom of the boiler, the steam being taken into the top and condensed water carried back to the mill through the lower opening. With such an arrangement we do not think there will be any difficulty in getting all the hot water needed. From J. G. — I would advise " D. W. B." to take a piece of i}^-inch steam pipe, also a piece of 3-inch steam pipe, weld one out- WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 93 side the other, leaving a steam space between the pipes. Tap at opposite ends ^ inch for live steam and drip, and with this appli- ance he can have all the hot water he wants without using the boiler in his house. The water heats as it passes through the length of the pipe, the amount depending upon the steam pressure. The Boiler Heated by Steam. appliance can be used simply as a water back connected to the boiler if he so desires. The sketch that is sent herewith explains the construction more fully. BOILER WITH STEAM COIL. From J. B. R., Atlanta, Ga. — The building I am in is heated by steam, and I want to have a supply of hot water for my work. I can get the steam and water readily enough, but am undecided about heating it. I am recommended to use an ordinary kitchen boiler with a steam coil in it to heat the water. I know that an upright boiler is preferable where a water back is used, but a horizontal boiler could be used to better advantage, so far as space is concerned, if it is just as satisfactory in operation. I send you a sketch of the two boilers recom- mended, and would like your opinion as to which is the better. Fig. i shows the upright boiler with a spiral coil, and Fig. 2 shows the horizontal boiler with a return bend coil in it. The upright boiler has the usual openings for a water back connection, which can be used at the time of year when steam is not em- ployed for heating, and the openings can be plugged when the water back is not used. I am told that the horizontal boiler can also be furnished with these openings. Answer. — There is no difficulty in heating water by steam passing through such a coil as is used in either of the boilers shown, pro- viding that the boiler and coil are set so that the water of condensa- tion can run off. The hot water at the top of an upright boiler would not be so quickly subjected to the cooling influence of cold water that would enter the boiler to take the place of hot water drawn off as it would in the horizontal boiler. Aside from these there is little choice between the two styles. The same woald be 94 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. true when connected with a water back, except that there would be a slight difference in favor of the circulation in the upright boiler. Fig. 1.— Upright Boiler with Spiral Coil. Horizontal boilers with a steam coil can be furnished with openings for water back connections. If the horizontal boiler is most con- venient, there is no reason against its selection. The pressure of Fig. 3.— Horizontal Boiler with Return Bend Coil. Steam and the size of the boiler regulate the length of the coil. Ordinarily, however, i lineal foot of i-inch pipe is used for every 5 gallons of water to be heated. . WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. 95 RANGE BOILER AND WARMING TABLE. From G. F. W., Windsor, Conn. — Please inform me in The Metal Worker if I will be able to get a circulation of hot water through the loop in the warming table without the aid of the stop at A in the illustration. I want to put in the warming table so I can shut it off from the range boiler when not in use and still use the range. Will the system work as I have it arranged, and will it give heat enough to keep dishes and food warm ? The loop lies in a copper pan to F E^ = I =0 B h^Ki WATER i__jBACK &s==; % k n ,ssSi-,ii ^ ^^ o Range Boiler and Warming Table. be filled with water if necessary, and the table has covers to prevent loss of heat. The warming table is 5 >^ feet long and 2 feet wide and sets 1 5 feet from a 40-gallon boiler, with which it is connected by ^-inch iron pipe. Answer. — In the system shown, under heavy firing steam would form in the water back when the boiler was shut off, and the circula- tion that could be secured would not produce satisfactory results To obtain proper circulation we would suggest piping it in the fol- lowing manner : Use a J at the side connection of the boiler, with a stop cock between the J and and the boiler at B. Run the pipe from the top of the J up to the ceiling and across to the warm- ing table, as shown by the dotted lines, putting in an air cock, and then drop down and connect with the loop. Bring the return from the loop down and under the floor, as shown, and up and con- ()6 WATER BACKS AND RANGE BOILERS. nect with the lower pipe from the water back at C, with a stop cock just below the connection, and take out the stop cock at A and all of the piping with the stop cock D on it between the warming table and where it connects with the water back pipe. This system of piping will permit a free circulation, and if any steam is made it can leave the water back. When hot water is to be used to heat the warming table the stop cock at C should always be opened first, then by closing the stop cock at B the hot water from the water back cannot enter the boiler, but must circulate through the coil. This system of piping will shut off the boiler, which may be objec- tionable, and if the water back has the capacity to heat water for both the boiler and warming table a connection from F to E will make the stop cock at B and the piping from the J at B up to E un- necessary. With this method of piping circulation through the table can always be cut off when desired by closing the stop cock at C. The amount of heat secured at. the warming table will depend on the amount of surface exposed in the coil. If the coil is in wa- ter it should have i square foot of surface for every 3 or 4 gallons of water, according to the temperature of the water in the coil and the amount of heat wanted at the warming table, and as it is improbable that the copper pan will hold more than half as much water as the boiler there should be no difficulty in securing satis- factory results if the coil is properly proportioned to the work. COST OF HEATING WATER. I^rom I. G. E. — I wish to present a statement and question, which latter please answer through the Letter Box if the matter is of sufficient general interest. A house has two tenements, alike, except one is ground floor and the other on the story above. A occupies the lower and B the upper. In A's kitchen there is a 30-gallon water boiler belonging to the landlord connected with his (A's) cooking range. The hot water service pipe discharges, first, into A's kitchen sink, second in that of B's above, and these two are the only outlets, and the consumption of water is the same in each family. Now, what proportion of A's fuel is required to warm the water, none being apparently used for this specific purpose? An answer to this will determine B's proportion of the ex- pense, which is the question at issue. If B's consumption of fuel heating no water be represented by 10, what figure will represent A's consumption of fuel ? Answer. — There are two ways to reply to this interrogation. One would be to build a house and furnish it as described, and then make the most careful experiments through the period of an entire WATER BACKS AND RAKGE BOILERS. 