The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

First Aid For The Ailing Houses

In the winter, this water, which is wanner than the outside air, is pulled into the unit, the heat is extracted and forced into the house, and the water is ejected into the sewer or another deep well. This latter method may not work too well if the well will not accept the water as fast as the heat pump uses it.

In the summertime, the unit works like an air conditioner by reversing the action and taking the air from the house, removing the heat, transferring it to the water, and ejecting the water.

The troubles of a heat pump are those of the average air conditioner which works on a similar refrigeration principle (see section on Air Conditioning).

FIREPLACE TROUBLES

A fireplace in a closed room cannot be expected to carry a good fire because of the lack of a sufficient current of air to support combustion.

A fireplace will smoke for any or all of the following reasons:
Chimney too low (see section on Chimneys).
Flue clogged.
Wrong construction of throat and wind shelf.
Throat damper closed.
Opening too high for the width, which can be corrected by setting a sheet of metal across the top of the opening.
The proper width for this can be found by experimenting with boards or even heavy paper.
The condition of a fireplace flue can often be examined from the fireplace by the use of a mirror, with or without a flashlight.
A fireplace with square sides can be made more effective by a lining of brick or other masonry to give the sides and the back a slope toward the front.

To prevent danger from flying embers, a spark box can be set on the top of the flue. This is made of heavy wire netting with meshes an inch or so square. The netting should not be laid flat on the flue top, for the meshes would be clogged with ash and the draft would be choked. The netting should be formed into a five-sided box, long enough for the open end to go downward into the flue for a sufficient distance to give support. The rest of the box should extend at least 12 inches above the flue top. Wind blowing across the box will keep the meshes cleared of ashes.

GAS RANGES

The enameled surfaces of a gas range should be wiped daily with a soapy cloth to remove spattered grease. Grease that is allowed to set and harden will be difficult to remove, especially when baked by many reheatings. If not baked too hard, the deposit can be removed with baking powder on a damp cloth, or by soaking and wiping with kerosene. Work should be done when range is cold. A hard deposit can be shaved off with a razor blade or rubbed off with fine sandpaper or steel wool, these being used only as a last resort and with care that the enamel is not injured through dulling its surface.