HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1977-11-10, Page 27Page 8
Furnace requires maintenance
Most Canadian homes,
especially older ones, are
heated by oil furnaces. In
Quebec and the Maritimes,
residential heating .is almost
exclusively by oil.
In the conventional oil
furnace, heating is ac-
complished by mixing a
spray of oil droplets with air
and igniting it to give a flame.
Toget the most heat, your
fuel should be burned com-
pletely. The oil -air mixture
should use the minimum
quantity of air thatnwill give a
"clean" flame. Smoke at the
tip of the flame will cause
soot deposits, and rob you of
heat.
How well is your furnace
working? Three ways to find
out yourself: The major care
of your oil furnace should be
left to a qualified serviceman.
But there are a few points
that you can look after
yourself :
Look for a dirty flame. In
the front of your furnace
you'll find a flap covering a
small hole. You can peek in
here to see the flame.
(Careful! If your furnace has
been on for a couple of
minutes the flap will be hot.)
Black smoke coming from the
tip of the flame is a sure sign
that your ' burner needs ad-
justment. Call a serviceman.
Check for soot. When your
furnace is not operating, take
a flashlight and have a look
inside the box. How much
soot has built up? The more
soot, the less efficient the
furnace - and the more it's
costing you to heat your
home. If there's a soot build-
up, arrange for an" "'ad-
justment and cleaning.
Even with a well-
functioning burner there will
be some build-up of soot
during the / winter. This
happens when the burner
switches on, before the fuel
oil is properly mixed with the
air. The same thing happens
when the burner switches off.
you can buy a "clutch
coupling" or "Solenoid
valve" that will help to
counteract this. Your ser
viceman will have the prices
and can install either one for
you.
Check the barometric
damper. You'll see the
barometric damper on the
pipe leading from furnace to
chimney.
This valve bumps open and
shut as the wind blows and as
the furnace cuts in and out.
(Occasionally mistaken for a
noisy burglar!) It allows cool
air to be drawn from the
basement into the chimney,
acting as a buffer to keep
most of the warm air in the
furnace. Check the damper
and be sure it's swinging
freely.
If it sticks when you push it,
clean the hinges and give
them a drop of oil. When the
furnace is on, check to see
that it opens. If it continues to
stick in any position, it means
you're wasting energy and
money. Call your ser-
viceman. Twice -a -year
service can cut 10 per cent
from your heating bill.
Both furnace and burner
should be checked and
cleaned twice a year - once in
summer and once midway
through the winter. This will
save at least 10 per cent on
your fuel bill. For every $400
you now pay for fuel oil, an
efficient furnace -burner
combination will save you at"
least $40.
If all Canadians saved this
10 per cent, Canada would
save $90 million and 7.5
million barrels of oil a year.
You can see how everydrop
we save can swell into big
savings for the country. Here
are the six important checks
your serviceman should ..
carry out twice a year. Make
sure he does:
Remove soot. The firepot,
heat exchanger and pipes
should be completely
cleaned. Some experts go so
far as to say you should be
able to see your reflection in
the clean heat exchanger.
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73 MARY ST. CLINTON 482-9531
Inspection Door
Air Blast Tube
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Transformer
Control
Box
OII Pump
Air Control
Typica1011.Burner
Tell that to your serviceman!
Check stack temperature,.
The largest heat loss will be
in hot gases going up the
chimney. To keep this to a
minimum, your serviceman
should measure the tem-,
perature of the gases leaving
the furnace. It should be
between 300 degrees F (148
degrees C) and 450 degrees F
( 230 degrees C). Often this
temperature is over 600
degrees F (316 degrees C).
Much too high: It can be
reduced by increasing the
speed of the circulating fan.
This usually requires" an
adjustment of the. motor
pulley. If this doesn't work -
or if you have a hot water or
Moto
Power
Supply
steam heating system -
possibly the burner is putting
out too much heat for the
furnace and you need 'a
smaller oil nozzle.
Try a smaller nozzle -size.
Try a nozzle -size 20 per cent
smaller or the lowest firing
rate recommended for your
furnace - whichever results in
the. greatest improvement.
Your flue gas temperature
will drop.,.furnace efficiency
will increase and your
comfort level should not
change. If you feel cold when
the furnace is operating, use
a nozzle -size only 10 per cent
smaller than the original.
Better still, improve the
insulation in your house.
Check smoke number. Your
serviceman should draw a
small amount of stack gas
through a smoke density
measuring device. In an
efficient furnace, the stack
gas will be virtually free of
soot. If not, the burner should
be re -tuned.
Check carbon dioxide level.
