The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
First Aid For The Ailing Houses
Main valve. This shuts off all water. Cold-water shutoff for second-story front bathroom. Hot-water shutoff for entire house. Hot-water shutoff for kitchen sink. Shutoff of supply to hot-water heater. Water-supply valve for steam boiler.
When the tags are attached, all the household should become familiarized with them, so that there can be immediate action in time of need.
WATER HEATERS AND CONNECTIONS
Water can be heated by an independent fire, by heat from a cooking range, or by the house heater.
Gas and oil heaters, the latter being similar to a burner in an oil cook stove, are usually separate appliances. Tank and burner are a single unit. These are economical, for the heat is absorbed by the water, and the heat retained in the water through the insulation of the tank. With gas, the operation can be automatic, by means of a pilot light that lights the main gas flame when the water in the tank cools.
With a hot-air furnace, sometimes with a house-heating boiler, the water heater projects into the firebox as a curved length of pipe, a knuckle, or in some other form. This arrangement has the drawback of interfering with the freedom of the draft and may cause a dead spot in the fire.
Overheating of a water heater may cause a deposit resembling rust to form in the water. With a water-heating stove, this can be checked or prevented by a regulator which will shut off the draft when the water reaches a temperature of 140 degrees or so. No such control is possible with a waterheating knuckle or coil in the firebox of a house heater buming coal or oil. It is for this reason that this method of heating water is not highly recommended. Temperature regulators for water-heating stoves can be had from the large mail-order houses and from dealers in heating equipment.
Rumblings and other noises in the pipes will occur when steam forms and endeavors to escape. The noise may be heard when a hot-water faucet is opened. With the faucet closed, the pressure may be too high for steam to form; but when the pressure is relieved, the heated water will flash into steam and rumblings will be heard. The formation of steam in the pipes and tank may raise the pressure to a point at which those parts might collapse or split. Any water-heating system of this type should be provided with a safety valve to prevent the pressure troni reaching the danger point. A safety valve, or relief valve, should be at the hot-water outlet of the tank and should connect to a suitable drain in order to carry off the water which escapes through the valve. The valve should be of a type that is not affected by hot water. Such valves are on the market and are highly preferable to valves intended only for cold water.
