Chapter II: Front Matter (2)

It is neither wise nor necessary to go into a detailed description of an injector. The young reader will be likely to become convinced if an injector works for five minutes, it will continue to work, if the conditions remain the same. If the water in the tank does not become heated, and no foreign substance is permitted to enter the injector, there is nothing to prevent its working properly as long as the conditions are within the range of a good injector. It is a fact that with all injectors as the vertical distance the injector lifts is increased, it requires a greater steam pressure to start the injector, and the highest steam pressure at which the injector will work is greatly decreased. If the feed water is heated, a greater steam pressure is required to start the injector and it will not work with as high steam pressure. The capacity of an injector is always decreased as the lift is increased, or the feed water heated. To obtain the most economical results the proper sized injector must be used. When the exact quantity of water consumed per hour is known it can be easily determined from the capacities given in the price lists which sized injector must be selected.

An injector must always be selected having a maximum capacity in excess of the water consumed. If the exact amount of water consumed per hour is not known, and cannot be easily determined, the proper size can be approximately determined from the nominal H. P. of the boiler. The usual custom has been to allow 7 I/2 gallons of water per hour, which is a safe rule for the ordinary type of boiler.

WHAT A GOOD INJECTOR OUGHT TO DO.

With cold feed water, a good injector with a two foot lift ought to start with 25 pounds pressure and work up to I50 pounds. With 8 foot lift, ought to start at 30 pounds and work up to I30. With feed water heated to I00 degrees Fahrenheit it should start with the same lift, that is, will say 2 foot, at 26 and work Up to I20, and at 8, from 33 up to I00. You will see by this that conditions, consisting of variation of temperature in the feed water and different lifts, change the efficiency of your injector very materially, and the water can soon get beyond the ability of your injector to work at all. The above refers more particularly to the single tube injector. The double tube injector under the same conditions as above should work from I4 pounds to 250, and from I5 to 2I0, but as this injector is not generally used on farm engines you will most likely not meet with it very often.

The injector should not be placed too near the boiler, as the heat from it will make it difficult to start the injector each time after it has been standing idle.

If the injector is so hot that it will not lift the cold water, there is no way of cooling it except by applying the water on the outside. This is most effectively done by covering the injector with a cloth and pouring water over the cloth. If, after the injector has become cool, it still refuses to work, you may be sure that there is some obstruction in it that must be removed. This can be done by taking off the cap, or plug-nut, and running a fine wire through the cone valve or cylinder valve. The automatic injector requires only the manipulation of the steam valve to start it. There are other makes that require, first: that the injector be given steam and then the water. To start an injector requires some little tact, (and you will discover that tact is the handiest tools you can have to make you a good engineer). To start an injector of the Pemberthy type; first give it sufficient steam to lift the water, allowing the water to escape at overflow for a moment or long enough to cool the injector, then with a quick turn shut off and open up the supply which requires merely a twist of the wrist.

If the injector fails to take hold at once don't get ruffled but repeat the above move a few times and you will soon start it, and if you have tact, (it is only another word for natural ability) you will need no further instructions to start your injector. But remember that no injector can work coal cinders or chaf and that all joints must be air tight. Don't forget this.

It is now time to give some attention to the heater. While the heater is no part of the pump, it is connected with it and does its work between the two horizontal check valves. Its purpose is to heat the water before it passes into the boiler. The water on its way from the pump to the boiler is forced through a coil of pipes around which the exhaust steam passes on its way from the cylinder to the exhaust nozzle in the smokestack.

The heaters are made in several different designs, but it is not necessary to describe all of them, as they require little attention and they all answer the same purpose. The most of them are made by the use of a hollow bedplate with steam fitted heads or plates. The water pipe passes through the plate at the end of the heater into the hollow chamber, and a coil of pipes is formed, and the pipe then passes back through the head or plate to the hot water check valve and into the boiler.

The steam enters the cylinder from the boiler, varying in degrees of heat from 300 to 500. After acting on the piston head, it is exhausted directly into the chamber or hollow bed-plate through which the pipes pass. The water, when it enters the heater, is as cold as when it left the tank, but the steam which surrounds the pipes has lost but little of its heat, and by the time the water passes through the coil of pipes it is heated to nearly boiling point and can be introduced into the boiler with little tendency to reduce the steam. This use of the exhaust steam is economical, as it saves fuel, and it would be injurious to pump cold water directly into a hot boiler.

If your engine is fitted with both cross head pump and injector, you use the injector for pumping water when the engine is not running. The injector heats the water almost as hot as the heater. If your engine is running and doing no work, use your injector and stop the pump, for, while the engine is running light, the small amount of exhaust steam is not sufficient to heat the water and the pressure will be reduced rapidly. You will understand, therefore, that the injector is intended principally for an emergency rather than for general use. It should always be kept in order, for, should the pump refuse to work, you have only to start your injector and use it until such time as you can remedy the trouble.