The amount of carbon dioxide
in the stack gas will give a
further measure of the fur-
nace's - thermal efficiency.
Measured in this way, the
best efficiency you should
expect is about 80 to 85 per
cent.
Check draft and adjust
barometric damper. Your
serviceman should check the
draft or draw of air through
the firebox and in the stack.
The barometric damper
should be adjusted if
necessary.
There are a number of
other checks and procedures
which a good serviceman will
undertake. Ask " your ser-
viceman to do them on each
visit.
Grounds at Ontario Hydro's
Pickering generating station,
east - of Toronto, are being
developed to provide
recreational areas for district
residents. A storage com-
pound ,used during initial
station construction has been
transformed into a 28 -acre
hilly parkland and material
excavated during the present
expansion program is being
piled into a hill designed foi
skiing.
When it comes to
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Page 9
Kinds of lighting make difference
"There's lots of electricity
around. Surely this is one
kind of energy that I don't
have to worry about saving."
This is an all too common
view. Turning out lights that
aren't in use is definitely an
important energy saving.
You save electricity and in
many cases you also save the
coal, oil or natural gas used at
the generating station. Even
hydro sites are now limited.
Developing future nuclear
and hydro facilities will be
very expensive,,,_
So, yes, turn out those
lights. Incandescent: This is
the familiar light bulb found
in most homes. Light is
produced by heating a tiny
filament until it glows.
Unfortunately it produces
much more heat than light —
• about 95 percent heat and 5
percent light. This heat is
usually wasted because it's
generated at the wrong place.
It's easy to be confused by
all the different incandescent
lamps on the market —
general service, eye saver,
shadow ban, extended ser-
vice.
The most energy-efficient
is the general service which
gives the most light
(measured in "lumens") for
the watts consumed.
Strange as it may seem,
one lamp of higher wattage
will give more light than the
same wattage from two
smaller lamps. Example: one
100 -watt lamp will give more
light than two 60 -watt lamps
(1740 vs. 1720 lumens).
Most fluorescent lights are
found in offices and schools,
however they can bring
important energy -savings to
the home as well."
Fluorescent lighting is over
5 times as efficient as in-
candescent lighting. It
produces about 30 percent
light and 70 percent heat.
Fluorescent lighting can
also be confusing. There are
two main types on the
market: "cool white" and
"daylight'-' (or "warm
white"). Cool white produces
the 'most lumens, while
daylight is a softer light. Cool
white also produces more
glare unless shaded.
Fluorescent lights are best
used in work areas and in
bathrooms, kitchens and
recreation rooms.
Whenever you leave a room
be sure to turn off the lights
behind you, even if it's only
for a short time.
There's a general
misconception that leaving
lights on saves more elec-
tricity than turning them off
and then on again. Not true!
There's a momentary surge
of power when a light is
turned on, but it's equal to
only a second or two of
lighting time.
How much light do you
really need? Try putting
lower wattage bulbs in
hallway's, basements,
bedrooms ,and wherever close
work is not done,
For reading, sewing,
cooking, games or hobbies,
use good localized lighting
from lamps or specially ip-
stalled fixtures.
When you're renovating or
installing new lighting, try
fluorescent fixtures. They're
much more efficient.
A neglected heating system
can let you down when it is
most needed. Have yours
checked before winter sets in.
A barely visible- ac-
cumulation of dust will lower
the lighting level. And may
cause you to turn on more
lights. Dust lamps regularly.
Think about a dimmer for
the dining room. You'll be
able to turn the lights down
low for a romantic touch,
especially if you have candles
on the table,
The ideal shade is white or
near - white and conceals the
lamp bulb, both when you are
standing and sitting. The
shade should be dense enough
to keep the bulb from glaring
through (but not opaque) and
should reflect the light. The
light should be sent upwards
as well as downwards; with
the shade wide enough at the
bottom to spread light over a
fairly wide area.
Light paint finishes on both
ceilings and walls will reflect
'the light and perhaps reduce
the number of lamps you
need.
Use a long -life or extended
service lamp in those awk-
ward hallways and cupboards
where it's tough to replace a
bulb. This' type will cost a
little more. Keep in mind that
a long -life lamp produces
lower lumens than an
equivalent wattage general
service type.
Be sure that lighting
equipment does not reflect on
shiny surfaces — the -
television screen or a pile of
glossy magazines. The glare
will tire your eyes.
Do you really need a 100 -
watt lamp in the light stan-
dard at the end of the
driveway? Wouldn't a 60 -watt
or maybe a 40 -watt do just as
well?
Are floodlights necessary in
front or back? Can you
reduce the quantity. or size?
Think about an automatic
timer to control the time
when they are actually in use.