97 winter, and thus determine the amount of extra fuel required to heat the water in the range boiler. This scheme, however, is a little im- practical, so we are forced to the other alternative, which is to figure out the problem on a theoretical basis. We will assume that the consumption of each family is 50 gallons of water per day, so that the total amount of hot water used is 100 gallons, the weight of which would be 832 pounds. As is well known, a heat unit is the amount of heat required to raise i pound of water 1° F. ; therefore, assuming that the initial temperature of the water is 60° and the final temperature in the boiler is 180°, it will require 120 heat units to each pound of water. Multiplying this by 832 we get 99,840 heat units required to heat 100 gallons of water each day. The heat of combustion of i pound of coal — that is, the amount of heat it will give off when burned under theoretically perfect conditions — is about 15,000 heat units. Dividing 99,840 by 15,000 will give about 6^, which will be the pounds of coal required to heat 100 gallons of water from 60° to 180° F. Assuming now that A and B both burn the least possible amount of coal in their respective stoves, A would, under the conditions described, have to burn 6J^ pounds of coal per day more than his upstairs neighbor, B. With coal at $5 a ton, or ^ cent a pound, the extra expense to which A would be put for sup- plying his neighbor with warm water would be 1% cents per day, very nearly. Heating" Rooms from Kitchen Boiler. CHAPTER X. HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. Before attempting to heat a room with hot water from a kitchen boiler, it must be understood that the water back shall have ample capacity to heat the extra amount of water that will be continually required. If the supply of hot water is insufficient for the ordinary domestic uses, any attempt to heat a room in this way will prove unsatisfactory. No reliable information is obtainable as to the heat- ing capacity of a water back, and the personal judgment of the one having the job in charge must be relied upon A water back that lies where the ashes can be readily removed from its surface and where the draft draws the heated gases against it will heat more water than one located under reverse conditions. A fire cham- ber that is nearly square is likely to heat the water better in a water back than a long, narrow fire chamber. The construction of the water back also has an important influence on its efficiency; those with a partition have a greater water heating power than those without. There being sufficient capacity to heat the water, the con- nections with the water back and the boiler should be made cor- rectly and carefully. The radiator is the next fixture to be considered, and in deter- mining the proper size no little skill is required. The rules used by the men who make a specialty of heating houses with hot water, in some cases, are so simple and dependent upon individual judg- ment in their application that they are of little value. Other rules are so exhaustive in the consideration of the details as to make them cumbersome and of little use to the average man. A common method, for instance, is to use i square foot of surface in the radi- ator for a given number of cubic feet of space in the room to be heated. This varies from 30 to 50 feet, depending upon the location of the room. If it is on the cold side of the house, with three walls exposed, more heating surface will be necessary than if the room were on the warm side of the house and only one wall exposed. 102 HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. The size of the pipes depends upon the size of the radiator, but as the radiators commonly used in connection with a kitchen boiler seldom contain more than 20 feet of radiating surface, the house water service pipes ordinarily used will answer the purpose ; although to secure the benefits resulting from a very rapid cir- culation they should be increased to ^ or i inch. These pipes must be run with a gradual rise all the way to the radiator, and an air vent must be provided at the top of the radiator to let the air escape, otherwise it will be impossible to get the radiator entirely full of water and the air will interfere with the circulation. As the water in such a heating system is also likely to be drawn off for household use, there will be less liability of its being rusty if lead or galvanized iron pipe is employed. An expansion tank will be un- necessary when the radiator is connected with the boiler, but when the radiator takes the place of the boiler and the system is once filled with water and no continual supply is pressing to enter, some provision must be made for the expansion of the water when heated. In the latter case an expansion tank should be connected, if pos- sible at the highest point, and if desirable may be connected with the radiator, when it will act both as an expansion tank and as an air escape. In some cases an attempt is made to use the radiator on the same floor with the boiler, and the difficulty of getting circula- tion in such systems often interferes with their satisfactory opera- tion. Some examples of this method, however, are given for the benefit of those who wish to try the experiment. HEATING POWER OF A WATER SIDE. From M., C. & S., Towanda, Pa. — Will The Metal Worker tell us whether or not a 5-foot range with a water side 22 x 10 inches and a fire box 22 x 12 x 10 inches deep will heat a 42-gallon boiler and a coil of 100 feet of i-inch pipe with open pattern return bends, and an air cock at the highest point, as shown in the sketch 1 Answer. — It is not necessary to give the sketch, which shows the coil just above the level of the top of the water back in another room. From Y-branches in the pipes between the water back and the boiler pipes connect with the coil. The hot water or flow pipe runs straight up to a point just below the top of the coil, when it runs to the coil with a gradual pitch. The return pipe has a down- HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. lOJ ward pitch from the coil to the branch. The sketch shows a stair- way between the coil and the boiler, which necessitates an offset in the pipes to pass it. An angle valve is placed at the inlet of the coil so that its use can be discontinued when not required for heat- ing, and an air cock is placed at the other end of the coil. With this explanation of the conditions they are readily understood. No data exists giving the heating capacity of watersides, or water backs, as they are generally called, but much smaller water backs in smaller fire boxes heat the water satisfactorily in boilers of twice the capacity mentioned. We think no trouble will be experienced from that source. When the room to be heated is on the floor above the range there is little difficulty in securing good circulation, but with the room on the same floor trouble is often experienced. Circula- tion is best when the radiator is well above the boiler, or, as in this case, the water back. The difficulty in the present instance can be remedied by connecting the flow pipe to the radiator with the hot water service at the top of the boiler or running it up from the branch nearly to the ceiling and then around to the radiator before dropping down and making connection. The air cock must then be changed from the radiator to the highest point in the flow pipe. Such a change will facilitate the circulation and better heating will result. A PLAN FOR HEATING BATHROOM. From J. I., New York. — I send you herewith plan of a job I have to do, and wish to know if I can heat a bathroom 5x12 feet with radiator connected with the range boiler, as shown on the plan. You will notice that E is a i-inch cir- culating pipe, being run beyond the radiator as far as the return bend M, the return J from there to boiler being f^ inch. I propose to open F and G and close H to heat the bathroom, and reverse this to keep the bathroom cool in summer. C is a ^-inch expansion pipe fron the circulating pipe E, D a ^-inch telltale pipe, A i-inch supply pipe from pump to tank and N circulating pipe to water front. Answer. — To heat the bathroom specified our correspondent will need about 12 square feet of radiator surface. A water back or water front can usually be relied upon to carry about 50 to 60 per cent, more radiator surface than the surface