We have now explained how you get your water supply. You understand that you must have water first and then fire. Be sure that you have the water supply first.

THE BLOWER

The blower is an appliance for creating artificial draught and consists of a small pipe leading from some point above the water line into the smoke stack, directly over the tubes, and should extend to the center of stack and terminate with a nozzle pointing directly to top and center of stack; this pipe is fitted with a globe valve. When it is required to rush your fire, you can do so by opening this globe and allowing the steam to escape into the stack. The force of the steam tends to drive the air out of the stack and the smoke box, this creates a strong draught. But you say, "What if I have no steam?" Well, then don't blow, and be patient till you have enough to create a draught; and it has been my experience that there is nothing gained by putting on the blower before having fifteen pounds of steam, as less pressure than this will create but little draught and the steam will escape about as fast as it is being generated. Be patient and don't be everlastingly punching at the fire. Get your fuel in good shape in fire box and shut the door and go about your business and let the fire burn.

Must the blower be used while working the engine. No. The exhaust steam which escapes into the stack, does exactly what we stated the blower does, and if it is necessary to use the blower in order to keep up steam, you can conclude that your engine is in bad shape, and yet there are times when the blower is necessary, even when your engine is in the best of condition. For instance, when you have poor fuel and are working your engine very light, the exhaust steam may not be sufficient to create enough draught for poor coal, or wet or green wood. But if you are working your engine hard the blower should never be used; if you have bad fuel and it is necessary to stop your engine you will find it very convenient to put on the blower slightly, in order to hold your steam and keep the fire lively until you start again.

It will be a good plan for you to take a look at the nozzle on blower now and then, to see that it does not become limed up and to see that it is not turned to the side so that it directs the steam to the side of stack. Should it do this, you will be using the steam and getting but little, if any, benefit. It will also be well for you to remember that you can create too much draught as well as too little; too much draught will consume your fuel and produce but little steam.

A GOOD FIREMAN.

What constitutes a good fireman? You no doubt have heard this expression: "Where there is so much smoke, there must be some fire." Well, that is true, but a good fireman don't make much smoke. We are speaking of firing with coal, now. If I can see the smoke ten miles from a threshing engine, I can tell what kind of a fireman is running the engine; and if there is a continuous cloud of black smoke being thrown out of the smokestack, I make up my mind that the engineer is having all he can do to keep the steam up, and also conclude that there will not be much coal left by the time he gets through with the job; while on the other hand, should I see at regular intervals a cloud of smoke going up, and lasting for a few moments, and for the next few moments see nothing, then I conclude that the engineer of that engine knows his business, and that he is not working hard; he has plenty of steam all the time, and has coal left when he is through. So let us go and see what makes this difference and learn a valuable lesson. We will first go to the engine that is making such a smoke, and we will find that the engineer has a big coal shovel just small enough to allow it to enter the fire door. You will see the engineer throw in about two, or perhaps three shovels of coal and as a matter of course, we will see a volume of black smoke issuing from the stack; the engineer stands leaning on his shovel watching the steam gauge, and he finds that the steam don't run up very fast, and about the time the coal gets hot enough to consume the smoke, we will see him drop his shovel, pick up a poker, throw open the fire door and commence a vigorous punching and digging at the fire. This starts the black smoke again, and about this time we will see him down on his knees with his poker, punching at the underside of the grate bars, about the time he is through with this operation the smoke is coming out less dense, and he thinks it time to throw in more coal, and he does it. Now this is kept up all day, and you must not read this and say it is overdrawn, for it is not, and you can see it every day, and the engineer that fires in this way, works hard, burns a great amount of coal, and is afraid all the time that the steam will run down on him.

Before leaving him let us take a look at his firebox, and we will see that it is full of coal, at least up to the level of the door. We will also see quite a pile of ashes under the ash pan. You can better understand the disadvantage of this way of firing after we visit the next man. I think a good way to know how to do a thing, is to know also, how not to do it.

Well, we will now go across to the man who is making but little smoke, and making that at regular intervals. We will be likely to find that he has only a little hand shovel. He picks this up, takes up a small amount of coal, opens the fire door and spreads the coal nicely over the grates; does this quickly and shuts the door; for a minute black smoke is thrown out, but only for a minute. Why? Because he only threw in enough to replenish the fire, and not to choke it in the least, and in a minute the heat is great enough to consume all the smoke before it reaches the stack, and as smoke is unconsumed fuel, he gains that much if he can consume it. We will see this engineer standing around for the next few minutes perfectly, at ease. He is not in the least afraid of his steam going down. At the end of three to five minutes, owing to the amount of work he is doing, you will see him pick up his little shovel and throw in a little coal; he does exactly as he did before, and if we stay there for an hour we will not see him pick up a poker. We will look in at his firebox, and we will see what is called a "thin fire," but every part of the firebox is hot. We will see but a small pile of ashes under the engine and he is not working hard.

