Induction Furnace And Cupola Furnace Information

In Metal Casting, the type of furnace you have at your foundry, or workshop determines a lot of the work you can or can not do. Many metal casters enjoy making their own furnaces and have done so quite successfully. The plans for home made furnaces are eagerly shared among the enthusiasts so finding blueprints and instructions should not be difficult. But before you rush off to find the blueprints you may want to take time to learn about the types of casting furnaces available to help determine which one will suit your needs. This is not saying that you should only have one furnace at any given time, but this way you will know what project will work best for which furnace.

Cupola

Cupola furnaces are among the most popular with backyard foundries. Many casters construct their own cupola which proves to be cost effective and highly efficient if done properly. Since cupola furnaces can achieve high melting temperatures they are primarily used for the melting of iron and bronze, though aluminum can also be melted when attention is paid to keeping the temperature low. The primary fuel source for cupola furnaces are coke using limestone for flux.

By not using a crucible, the Cupola furnace is able to melt the metal at a faster rate. While individual designs of these furnaces differ due to varying resources and design ideas, the basic component of a cupola furnace is the same. The cupola furnace must be elevated above the ground and installed with a drop bottom usually hinged, which will allow the excess metal, fuel source, and other waste to drop from the furnace. The tap hole and shaft which will allow the molten metal to flow from the furnace and into the ladle and air shafts are also required. A slag tap hole can be placed on the furnace usually in the back, higher then the tap hole, which will allow the slag to flow out easily.

With most small home foundries, the cupola furnaces are preferred over that of other furnaces for its high melting rates and for how easily the construction of such a furnace can be.

Reverberatory

The Reverberatory Furnaces are commonly found in industrial plants but there have been quite a number of home grown foundries that have used this furnace type with much success. The basic idea of a Reverbeatory Furnace is to use the heat reflecting off a surface, usually brick, to heat the metal, which is aluminum in most cases. This way, the metal does not come into contact with the fuel or the flame. This process is also used in Puddling Furnaces. The name Reverberatory and Puddling are often used interchangeably. By placing the metal in a shallow depression and then directing an intense flame over that depression and to the wall, the heat rebounds to melt the metal. Many casters will adjust the length of the flame since a longer path will mean that the heat will be more intense.

There are many designs for the reverberatory furnace, all of which will include exhaust ports and the rear of the furnace must be able to withstand the intense heat and be able to bounce it back into the chamber.

Bronze, aluminum, tin, and many other ores can be melted in a reverberatory furnace all depending on the construction of the actual furnace and the heat of the flame. This type of furnace has been around since at least the Middle Ages and was used primarily for bronze work.

Electric Arc

Electric Arc furnaces are normally used in Industrial foundries. Most hobby casters do not use these furnaces due to cost, space issues, and a general inconvenience. There are two forms of the electric arc furnace, the direct and indirect.

The direct arc has three electrodes which are used to heat metal by way of the arc. This creates an incredible amount of heat and so water jackets and other cooling devices will be needed for operation.

The indirect arc just uses one electrode and works in much the same way as the direct arc furnace.

Electric Induction

Electric Induction furnaces are becoming all the more popular with large industrial size foundries that enjoy the clean burning and efficiency of an electrical furnace. Copper coils surround the crucible with the metal inside which can reach extremely high temperature suitable for melting most metals.

Rotary

The Rotary style furnaces are hailed for their ease of use being fully or at the very least partially automatic. These furnaces tend to be harder to construct though there are resources and companies online that sell rotary furnace.

The different furnace types do affect the quality of the work being produced, so it is important to keep that in mind as you cast. With a little trial and error, you should find the perfect furnace to fit your needs so you can start building one of your very own.

Go to Metal Casting Zone to get your free ebook on Metal Casting at Metal Casting. Metal Casting Zone also has Cupola Furnace Forum, Induction Furnace Blog and a Metal Casting Blog with daily news on Metal Casting.

Readying Your Air-conditioning System For A Hot Summer

Keeping your cool this year may be easier if you give your air-conditioning system a tune-up before the weather gets any warmer. All it takes is a few simple steps to make sure your air-conditioning system is ready to properly cool your home.

Here are some tips from the U.S. Department of Energy and the experts at Coleman Heating and Air Conditioning, a brand of the Unitary Products Group of York–a Johnson Controls Company:

• Keeping the cool air inside is just as important as keeping the warm air outside. Caulking, weather stripping, and adding additional attic insulation will help keep cool air inside during the summer.

• Make sure the air is flowing properly through the vents. Inspect the ductwork for holes or separated joints, and hire a professional to repair them.

• Add insulation around air-conditioning ducts, when they are located in unconditioned spaces, such as attics, crawl spaces and garages; do the same for whole house fans where they open to the exterior or attic.

• Homeowners should check the SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) rating of their air-conditioning unit. The higher the SEER rating, the more energy efficient the unit is and the lower your utility bills will be. Upgrading to a higher SEER rating can save homeowners hundreds of dollars a year on their energy bills.

If the air-conditioning unit needs to be replaced, homeowners should be aware of the U.S. Department of Energy legislation that requires all new, central air-conditioning units manufactured after January 23, 2006, to have a SEER of at least 13.