of the boiler adapted to use with it. The exact relation of the heating surface of a front or back to the amount of radiating surface it will carry has not been determined, so far as we are aware. To carry with efficiency an I04 HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. amount of radiator surface of 50 per cent, more than the surface of the boiler itself the boiler must be covered with felt or some other non-conducting material, as otherwise, much of the heat from the water will be imparted to the air and other objects in the room in which the boiler is placed. The plan, as shown by our correspondent, has been well schemed out as a whole, and will probably work well ^fif^ A Plan for Heating Bathroom. if he uses an open return bend at M, and instead of the right angled elbows at the tops of the pipes J and J' uses 45^ elbows and gets easy turns of the current in the pipes at these points. He should en- deavor to get an easy upward inclination of the supply pipe from the top of the pipe J' to the tee marked K, and a corresponding downward pitch from the tee K' to the return bend at M. The inch supply pipe'should be large enough for a radiator of the size named HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. I05 if unnecessary obstructions are not introduced. Of course, if the amount of surface proposed be used for heating the bathroom the amount of hot water that the boiler can supply for other uses will be materially less than it could furnish were the only means of escape for heat to be the surface of the boiler itself. PIPING TO RADIATOR. From J. R. F., Coimectictit, atid J. Q. B., New Jersey, we receive letters asking respectively for the best method of heating a bathroom from a water front and if a kitchen boiler can be utilized for heating a bathroom by means of connecting pipes between the boiler and a radiator in the bathroom. Answer. — To consider the last question first, the answer is yes. To answer the first question, there are some simple rules that must be positively observed and will apply to the average case. It is as- sumed that the water back and stove have ample reserve power to heat the extra amount of water needed. In cases where the bath- room is directly above the stove it will not be a hard room to heat, and I square foot of radiating surface to every 40 or 50 cubic feet of space should prove satisfactory. The radiator must have an air cock at the top to let the air out when water is let into it. As a pre- caution against getting rusty water into the boiler use lead pipe or preferably ^4^ or i inch galvanized iron pipe, connecting it with the hot water service pipe at the top of the boiler and running direct to the radiator. There must be no decline or horizontal runs in this pipe, but a positive inclination upward maintained all the way. This is to let air pass to the radiator and escape through the cock and to provide for an unobstructed flow of water. Another pipe of the same size must be as carefully returned from the radiator to the boiler and connected with the pipe at the bottom of the boiler that runs to the water back. A stop cock should be placed in both the flow and return pipes of the radiator to prevent circulation through them in summer when the heat is not needed. A TESTED SYSTEM. From M. S. M., Woodstock, Vt. — rSome time ago I sav/ published in The Metal Worker a plan for heating a small room by means of a coil connected with a range boiler. This year I had occasion to io6 HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. heat a small room in a house, and decided to follow the suggestion that I had seen in The Metal Worker. You may be interested in knowing that the plan worked very successfully, and I take pleasure in sending you the following account of it, with a sketch showing the arrangement of pipes. The coil, which is in a bathroom on the upper story, is made of ij^-inch pipe, and as you will see by the sketch the supply enters on top. The upper length of pipe ff^^ ^ .. Sink o O ^_^^ A Tested System. is level and so is the lower length. From the air cock B the inter- mediate lengths pitch downward alternately, making altogether four loops, the downward pitch being ]4, inch to the foot. I think that this rapid descent of the pipes gives increased circulation of the water, and will produce better results. The supply to coil is ^-inch heavy lead pipe and the return is the same. By this system any one can have a bathroom kept warm at no expense whatever for HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. 107 heating. In making the coil the threads have to be cut crooked where they enter the return bends, and I think anybody who attempts to duplicate this system will find it quite a nice job to make the coil and get it working right. The stop cocks D and F on the flow and return pipes are for shutting off the circulation in the summer. AIR BOUND RADIATOR. From R. J. M., Dover, N. J. — I am a young plumber and apply to the Letter Box for assistance to get proper heat from the fixtures shown in the illus- SATH ROOM s'x 10' X 9'hIGH Air Bound Radiator. tration. The bathroom contains 450 cubic feet of space and has a cast iron radiator with 16 feet of surface connected with a 40-galIon kitchen boiler. The pipes are all 3^ -inch galvanized iron except that to the lavatory, which is ^-inch. There is a Detroit valve on the radiator and a stop cock on the return at the bottom of the boiler to stop circulation in summer. When the job was put in operation this fall it failed to heat. One evening I attended the fire from 7.30 until 10 o'clock, and while steam came from both of the lavatory faucets the water in the radiator did not become more than tepid and the boiler in the kitchen did not get hot below the hot water connection from the range. It is a Io8 HEATING ROOxMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. 40-gallon boiler setting not more than 2 feet from the range. I was compelled to use square bends, as the customer wanted a neatjob and has all of the piping arranged on a board. I am at a loss to know why the job will not work. The pipe from the radiator ought to act as a circulating pipe and keep the radiator hot, and with a good fire there should be no trouble at the boiler. The pressure of the water supply is ample to fill all the fixtures. When I found the radiator would not heat I shut it off, and since then the customer reports that he can only get the water in the boiler hot enough to scald when he has a roaring fire. Can the difficulty be in the water back ? I have done a number of plumbing jobs, but this is the first that has given me any trouble, and I cannot locate the cause, but hope to get some explanation through The Metal Worker. Note. — It is likely that some of our practical readers can help this correspondent. The failure of the radiator to heat is probably because it is air bound, as no mention is made of a pet cock or air valve in the radiator. To put one in the radiator at the top should remove all trouble in heating. If there is a burr on the pipe it would obstruct the flow of water through it to some extent. The failure of the boiler to heat when the radiator is shut off, except when there is an extra fire, points to lack of water back capacity, or some defect either in the water back or the two pipes connecting with it. Provision should be made for an unrestricted flow of water, of the full volume of the pipes, through them and the water back. If the water back used has a partition cast in it this may extend too far, or the mold may have "broken down" and reduced the waterway, or if the wires and rods used to support the core have not been removed they might produce the same result. Under such circumstances the circulation would be of such small volume that a large body of water could not be heated quickly, and under heavy firing steam would readily be pro- duced. If the water back is small and so located in a small fire chamber that ashes accumulate quickly and the draft of the smoke and gases is away from it, a large supply of water could not be heated. The arrangement of the pipes, as shown in the illustration, presents no defects in principle, and the trouble must arise from some fault in the piping. From F. N. P., Washington, N. J. — In answer to the inquiry of " R. J. M.," I would say : Put a stop cock on the pipe from the bot- tom of the boiler above where the return from theradiator branches into it and he will get circulation through the radiator. HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. 