Solid Fuel (Coal and Wood) Burning Equipment – Fuel flow, Ignition and Combustion Controls
With Honeywell’s, battery assisted, spring operated, wind-up damper control motor, for coal and wood-fired furnaces, automatic combustion and temperature control would arrive for some Canadians by the early 1920’s. For the first time the homeowner could position the furnace dampers, regulating combustion rate without leaving the living room…well more or less; Honeywell Heating Specialties Co., Circa 1920.
Features:
– Handsome metal cabinet in gloss black
– Handsome brass name plate with logo
– Original switching
– Original chain set, with pulleys and hardware
– Original baseboard mounting brackets
Technical Significance:
– There can be little doubt that this device represents the first small steps in the automation of household heating systems in Canada, an event that would change life in Canada forever.
– With key wound, spring-operated, damper actuator motor for positioning damper control chains, the device illustrates dramatically the early first steps in the automation of the household heating system. Starting with the known and the familiar, fire dampers and control chains, the inventor moved to new, novel and innovative means for mechanical automation – without the touch of human hand.
– The battery assisted operation of the motor, through the use of an electric solenoid to operate a brake arm for starting and stopping the motor, illustrates, too, the early application of battery operated electrical mechanisms, as essentially auxiliary devices to assist what was essentially a mechanical system.
Industrial Significance:
– It constitutes an early milestone in the development of automatic heating for homes using solid fuels, wood and coal, prior to the widespread availability of reliable supplies of oil, gas and hydro electrification.