Consumers may want to consider an energy-efficient model, such as the Coleman Echelon™ 15+ SEER air conditioner. New models are Energy Star qualified, use environmentally friendly refrigerant and have high-efficiency scroll compressors that enhance reliability and contribute to the extremely quiet operation of the units.

By: Whitney Taylor

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

To learn more, visit the Coleman Web site at www.colemanac.com/echelon or call (877) 874-7378. The best time to give your air conditioner a checkup is before it heats up.

What Does Pensacola Hvac Mean?

Have you ever taken a step back and looked at people that use products every day without a single clue that behind that product is a remarkable process of engineering and development so people can use them every day and enjoy their benefits with little cost?

Some of these things are there and we don’t even know it. For instance, I believe you have heard of the term air conditioning, the systems that provide the desired temperature in a room at a specific time. But do you know what Pensacola HVAC means?

No, I am not talking about UFOs or any other things like that; I am talking about something we interact with every day. We rarely think about the engineering behind the Pensacola HVAC that makes us feel better and turns a hot summer day into a pleasant day at work.

Pensacola HVAC is an acronym and stands for heating, ventilating and air conditioning. Some people may refer to this as climate control, because it obviously controls the climate in which you are conducting your daily activities. This is a very important part of designing medium to large office or industrial buildings, because these are the ones that need their temperature and humidity to be closely regulated.

The Pensacola HVAC is more complex than your average home air conditioner. All the functions of the Pensacola HVAC are interrelated in order to provide the beneficiaries with thermal comfort, indoor air quality and maintaining the air pressure between spaces, all of which have to come at a reasonable cost for installation, operation and maintenance.

While the process of conditioning the air in a room or building consists of replacing the air that rests inside with conditioned air which is done through ventilation, many people rule out this name from the HVAC leaving Pensacola heating and air conditioning.

The Pensacola heating and air conditioning systems are used in the winter in order to provide the owner with the warmer climate they need. Heating the air is usually done through the use of a heat pump or a furnace that can bring the temperature to its desired level.

The Pensacola heating and air conditioning systems use top of the line materials and technology that is very easy to use and maintain. While a few years ago you were struggling with the worries of the surrounding environment, now you can enjoy your days with a Pensacola heating and air conditioning system that is not harmful to you or our planet.

Another very important aspect about the Pensacola heating and air conditioning systems is the energy efficiency. There have been lots of methods developed that can be used in order to save, store and reuse the energy that was wasted.

Any person that wants a hazard free air conditioning system installed in their homes should not wait any longer. All you need to do is visit the website andersonairllc.com and see for yourself that this is one of the best choices you can make.

The Pensacola HVAC has a very complex process that cannot be explained in just a few words. If you are interested in more information about these systems or if you want your own Pensacola heating and air conditioning system installed in your home, be sure to visit the website mentioned afore.

Tax Credits Available For New Furnace Buyers

Not letting hot air get lost up the chimney has its rewards. Many homeowners who are replacing their furnaces are choosing high-efficiency models to help combat rising heating costs. High-efficiency furnaces, however, can be more expensive in the short term than their standard-efficiency counterparts. To make the purchase of this and other high-efficiency appliances easier on the average household, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which provides tax credits for the purchase of high-efficiency furnaces.

The new Energy Policy Act (EPACT) makes provisions for tax credits for qualified homeowners who install furnaces between Jan. 1, 2006 and Dec. 31, 2007. If the furnace installed has an energy-efficiency rating of 95% AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) or higher, the homeowner may qualify for a tax credit of $150. And if the furnace uses a high-efficiency variable-speed blower motor, the purchaser may be eligible for an additional $50 tax credit!

According to Jim Miller, product manager for Goodman furnaces, 95% AFUE furnaces save homeowners money in the long run, even without the tax credit. "Simply put, with a 95% AFUE furnace, for every dollar you spend on heating energy, 95 cents of that dollar is used to warm your home," explained Miller. "Many furnaces older than 15 years operate at efficiencies of approximately 60% AFUE, meaning only 60 cents of the gas burned contributes to your home’s heating." The remaining 40 cents is lost up the chimney-expensive and wasteful.

"Plus, 95% AFUE furnaces with a variable-speed blower are even more efficient," Miller added. "The variable-speed blowers we use in our Goodman GMV95 95% AFUE Variable-Speed Furnace typically require up to 75 percent less electricity than a standard motor. Because a furnace’s blower also works with the home’s cooling system to circulate air, consumers experience increased efficiency year-round."

Homeowners should work with a certified heating and air-conditioning contractor to choose the furnace that meets the needs of their home and should check with their tax professional regarding the requirements for the EPACT tax credits. Goodman is the second-largest unit manufacturer of residential heating and cooling equipment in the United States, and the first manufacturer to provide a complete line of 95% AFUE furnaces.

By: Whitney Taylor

For more information on furnace efficiency ratings and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 tax credits, visit www.goodmanmfg.com or call (877) Goodman. A tax credit for high-efficiency furnaces is helping homeowners avoid getting hot under the collar.