109 HEATING FROM HORIZONTAL BOILER. From A. F. E., Philadelphia. — I have sold a number of ranges with hori- zontal circulating boilers, and they all make more hot water than is required for ordinary family use, the water getting so hot that it is necessary to let it run off BATHROOM Fig. 1.— First Plan. from time to time. I have another of these ranges to deliver now in a house where the bathroom cannot be heated from the furnace in the cellar. I there- fore thought I could utilize the hot water, which generally runs to waste, in heat- ing this room by means of a coil of pipe suppHed from and returning to the boiler and water back of the range. Inclosed you will find a rough sketch, Fig. I, showing the relative positions of the range, sink, bathtub, &c., also my idea of the proper way of connecting the coil with the boiler — that is, entirely inde- pendent from the supply of hot water leading to the other fixtures. The bath- no HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER, room is small — about 6 feet 6 inches by 7 feet, with the ceiHng 8 feet high. The kitchen is 12 x 14 feet, with 9-foot ceiling. The plumber who is fitting up the bathroom has submitted a plan which I cannot understand (it is shown in the sketch. Fig. 2), and, being almost a novice in this kind of work, I have con- cluded to refer the matter and the following questions to you, knowing that you are always ready to give assistance when called upon in matters of this kind : I. Is it practicable to heat a small room from such a supply of hot water .? 2. BATH BOOM AIR VENT ty f i> ^ o Fig. 2.— Second Plan. Which of the two plans is nearer correct ? 3. What changes are necessary to make it work ? 4. Can I use a coil, and of what length and size (plain or gal- vanized) should the pipe be, or should I use a radiator ? I would prefer to use the coil, on account of the limited floor space in the room.. Answer. — Figs, i and 2 are copies of the sketches inclosed by our correspondent. In reply to his query, we would say : i. It is quite HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. Ill practicable to heat a small room from the water back and boiler of a range, and several instances exist where this source of heat is used with satisfaction. 2. The arrangement of the pipes connecting heat- ing coil with water back and boiler of range is correct, as shown in Fig. I. Here the circulation between the back and boiler is fully- maintained and is direct, while the circulation between the boiler and heating coil or radiator is also secured, the descending or cooler column— that is, the return water from the heating coil — being ar- ranged to flow in the same direction asthe same column from the boiler to the back. In Fig. 2 the flow pipe, or ascending column, F, is taken directly from the water back to the heating coil, on the hori- zontal part of which pipe is a branch called a circulating pipe, C, to boiler. When starting the fire, the circulation through pipe F to heating coil will be more rapid than through C to boiler. The water in the boiler will become heated by the return water from heating coil, as well as the partial circulation through pipe C. As the tem- perature of the water in the boiler increases, the circulation through the heating coil will decrease, and if the temperature of the water in the boiler should become equal to the temperature of the water in the coil, which is not improbable, the circulation in the heating coil will cease. If a valve was placed on the circulating pipe C and closed when the coil was used the circulation would be continuous and the water in the boiler would be slowly heated by the return water from the coil. When bot water is drawn off for domestic pur- poses, if the pipes are arranged as shown in Fig. 2, the temperature of the heating coil will be immediately reduced, as the hot water in the coil is as liable to be taken off as that in the boiler, whereas in Fig. I the liability to withdraw the hot water from the coil does not exist, and the incoming cold water only retards the supply of heat to the coil. The difference between the two plans may be thus sum- marized : In Fig. i the heating of the domestic water supply in the boiler is not interfered with, and the circulation through the heating coil is not liable to be reduced or to cease ; whereas in Fig. 2 the heating of the water in the boiler is liable to stop the circulation in the heating coil, and the withdrawal of hot water for domestic pur- poses and the incoming cold water will tend to cause irregular cir- culation between back and coil, and back and boiler. Replying to our correspondent's third question, no changes are necessary in Fig. I plan to make it work. For the radiating surface a return bend coil may be used of i^-inch pipe. The length of coil may be about 112 HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. 3 feet 6 inches, eight to ten pipes in hight. The flow and return pipe may be of ^-inch pipe, if the coil is not unusually far from the boiler. The use of plain or galvanized iron pipe is a matter which may be determined from experience when considering the requirements of the case. So far as heating the air is concerned, plain pipe is more desirable than galvanized pipe, but the latter pipe is presumed to be less liable to produce rust in the water for domestic purposes. There is no objection to the use of a radiator if preferred. BOILER SET IN BATHROOM TO HEAT IT. From J. H., Williamsport, Pa. — Can you or any of the readers of The Metal Worker inform me whether a hot water boiler attached to a range and set upstairs in a bathroom will keep the room at such a temperature as to prevent water from freezing during zero weather? How near must the boiler be to the stove and how far can it be removed from the stove and still circulate ? Also, can a boiler stand near the stove and the pipes run up to the bathroom and con- nect to a radiator ? Will this plan keep the room warm, and what size radiator will it take to heat a room 8 x 8 in size or thereabout, the room being on the outside of the house ? Answer. — The quantity of hot water surface necessary to heat a room 8x8 feet, situated " on the outside of the house " (by which we infer that our correspondent means having one side exposed to out- side temperature) and lo feet high is 25 square feet, more or less, according to the character of the building, whether very substan- tially built or not. About 18 to 20 square feet will suffice to keep it warm enough to prevent danger of freezing, and a good sized range boiler would have very nearly or quite this amount of surface. Its use would, however, compel the maintaining of fire night and day in the range. Such a boiler may be made to work well if properly connected with the water back when placed one or two stories above the range. With such a position the pipes connecting the boiler with the water back in the range ought to be i inch to insure good circulation. Pipes may also run from the boiler when placed near the range and supply a hot water radiator in the bathroom. The work in either case ought to be done by a skillful man, however, one who can take into consideration all the local conditions and provide for them as they may require. We do not know that any definite limit of distance at