Christmas lighting has
become a tradition in
Canada, but that doesn't
mean we can run wild. Keep
your lights to • a modest
display, unless of course your
electrical utility recommends
a total ban. Don't put them up
too far ahead of Christmas
and take them down as soon
as the holiday season is over.
Try not to turn them on
until after 6 p.m., so you
won't add to the peak evening
load, and turn them off before
going to bed.
In most cases, outdoor
Christmas lighting can
replace your normal outdoor
lighting. Don't use both at the
same time.
Now that you've been
enlightened, let's see how
much energy you can save.
Here's how to do it:
For one day leave extra
lights on; let the TV and radio
play away. The next day be
conservation minded; turn
off everything you can find.
On the first day, read the
electric meter early in the
morning and make a note of
the reading.
The next morning read the
meter again at the same
time, and calculate how
many kilowatt hours were
used. Read it again on the
morning of the third day.
Take the difference between
the two days and multiply by
365 to find out the number of
kilowatt hours you could save
in a year.
How much is this in cash?
Check your last electrjc bill.
It should show how much you
pay per kilowatt hour. Why
not encourage your children
to carry out this project by
themselves. Good con-
servation training.
The electric meter is
normally on the outside wall
of the house or possibly in the
basement. If you live in an
apartment and have your own
meter, it's probably in the
basement. (If you can't locate
it, ask the superintendent.)
The dials are normally
organized from left to right.
Some of these turn counter-
clockwise. When the pointer
is between two numbers, read
the lower number.
Your meter probably has
four"dials. The right one gives
the reading in tens of kilowatt
hours, the next one in hun-
dreds of kilowatt hour, and so
on.
Looking to cut heat consumption?
Here are helpful household hints
Homeowners everywhere sult an insulation con -
are finding it will cost even tractor about insulating
more to heat their homes closed -in ceilings and
this winter, so the search walls.
is on more seriously than Choose amounts of in -
ever before for ways to re- sulation by Resistance
duce fuel consumption numbers, which tell how
and lower fuel bills, well insulation retards
The 12 most practical heat flow, In new homes,
ways to cut your fuel bills use at least R-19 (61/z
are listed here, Qom pli- inches thickness) in ceil-
ments of the Johns -Man- ings, R-11 13 7,1i inches to
ville Insulation Center. 4 inches thickness) in
1. Insulate your home walls. Insulation in floors
well. It's the most efiec- is needed for homes built
tive thing you can do. With over open crawl spaces.
adequate insulation, your 2. Use storm windows or
home will require 'only insulating glass. Double
about 50 per cent as much glass resists heat loss al -
fuel as with no insulatidn, most twice as well as sin -
according to the Insula- gle glass, says the J -M In -
tion Center. sulation Center.
To insulate an existing 3. Use storm doors, keep
home, first pay attention there tightly latched.
to the ceiling, where heat 4. Weatherstrip windows
loss is greatest. You can and doors to keep warm
generally insulate the ceil- air in, cold air out.
ing, where heat loss is 5. Caulk cracks around
greatest, You can gener- the outside of window and
ally insulate the ceiling door frames.
yourself by laying thick 6, , Call in a heating serv-
but lightweight fiber glass ice man to ,clean and ad -
blankets between joists in just the heating burner.
the attic floor. He should also check bal-
If you already have some ancing of the heat- distri-
insulation, you can use an bution system to make
"add-on" insulation such sure no room gets more
as Johns -Manville's Re- heat than it needs,
Insul, which is made spe- 7. Clean or replace fur-
cifically to bring inade- pace filters. Dirty filters
quate attic insulation up may severely hinder move -
to today's standards, Con- ment of warm air, reduc-
ing furnace efficiency and
wasting fuel.
8. Set _the ' thermostat
back at night, but only six
or seven degrees. A bigger
setback will require extra
fuel for morning pick-up.
Always set the thermostat
back if you're going to be
away for a weekend or
longer.
9• Check the location of
your thermostat. The J -M
Insulation Center says it
should be on an inside
wall four to five feet above
floro level. Keep it" away
from heat sources such as
a TV set or a lamp.
10. Turn off heat in
rooms that aren't used. If
you have zone thermo-
stats -to control your heat-
ing, consider keeping bed-
rooms at a lower temper-
ature during the day, If
you like to sleep with a
window open, make sure
the bedroom door is closed.
11. Install a humidifier.
When relative humidity is
high, you will be comfort-
able at a lower tempera-
ture. •
12. Develop good heat
conservation habits. Lock
windows to pull sash
tightly together. Close
fireplace dampers except
when a fire is burning.
Close draperies at night,
open them on sunny days.
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