Coal Space-Heater Emits Less Smoke

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31724, 6 July 1968, Page 17

Coal Space-Heater Emits Less Smoke

A New Zealand-made spaceheater, specially designed after exhaustive tests on coalburning heaters from Germany carried out by the New Zealand Coal Research Association, has been placed on the market. It is claimed to be 80 per cent efficient, and to emit 70 per cent less smoke than the ordinary domestic grate. The coal centre in Christchurch does not yet have one of the heaters on display, but Mr J. J. Seymour, fuel engineer for the Mines Department at the centre, said they cost $l9O and bad just been placed on the market in limited quantities. The heaters were only being manufactured by G. T. Gillies, Ltd, of Oatnaru, said Mr Seymour. They were an extremely efficient unit, and similar in appearance to the German models specially imported for the research project. Asked whether the New Zealand-made heaters had been tested in the same way as the imported makes, Mr Seymour said as far as he knew they had not “But they are 80 per cent efficient in their burning, as against the 15 per cent to 17 per cent of the domestic grate,” he said. “A slowburning coal is best in them, such as Linton, Wangaloa and some of the free-burning Reef tons."

One advantage of the spaceheater was that it could be filled by means of a hopper once a day and the heat could be controlled by the amount of draught let in.

Mr Seymour said that he had not actually seen one burn, but from the reports, coal burned cleanly, which meant the smoke content which usually came from an open fire was cut down by about 70 per cent “I would regard this as satisfactory.” he said. Asked whether widespread use of the heaters in Christchurch would overcome the smoke problem, Mr Seymour said it could not be claimed the heater was absolutely smokeless. But the special report on air pollution in the city stated that three-quarters of the smoke problem was attributable to domestic fires. If this was cut by 70 per cent, clearly this would be a significant reduction. There were efficient New Zealand-made space-heaters already on the market, Mr Seymour said. It was not the coal centre’s function to promote any one make more than another. He estimated that the specially designed heater just developed was 80 per cent efficient, as against the 65 per cent efficiency of the best appliances already marketed.

Seniors’ two members of the Lyttelton Port Senior Citizens’ Club will leave on Tuesday for a three-day trip to Mount Cook where they will stay at the Hermitage. In March members of the club made a fiveday excursion through the Haast Pass, and to Queenstown, and a third trip is planned to Nelson.