which water may be made to circulate through a water back and the boiler of a range has ever been established, if HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER, 113 such a practical limit exists. If sufificiently large pipes are used for connections, it seems from general principles that circulation might be secured at a considerable distance provided a proper inclination of the pipes could be obtained. The radiation from the pipes cooling the water tends to retard the circulation, but the limit of distance to which the water would flow before becoming absolutely cold would not likely be reached in such domestic apparatus. RADIATOR BELOW WATER FRONT. From F. P., East Fairfield, Vt. — Please inform me, through the columns of The Metal Worker, if a radiator may be connected with a water front on a range Radiator Below Water Front. where the radiator is on the same floor with the range and where the pipe has to run under the floor from the range to radiator. A boiler is used likewise in connection with the range. The water is taken from a large tank in a room 10 feet above the range and radiator. Note. — There will be very slow and inefficient circulation through a radiator placed on the same floor as a range, and connected to 114 HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. the water front of the range, with the pipes passing under the floor from range to radiator. There will be difficulty under such condi- tions in making a satisfactory working arrangement, and we do not think it worth the trouble for our correspondent to try to do it, assuming that we have correctly inferred the surrounding conditions from the meager explanation given. From J. G., Philadelphia^ Pa. — I would advise " F. P.," East Fairfield, Vt., to arrange his radiator and circulating boiler as shown in the inclosed sketch. He should use not less than i-inch circulating pipe, and locate at the highest point of the top circulat- inq- pipe to radiator a vapor pipe of about ^ inch internal diam- eter, and carry it to a point above the supply tank of the boiler or into the hot water pipe, as shown in dotted lines. In running the pipes care should be taken to grade them, so that no steam or air can be lodged in them. This arrangement will give all the circula- tion he desires at the radiator and also at the boiler, if the water front is a good one. The angle valve marked " A " may be opened for summer use when the radiator is not required. If both the radiator connections are at the bottom of the radiator, then he must run an air pipe from the top of radiator and connect it with the air pipe shown in the sketch. RADIATOR ON A LEVEL WITH WATER BACK. From S. & M., Americus, Ga. — Inclosed you will find a small sketch of a residence in this place. What we want to know is, can we heat the bathroom by using a small radiator supplied from the kitchen hot water boiler ? We think it can be done and would like to have your idea about it. We want it so arranged that the radiator can be used or not, as in the summer time no heat is required. Answer. — When the bathroom is on the floor above the range there is no difficulty in heating it from the range water back, pro- vided the heating surface in the back is great enough. In this case the bathroom is on the same floor with the range, and we fear our correspondents will experience some trouble in obtaining satisfactory results on that account. The water in the coil will be of compara- tively low temperature under such conditions, and we advise our correspondents not to use less than 50 feet of i-inch pipe in the coil, and to employ the largest water back that will fit the fire box of the HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. 115 range, unless the range is larger than No. 8. A coil is preferable to a radiator in this case, as the radiator would stand upon the floor, thereby leaving a great portion of its surface below the water back, which would practically destroy the circulation. A coil looks quite as neat at one altitude as another when it is properly installed, and may be placed entirely above the wainscoting if there is not room below to place it without getting more than two pipes of the coil below the bottom connection of the water back. We have made an engraving to illustrate the principal requirements of the work in BATH ROOM Radiator on a Level with Water Back. question, and while it does not show the pipes in their normal posi- tions, it will aid the reader in understanding what is needed. The coil may be placed where sufficient suitable wall space is available. The reference letters are as follows : A, cold supply to boiler ; B, hot supply to fixtures ; C, supply to coil ; D, return from coil ; E and F, stop and waste cocks on supply and return of coil. The waste is on the coil side in both cases. G is a valve, by which to regulate the flow. This should be a key valve ; H is an air cock at the highest point of the flow to coil ; I, sediment cock. To fill the coil without entrapping air, open E, F, G and H, and then turn on cold water to boiler. When water issues from air cock H, close it. ii6 HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. From J. G., Philadelphia, Pa. — I notice the reply co S. & M, Now, why not locate the boiler in the bathroom ? Why not locate a 4-inch pipe in the corner, or at the cornice of the ceiling, and use it as a radiator and also for storage of water ? If necessary, put a 4-inch pipe at both sides of the bathroom, in angle where side walls join the ceiling, and use these pipes both for storage and radia- tion. Note. — Our correspondent's idea is certainly a novel one, but it must be remembered that the heat in summer would be disagreeable. RADIATOR LOWER THAN WATER FRONT. From S. H. J., Sumner, Iowa. — I wish to ask through the columns of The Metal Worker if the proposed plan, as shown in the inclosed drawing, would Radiator Lower than Water Front. prove a success. The drawing represents the water front and range boiler as I have it connected, also the supply tank. With heavy fire the room becomes too warm. My idea is to utilize this extra heat by connecting the water front to a HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. 1 17 radiator in another room, using a globe valve to shut the water off from hot water boiler and leave the cold water pipe open. Will this give me circulation through the radiator ? Answer. — We reproduce our correspondent's sketch in the en- graving. Radiators placed below the water front, as shown, do not generally give satisfaction so far as circulation is concerned. If the bottom of the radiator were placed above the top of water front and the flow and return pipe between back and radiator connected up without traps, satisfactory circulation would be attained. The valves may be placed as shown by our correspondent, but care should be taken not to leave the two valves shut at the same time, because such an occurrence would cause steam and water to be blown into the supply tank or steam might be produced in water front to the extent of allowina: it to become overheated. HEATING RADIATOR OR BOILER. Frojn A. H. H., Ludlow, Mass. — I wish to inquire if a system for heating a room from water front will work if I take the supply direct from the range by a Y-branch at the side opening in the boiler instead of from the top of the boiler, shutting off the boiler entirely and using the hot water for heating only. On the other hand, when a hot water supply is required, can I shut off from the coil and let the water circulate through the boiler as usual ? Answer. — Our correspondent proposes to divide each pipe con- necting the water front and boiler, running one branch of the flow and return direct to the radiator in the room above, and the other branches to the range boiler in the usual manner, so that by the use of stop cocks the water can be used either for heating purposes or household