The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-11-02, Page 51Wood heat is popular
The lure of an open fire
remains powerful even
though more North
Americans are beginning to
realize that fireplaces often
are net heat losers_
Since a fire needs lots of
oxygen, to burn, it will draw
air from all parts of the house
and fruit outside thio ig
cracks in walls and windows.
This air is then expelled up
the chimney, meaning the
furnace has to work extra
hard to reheat the rest of the
house_ And since the damper
has to be left open until the
fire is completely out - which
may be all night - more hot
air escapes_
To combat this waste, heat
ciculating fireplaces . have
been developed_ There are
several models but the basic
principle is that air is taken
in, warmed through some
type of heat -exchange system
and then passed into the
living quarters through vents_
The unit may take air from
outside or inside the house.
But for_people who live in
Oiler hn es" --'with - con-
ventional masonry
fireplaces, there has been
little recourse except to in-
stall glass doors or to cut
down on use of the fireplace in
the winter. Now, according to
Jim Johns of Custom Design.
Centre in London, there is ar
fireplace insert available
which turns a conventional
unit into a heat -circulator.
The . insert is a steel box with
glass doors, and ranges in
price from $399 to $549 plus a
$100 installation charge_
Johns says that since the unit
was shown at the Western
Fair this year, there has been
an "astronomical response"
and he has received about 250
inquiries about it
Wood stoves are also
growing in popularity, both
for heating and cooking.
According to manufacturers.
the Franklin type is most
Use hot water
carefully
Saving water can save
energy, and showering with a
friend isn't the only way to
save- Good Housekeeping
magazine offers a few others :
+Check toilets for leaks
from tank into bowl_ Leaks
can be detected by adding a
few drops of food coloring to
tank water. If -color shows up
in the bowl, there's a leak_
+Don't use the toilet as a
wastebasket_
+Spend less time in the
shower
4 -Turn off water while
brushing teeth.
+Don't rim water for a cold
drink. Instead, keep a bottle
of drinking water in the
refrigerator.
+Fix leaking faucets_
+Don't let water run while
washing or rinsing dishes,
clothes or hands. Fill the sink
with just enough water to do
the job.
+Water the lawn in early
morning to avoid evaporation
loss.
+Use a timer or alarm
clock to remind you to turn off
sprinklers -
+Before leaving on a trip,
tuna off the water heater and
the water supply to your
house. That way you won't
have to pay for any leaks. •
Remember, a faucet
dripping once a second loses
2,555 gallons of water a year.
That's enough to flood a
football field one inch deep.
sought-after. This ingenious
stove, invented by Benjamin
Franklin in 1742, used air
from a draft beneath the
floor, employed some for
combustion and spewed the
rest back into the room_
The stove has been
modified a great deal, not
necessarir-y for more e
ficiency_ With doors in front
that can be opened or closed,
it is not as effective as a
closed stove but it does
provide the esthetic pleasure
of an open fire_
And the open -fire concept is
a draw to prospective buyers,
says Ned Fisher, president of
the Enterprise Foundry Co_
Ltd_ He found that as the
public became more aware of
the limits on oil and natural
gas, wood stoves seemed a
natural replacement,
because •they would be
energy -savers and because
"there's magic in an open
fire_"
Fisher cautions that the
wood stove is not the answer
to
#11,1-h_orn heating probleFn s
since it operates most ef-
fectively_ when heating a
Limited space_ To heat' the
whole house with wood, a
wood -burning furnace would
be required_
For those who are still
reluctant to invest in a wood
stove, who are not lured by
the romanticism or the
potential energy savings,
Fisher offers one last-ditch
inducement: A wood stove
offers protection against a
power failure.
There are hazards as well
as joys in using wood stoves
or fireplaces_ House fires are
more comion in dwellings
heated with wood, no matter
how carefully the installation
is supervised, simply because
of the nature of the heat
source: A burning fire gives
-off sparks and flames. A
smoke detector is practical
for' any home, but especially
for one in which wood heat is
used.. (If it's installed too
close to the stove,. however,
smoke might set the alarm off
everytime you put a fire on.)
And maintenance is im-
portant since a clean chimney
and woodburning unit will be
safer than one crammed with
combustible material.
So the bottom line is that
the use of wood in an energy-
efficient unit is cheaper -than
–using the —traditional home.:
heating fuels_ if home -owners.,,
are willing to give up some of
the romanticism of an
energy -wasting open fire,
they are likely to be rewarded
with a saving in the
pocketbook_
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mer
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