Open Grates. — The old-fashioned open fireplace is the most cheerful and sanitary means of heating, and would be by all means to be preferred were it not that so much of the heat escapes up the chimney. It has been estimated that only 5 per cent of it is thrown into the room. A re cent invention known as the venti lating grate overcomes this difficulty. This is an open furnace, to which fresh outdoor air is introduced by pipes which pass below the hearth and are heated by circulating around the grate, and flues through which the products of combustion escape. The pure air thus warmed is admitted into the rooms through registers. By a suitable arrangement of the flues, the warm air from the ventilating grate can be distributed through the walls to adjacent or upper rooms, and thus two or more of these grates can heat a house of six or eight rooms at less cost than a furnace.
Open fireplaces may also be profit ably utilized for supplementary heat in connection with different systems, as they afford the most perfect system of ventilation obtainable.
Economy of Stove Heat—The heat from an ordinary stove or a Franklin stove may be economized and utilized in upper rooms by adjusting a mod ern drum radiator to the stovepipe. A number of small tubes within the drum absorb the heat and radiate it into the apartment. The open flames of lamps and gas jets also give a good deal of heat which can be utilized by equipping them with small detachable radiators that operate on the same principle.
Gasoline Stoves.—Those who have generator gasoline stoves often com plain that the gasoline smokes and ruins wall paper. To avoid this gen erate the fire with wood alcohol. Keep the alcohol in a glass bottle holding about a quart. Or a machine-oil can holding about a pint will be found convenient. If the latter is used, a piece of cork should be inserted in the end of the spout to keep the gaso line from evaporating. Or use a piece of Irish potato for this purpose.
Pour a little alcohol in the gen erator cup, and light it the same as gasoline.
Gas Stoves.—These are of two sorts, adapted for heating and cooking re spectively. Gas stoves for heating
may be obtained in a variety of sizes, from small cylinders to large-sized stoves of the radiator pattern. These are cleanly, cheap, and efficient, and have nothing about them to get out of order. Gas stoves for cooking may be had in all sizes, from the one burner stove of the hot-plate type, costing about $1, to the gas kitchen range, ranging in price up to $50. The average type is a two-oven range that will broil, roast, or bake, and can he fitted with laundry conveniences. The standard size has two 16- or 18 inch -ovens, and is provided on top with one double and three single burn ers. These are equal to every require ment of a complete kitchen range, and unlike the latter have no fire brick to burn out, or other parts likely to be come warped, cracked, or injured. A gas range has every possibility of service of a coal range except heat ing, but of course demonstrates its greatest superiority in the summer months, when cooking can be done with a minimum of heat and fuel con sumption.
The temperature of a gas oven can always be accurately gauged, and it is possible to have a slow fire and a hot fire at the same time, on different parts of the gas range, which is im possible with a coal range. Further, a gas range is always clean, requires no blacking, kindling, or carrying of coal, removal of ashes, and similar nuisances.
Gas Water Heaters.—A gas water heating appliance attached to an or dinary kitchen boiler will consume about thirty feet of gas in an hour for a thirty-gallon boiler, or forty to forty-five feet for a sixty- to eighty gallon boiler. A smaller quantity of hot water for ordinary household pur poses can be heated in ten or fifteen minutes at a cost of less than one cent. A similar appliance may be put into the bathroom, which would heat water sufficient for a bath at a cost of from two to three cents. This is an ideal summer arrangement. But care must be taken that accidents do not occur with these, by persons lock ing the bathroom door and being over come by the gas.