supply. This is practicable, and would give excellent results, as either the radiator or the range boiler may be shut off and the full efficiency of the water back secured for whichever is in use. From G. F. S., Washington, D. C. — I wish to inform "A. H. H." that the plan he refers to will work better than any other in use. All he has to do is to put a stop cock between the boiler and rising pipe, as shown in the sketch sent herewith, and he will have perfect control over the circulation. The boiler will get hot from the return water after passing through the coil. Note. — The sketch sent by our correspondent is reproduced in the accompanying illustration. What he says bears out the remarks 116 HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. made in our comment upon " A. H. H.'s " letter. The only criticism we would make is that having but one stop cock, as shown in the sketch, it will be impossible to entirely shut off the heat from the coil in the upper room, and this would be disagreeable in warm weather when the range is being used. By putting another stop cock in the riser to the coil all circulation would be practically shut off, though to make the stoppage complete it would be necessary to put a valve in both the riser and return from the coil. Even as it is, the circulation will be very light when the cock shown in the sketch c £^=5= Heating Radiator or Boiler. is open ; but we think it would be quite perceptible in warm weather. Circulation takes place even where a pipe does not make a complete circuit, as would be the case if a stop cock were in either the flow or return from the coil. This very sluggish circulation is caused by a small column of water rising in the center of the pipe, and being cooled as it ascends, drops down the sides of the pipe. Another way to shut off the coil by using one stop cock would be to fill the coil with air during the summer months. CHAPTER XL RADIATORS HEATED FROM COILS IN STOVES Coils are frequently used in stoves for heating water for use in radiators in other rooms than those in which the stove is placed, and their use has been attended with satisfaction when the heating ca- pacity of the stove, the size of the coil and the size of the radiator have been correctly proportioned. In piping the same rules must be observed as those given for radiators connected with kitchen boilers, but an expansion tank will always be necessary. AUXILIARY HEATING SYSTEM. Froin A. B., Cleveland, Ohio. — Can a hot water tank be left out and a hot water radiator substituted to heat a bathroom .? Is there any objection to pass- ing a double " S " wrought iron pipe into fire pot of hot air furnace, and then carrying the same to a hot water radiator in hall, and thence to kitchen range, and thus having two radiators for carrying supply of hot water, besides using them for aiding the hot air furnace to heat the house ? Also what objection, if any, is there to having a modern appliance using gas burners for heating water for bath purposes in summer ? Answer. — A radiator may be substituted for a hot water boiler or tank, and will circulate from back in kitchen range if placed above the range. The flow from back may be connected to opening in radiator at bottom or top of it, and the return from radiator to back should be taken from bottom of radiator. The hot water supply pipe should be taken from top of radiator, and the cold water sup- ply can be connected to some point on the return pipe between radi- ator and back. This cold water supply pipe can be taken from tank or town water supply, either of which will provide for expansion, the pressure in radiator and back being the same as the pressure due to tank or town supply. A coil of pipe, or what is termed a water back, may be placed in fire pot of hot air furnace. If the furnace is in cellar below back in kitchen range, connect the flow pipe from coil in furnace to re- HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. <^> <^ Auxiliary Heating System. HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. 121 turn opening or lower opening in back in range, and continue the return pipe from radiator to return opening in coil or back in fire pot of furnace. The accompanying sketch gives a general idea of the principles on which the pipes may be arranged. When the kitchen range is not in use the circulation passes through the back from coil in furnace to radiators, and the valve in pipe A should be closed. This valve in pipe A need only be opened when the kitchen range is used alone and there is no fire in furnace. The reservoir for hot water is of much less capacity in two radiators than in an ordinary boiler or tank. There is no objection to the use of hot water heaters with gas burners for bath purposes in the summer. In the cut the double lines denote flow or hot water pipes, and the heavy single lines return or cold water pipes. A is return pipe to range water back with gate valve ; B, water back in range ; C, pipe coil in furnace fire pot ; R R, radiators with angle flow valves and gate return valves ; H, hot water supply to bathtub ; W, cold water supply from tank or street main. EXPANSION TANK AND RANGE BOILER. From T. O. M., Adams, N. V. — I see in T/ie Metal Worker recently plans for setting range boilers in which you illustrate an expansion tank or something of the kind. How would you arrange pipes to make them entirely safe where the boiler is connected with the city water works, the pressure being 50 pounds to the square inch ? Answer. — When the water supply to the boiler is connected with the city or pressure mains, and the water back in the range and the boiler are used for heating radiators and for domestic purposes, the expansion tank is not necessary, as the pressure in the radiator, boiler or water back will not exceed that in the mains, and the ex- pansion of the water can act against this pressure. If the desire is to avoid pressure a supply tank should be used connected to the cold water supply pipe to the boiler, and with ball cock to regulate the supply to the tank from the pressure main. This supply tank will act as an expansion tank. By this means the heavy pressure on the pipes within the building is obviated. Where a boiler is not used, and the water back is used for heating a radiator on a heating svstem that is filled once, and then a continual supply shut off, an expansion tank must be provided. HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. FURNACE COIL AND RADIATOR. From H., East Orange, N. J. — Will you please inform me through The Metal Worker how many square feet of radiating surface will be required to heat two rooms, one 19 x 15 feet, the other 11 x 11 feet, each with ceilings 9 feet high and having 30 and 40 square feet of glass respectively. The room 19 X 15 feet is a back parlor, connected by an opening, but no door, with a front parlor of same size, which contains a register. There is a door between the back parlor and the small room and the intention is to place a radiator in each room. How many square feet of heating surface must be put in a coil or gener- ator to be placed in a hot air furnace to supply hot water to the radiators for the rooms ? Answer. — So many of the conditions that should be taken into account in answering such a question are missing that a strictly accurate answer cannot be made. There are many rules in use for apportioning radiating surface, the majority of which take into deli- cate consideration every possible condition and are as combersome as they are safe and correct. These could not be used with the in- formation at hand, consequently the rule used is that which requires from 30 to 50 cubic feet of space to be heated by each square foot of radiating surface. This requires judgment in application. If the building is of a character to retain heat and is surrounded by other buildings and the room in question exposes but one wall to the