If you happen to be thinking of buying an engine, you will say that this last fellow "has a dandy engine." "That is the kind of an engine I want," when the facts in the case may be that the first man may have a better engine, but don't know how to fire it. Now, don't you see how important it is that you know how to fire an engine? I am aware that some big coal wasters will say, "It is easy to talk about firing with a little hand shovel, but just get out in the field as we do and get some of the kind of fuel we have to burn, and see how you get along." Well, I am aware that you will have some bad coal. It is much better to handle bad coal in a good way than to handle good coal in a bad way. Learn to handle your fuel in the proper way and you will be a good fireman. Don't get careless and then blame the coal for what is your own fault. Be careful about this, you might give yourself away. I have seen engineers make a big kick about the fuel and claim that it was no good, when some other fellow would take hold of the engine and have no trouble whatever. Now, this is what I call a clean give away on the kicker.

Don't allow any one to be a better fireman than yourself. You will see a good fireman do exactly as I have stated. He fires often, always keeps a level fire, never allows the coal to get up to the lower tubes, always puts in coal before the steam begins to drop, keeps the fire door open as little as possible, preventing any cold air from striking the tubes, which will not only check the steam, but is injurious to the boiler.

It is no small matter to know just how to handle your dampers; don't allow too much of an opening here. You will keep a much more even fire by keeping the damper down, just allowing draught enough to allow free combustion; more than this is a waste of heat.

Get all out of the coal you can, and save all you get. Learn the little points that half the engineers never think of.

WOOD

You will find wood quite different in some respects, but the good points you have learned will be useful now. Fire quick and often, but unlike coal, you must keep your fire box full. Place your wood as loosely as possible. I mean by this, place in all directions to allow the draft to pass freely through it. Keep adding a couple sticks as fast as there is room for it; don't disturb the under sticks. Use short wood and fire close to the door. When firing with wood I would advise you to keep your screen down. There is much more danger of setting fire with wood than with coal.

If you are in a dangerous place, owing to the wind and the surroundings, don't hesitate to state your fears to the man for whom you are threshing. He is not supposed to know the danger as well as you, and if, after your advice, he says go ahead, you have placed the responsibility on him; but even after you have done this, it sometimes shows a good head to refuse to fire with wood, especially when you are required to fire with old rails, which is a common fuel in a timbered country. While they make a hot fire in a firebox, they sometimes start a hot one outside of it. It is part of your business to be as careful as you can. What I mean is take reasonable precaution, in looking after the screen in stack. If it burns out get a new one. With reasonable diligence and care, you will never set anything on fire, while on the other hand, a careless engineer may do quite a lot of damage.

There is fire about an engine, and you are provided with the proper appliances to control it. See that you do it.

WHY GRATES BURN OUT

Grates burn through carelessness. You may as well make up your mind to this at the start. You never saw grate bars burn out with a clean ash box. They can only be burned by allowing the ashes to accumulate under them till they exclude the air when the bars at once become red hot. The first thing, they do is to warp, and if the ashes are not removed at once, the grate bar will burn off. Carelessness is neglecting something which is a part of your business, and as part of it is to keep your ash box clean, it certainly is carelessness if you neglect it. Your coal may melt and run down on the bars, but if the cold air can get to the grates, the only damage this will do is to form a clinker on the top of grates, and shut off your draught. When you find that you have this kind of coal you will want to look after these clinkers.

Now if you should have good success in keeping steam, keep improving on what you know, and if you run on 1000 pounds of coal today, try and do it with 900 tomorrow. That is the kind of stuff a good fireman is made of.

But don't conclude that you can do the same amount of work each day in the week on the same amount of fuel, even should it be of the same kind. You will that with all your care and skill, your engine will differ very materially both as to the amount of fuel and water that it will require, though the conditions may apparently be the same.

This may be as good a time as any to say to you, remember that a blast of cold air against the tubes is a bad thing, so be careful about your firedoor; open it as little as, possible; when you want to throw in fuel, don't open the door, and then go a rod away after a shovel of coal; and I will say here that I have seen this thing done by men who flattered themselves that they were about at the top in the matter of running an engine. That kind of treatment will ruin the best boiler in existence. I don't mean that once or twice will do it, but to keep it up will do it. Get your shovel of coal and when you are ready to throw it in, open the door quickly and close it at once. Make it one of your habits to do this, and you will never think of doing it in any other way. If it becomes necessary to stop your engine with a hot fire and a high pressure of steam, don't throw your door open, but drop your damper and open the smoke box door.

If, however, you only expect to stop a minute or two, drop your damper, and start your injector if you have one. If you have none, get one.

An independent boiler feeder is a very nice thing, if constructed on the proper principles. You can't have your boiler too well equipped in this particular.