The Traveling Engineers' Association eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 198 pages of information about The Traveling Engineers' Association.

The Traveling Engineers' Association eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 198 pages of information about The Traveling Engineers' Association.

34.  Q. Do you consider it advisable to keep the burners clean, and how often?

A. When equipped with steam blow-out pipes, they should be blown out before commencing trip so that burners will distribute oil evenly to each side of fire-box.

35.  Q. What position should burner be with reference to level and in line with center of fire-box?

A. It is very essential that burners be level and throw flames just to clear floor of arch in order to derive full benefit of heating surface, as the draft has a great tendency to elevate flames, at opposite end of the fire-box.

36.  Q. Are you aware that in course of time the atomizer port will become worn too large and will discharge too large a volume of steam to properly atomize, and the remedy?

A. Yes; the lip or bushing should be closed to proper opening so that steam will be restricted at the nozzle and escape with a bursting effect to properly atomize the oil instead of flowing out in quantities against flash walls before it has time to ignite.

37.  Q. What is the real object of having the fire-box lined with bricks, and will engine steam without them?

A. Not so well as with the brick, the sheets being in contact with water are too cool to flash the oil readily and hence the use of what is called a “flash wall” built of fire brick and heated to a very high temperature aids combustion very materially.

38.  Q. Do you consider it your duty to keep close inspection of brick work as to need of repairs, such as air entering between brick and side sheets?

A. Yes.  To see that plaster is kept between the walls and sheets to keep cold air from being drawn in.

39.  Q. Will engine steam if brick falls in front of burners or in path of flame and what may be done?

A. No.  Remove them with the brick hook or rod by pulling them out through damper of draft pan.

40.  Q. Where engine is equipped with an oil-reheater or oil line, do you consider it a help to engine’s steaming qualities when used?

A. Yes; at all times this heater should be used.

41.  Q. Why use second heater?  Why not heat it to a high temperature in oil tank with oil heater?

A. Too much gas generating and boiling the oil continually destroys the higher qualities besides being hard to control the flow through regulation valve.

42.  Q. Do you consider a vent hole in oil tank advisable, and why?

A. Yes; to allow any accumulation of gas to escape and to admit the air so that oil will flow freely.

43.  Q. Do you inspect your oil pipes and report all leaks?  What other bad effect has a pipe leak aside from waste of oil?

A. Yes.  It will cause oil to feed irregularly.

44.  Q. Are you aware that keeping the flues clean is the greatest one thing that you can do in regard to fuel economy, and how often should they be cleaned?

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The Traveling Engineers' Association from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.