weather, the radiating surface might be safely required to heat the full limit, while if the reverse was the case the small limit might be taxed. Our correspondent must use his judgment in his application, but for example we will use 40 feet, and as there are 2565 cubic feet in the parlor it will require 64 square feet, and there being 1089 cubic feet in the small room it will require 27 square feet, making a total of 91 square feet of radiating surface required for the two rooms. In deciding the amount of surface that will be needed in the heating coil there are as many rules and variations in opinions as in apportioning radiating surface. If the coil is made of i-inch pipe and is placed in the furnace just above the level of the fire, and where the products of combustion have full effect, the amount of radiating surface that each square foot of the coil will carry varies from 20 to 30 feet, according to different authorities. Some go higher yet, as a i-inch coil is looked upon as an excellent heater when exposed above a large grate area, as we suppose it would be in this case. As the grate area is not known to us, we shall expect our correspondent to again use his judgment in determining this amount. In order to HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. I23 give an example we will use 25 feet, which means each square foot of coil surface must heat 25 feet of radiating surface. As there are 91 feet of radiating surface, we find, by dividing it by 25, that there must be 3}^ square feet in the coil, and as the piping will lose some heat, it might be well to put 4 square feet of surface in it, or about 12 lineal feet of i-inch pipe. AN APPRENTICE'S WATER HEATER. From C. M., Preston, Md. — I am an apprentice and wish to surprise my employers, but need a little assistance and apply to The Metal Worker for in- formation. I have a room on a third floor that I want to heat for a workshop. How many feet of i }^-inch pipe made into a wall coil would be required to heat by hot water radiation a 20 x 26 x 10 foot room. Also give rule for other sizes of pipe. I want to heat this room from a 13-inch cylinder stove by having four I ^-inch pipes run down as far as the grate and connect as shown in the illus- tration and to be connected up above the fire by a hot water dome 10 inches in diameter and 6 inches deep. The stove is shown with the water heater in it, and the radiator and expansion tank. Answer. — To decide correctly the amount of surface necessary to heat a room is not possible without the fullest details as to the char- acter of the building, its exposure, glass surface, &c. Even then the rules require much judgment in their application. Without detailed information the rule of heating from 30 to 50 cubic feet of space with each square foot of heating surface seems to be the only way in this case to approximate the surface. Our correspondent must use his judgment in determining whether the room will be difficult or not to heat. In order to give an answer, j square foot of radiat- ing surface will be decided necessary for 40 cubic feet of space, and as the room in question contains 5200 cubic feet it will require 130 square feet of heating surface. The distance the water has to travel will cause it to lose so much heat in transit that it is possible that the water in the coil would not be of a temperature that would en- able this amount of surface to prove satisfactory. '1 his contingency must be considered in apportioning the surface and more given if it is deemed necessary. There are 144 square inches in i square foot, and the circumference of i^-inch pipe is nearly 6 inches. By divid- ing 144 inches by 6 inches it is found that a piece of i^-inch pipe 24 inches or 2 feet long exposes i square foot of surface, and by multi- plying the 130 feet of surface by 2 the number of lineal feet of pipe necessary to make this coil will be found to be 260. The number of 124 HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. square feet of heating surface that i square foot of fire surface in a coil will heat varies from 20 to 30 or more feet with different author- ities. Using 25 for an example and allowing for some cooling in the flow and return pipes, there should be 6 square feet of surface in the An Apprentice's Water Heater. heating coil. If a coil was used 12 lineal feet of i^-inchpipe would be required. A general impression prevails that a coil should be cone shaped and should not come in contact with the coals for dura- bility and highest efficiency, but should be suspended just above them, subject to their radiant heat and the full play of the flame and HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. I25 hot gases. The device of our ambitious young friend is open to some criticism owing to its being partly in the fire, and it is just possible that it will lack the necessary heating surface and power. Another important point to be considered is the grate area. Jf no other service was expected of the fire than the heating of the coil and the stove was covered with a material to retain the heat gener- ated and a steady fire kept up it is probable that no difficulty would be experienced in heating the upper room. If the stove has been selected as being just of the right power for the lower room the extra work will be too much for its capacity. HEATING STORE FROM COIL IN STOVE. From W. W. W., Casopolis, Mich. — We have a store room, 24 x 70 feet, facing east, in a brick building, and it also has brick buildings on each side. Our tin shop is up stairs, at the front end, and is 24 x 28 x 14 feet in size. I would like to know if I can heat it with hot water by putting a 20-inch coil of i ^-inch pipe in a wood stove that is down stairs, and if so, how much of the coil would I need to supply the amount of radiation I would have to heat the shop. Do you think it would be economical to heat it by this method ? Answer. — Our correspondent will require in the stove about lo square feet of fire surface in pipes, or about 23 to 25 lineal feet of i^-inch pipe — that is, a coil five high of i^-inch pipe, by about 20 inches in diameter — to supply the amount of radiation required in the tin shop mentioned. Space should be left between the pipes in the coil, so that the heat will come in contact with the greater part of the surfaces, and the pipes should be well inclined. Heating the tin shop, which is above the stove in the store, by hot water circula- tion can be easily done, and it is certainly more economical than an extra stove in the shop. FURNACE COIL AND CONSERVATORY. From E. & H., Oshawa, Ontario. — In connection with a dwelling house in which we have placed a hot air furnace, the owner put up a conserva- tory, 40 X 12x7 feet high, forming a leanto against the east side of the dwell- ing, which he proposed to heat by hot water by placing a coil of pipe in the furnace. Now, what size coil will be required, or what rule is there for deter- mining the amount of surface to be exposed to the fire to heat a given number of cubic feet of air ? Answer. — The application of the cubic foot rule in apportioning heating surface requires so much personal judgment, even in house 126 HEATING ROOMS FROM KITCHEN BOILER. heating, that many authorities discard it altogether. In greenhouse heating it is seldom or never used, the heating surface required be- ing computed from the glass surface exposed, i square foot of heat- ing surface being used for 2, 3 or 4 square feet of glass surface, ac- cording to the temperature of the water in the heating pipes. In the greenhouse mentioned there is, let us assume, an exposure of 760 square feet of glass surface, and in order to make sure of its being heated, with the water at a temperature of 160^, i square foot of heating surface will be calculated to heat 2]^, square feet of glass surface. Consequently about 300 square feet of heating surface will be required in the greenhouse. The heating capacity of coils placed in hot air furnaces varies very materially, so that the use of any rule to determine this has proved unsatisfactory, except when used with considerable judgment. An approximate rule, which has given sat- isfaction, is to allow I square foot of coil surface to 30 square feet of heating surface. In this case a coil containing 10 square feet of surface would be required, and 2-inch pipe is the best to use to con- nect with the piping necessary to supply the amount of heating sur- face required. About 1.6 lineal feet of 2-inch pipe are required to give a surface of i square foot. In heating greenhouses and con- servatories the heating surface is generally placed in coils either along the walls or under the flower benches and less than 2-inch pipe is seldom used, while many advise the use of 4-inch pipe. THE END. INDEX. Page. Air bound radiator 107 Air in dipped pipes 90 Apprentice's water heater 123 Arrangement of circulating pipe 26 Auxiliary heating system 119 Bad circulation with two water backs 41 Baking, Water back hinders 4 Bathroom, Plan for heating 103 Bathroom, Boiler set in to heat it 112 Boiler and pipes, Noise in 66 Boiler and warming table, Range 95 Boiler, Circulating pipe on range 24 Boiler, Cold water from range 60 Boiler, Collapsing. 76 Boiler connected with iron pipe 33 Boiler connected with two stoves 40 Boiler, Connecting supply pipe to range 12 Boiler construction, operation and connections 9 Boiler, Crackling in range 65 Boiler emptied through relief pipe. Range 71 Boiler, expansion tank and range... 121 Boiler, Faulty circulation in range. . . 12 Boiler heated by steam 92 Boiler, Heating radiator or 117 Boiler, Heating room from kitchen.. loi Boiler, Heating from horizontal log Boiler, Horizontal double 56 Boiler, Horizontally set 84 Boiler in different room. Piping from stove to 20 Boiler, Noise in 66 Boiler, Noisy range 17 Boiler, Pressure supply and piping to ir Boiler, Rusty water from range 64 Boiler set horizontally, Upright 81 Boiler set in bathroom to heat it 112 Boiler, To prevent collapse of 79 Boiler too large 59 Boiler with steam coil 93 Page. Boiler without tank, Kitchen 22 Boilers, Double 49 Boilers, Horizontal 81 Boilers, Local circulation between two 6r Boilers, One water back and two 30 Boilers, Remedy for noisy 64 Burst repeatedly, Water backs 73 Circulating pipe. Arrangement of 26 Circulating pipe on a range boiler... 24 Circulating pipe. Trouble with 27 Circulating pipe. Valve in 27 Circulating pipes 24 Circulation between two boilers. Lo- cal 61 Circulation in range boiler. Faulty.. 12 Circulation, Reversed 68 Circulation with two water backs. Bad 41 Coil and conservatory. Furnace 125 Coil and radiator. Furnace 122 Coil in stove. Heating store from 125 Coils in stoves. Radiators heated from 119 Cold water from range boiler 60 Cold water, Short circuit brings 86 Collapse of boiler, To prevent 79 Collapse ? What caused the 77 Collapsing boiler 76 Connected to heat rapidly 14 Connected to overcome trouble 89 Connecting supply pipe to range boiler 12 Connection, Curious 90 Connection, Multiple water back 46 Connections, Boiler construction, op- eration and 9 Connections, Multiple 30 Connections, Quick heating 15 Conservatory, Furnace coil and 125 Construction, operation and connec- tions, Boiler 9 28 INDEX. Page. Construction, Water backs and their i Cost of heating water 96 Crackling in range boiler 65 Curious connection 90 Difficulties met with in everyday' practice 5° Dipped pipes, Air in 89 Double boiler, Horizontal 56 Double boiler system of plumbing.. 50 Double boilers 49 Every day practice, Difficulties met with in 59 Expansion tank and range boiler 121 Explosion ? What caused the 75 Faucet, Noisy hot water 67 Faulty circulation in range boiler... 12 Furnace coil and conservatory 125 Furnace coil and radiator 122 Furnace, Water heating by gas or. . . 39 Gas or furnace, Water heating by. 39 Heat rapidly, Connected to 14 Heated from coils in stoves. Radia- tors 119 Heater, Apprentice's water 123 Heating bathr®om. Plan for 103 Heating by gas or furnace. Water. . . 39 Heating connections, Quick 15 Heating power of a water side 102 Heating radiator or boiler 117 Heating from horizontal boiler 109 Heating room from kitchen boiler. . . loi Heating store from coil in stove 125 Heating system, Auxiliary...-. 119 Heating water, Cost of 96 Heating water, Plan for 5 Heats too much. Pipe water front. . . 3 Horizontal Boiler, Heating from 109 Horizontal boilers 81 Horizontal double boiler 56 Horizontally set boiler 84 Hot water faucet, Noisy 67 Hot water heating. Pipe same as in. 20 Hot water out of meters, Keeping. . . 61 Iron pipe, Boiler connected with 33 Page. Keeping hot water out of meters 61 Kitchen boiler, Heating rooms from, loi Kitchen boiler without tank 22 Level with water back, Radiator on.. 114 Local circulation between two boilers 62 Meters, Keeping hot water out of . . . 61 Miscellaneous 89 Multiple connections 30 Multiple water back connection 46 Noise in boiler 66 Noise in boiler and pipes 66 Noisy boilers. Remedy for 64 Noisy hot water faucet 67 Noisy range boiler 17 One water back and two boilers 30 Operation and connections, Boiler construction 9 Pipe, Arrangement of circulating 26 Pipe on range boiler, Circulating 24 Pipe same as in hot water heating. . . 20 Pipe, Trouble with circulating 27 Pipe, Valve in circulating 27 Pipe water front heats too much 3 Pipes, Air in dipped 89 Pipes, Circulating 24 Pipes, Noise in boiler and 66 Piping from stove to boiler in dif- ferent room 20 Piping to boiler, Pressure supply and II Piping to radiator 105 Piping, Trouble from small 13 Plan for heating bathroom 103 Plan for heating water 5 Plumbing, Double boiler system of.. 50 Pressure supply and piping to boiler. 11 Prevent collapse of boiler, To 79 Quick heating connections 15 Radiator, Air bound 107 Radiator below water front 113 Radiator, Furnace coil and 122 Radiator lower than waterfront. ..... 116 Radiator on level with water back . . . 114 Radiator or boiler, Heating 117 Radiator, Piping to , 105 INDEX. 29 Radiators heated from coils in stoves 119 Range boiler and warming table 95 Range boiler emptied through relief pipe 71 Relief pipe, Range boiler emptied through 71 Relief pipes and vacuum valves 76 Remedy for noisy boilers 64 Reversed circulation 68 Rusty water from range boiler 64 Short circuit brings cold water 86 Small piping, Trouble from 13 Steam, Boiler heated by 92 Steam coil, Boiler with 93 Store from coil in stove, Heating. . . . 125 Stove, Heating store from coil in 125 Stove to boiler in different room, Piping from 20 Stoves, Boiler connected with two. . . 40 Stoves, Radiators heated from coils in 119 Suggestion in water backs 6 Supply and piping to boiler. Press- ure II Supply pipe to range boiler, Connect- ing 12 System of plumbing, Double boiler. 50 System, Tested 105 Tank and range boiler, Expansion. 121 Tank, Kitchen boiler without 22 Tested system 105 Page. Trouble from small piping 13 Trouble with circulating pipe 27 Two boilers, One water back and... 30 Two boilers. Local circulation be- tween 62 Two stoves, Boiler connected with.. 40 Two water backs, Bad circulation with . Upright boiler set horizontally 82 Vacuum valves, Relief pipes and 76 Valve in circulating pipe 27 Warming table, Range boiler and. . . 95 Water back and two boilers, One... 30 Water back is better 7 Water back connection, Multiple 46 Water hinders baking 4 Water back. Radiator on level with. 114 Water backs and their construction. i Water backs, Bad circulation with two 41 Water backs burst repeatedly 73 Water backs. Suggestion in 6 Water, Cost of heating 96 Water from range boiler, Rusty 64 Water heater. Apprentice's 123 Water heating by gas or furnace 39 Water front. Radiator below 113 Water front. Radiator lower than. . . . 116 Waterside, Heating power of 102 What caused the collapse ? 77 What caused the explosion ? 75