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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 10 (February 1, 1928)

Reducing Steam

Reducing Steam.

When steam is being produced too rapidly and is being blown through the safety valves and wasted the practice of opening the fire-hole door to cool the boiler is a bad one. Firstly, heat is wasted, and secondly, the rush of cold air across to the tube plate causes a contraction of the plate and hence many a leaking tube. The careless handling of the fire-hole door by the fireman causes much trouble of this nature. As already pointed out, if the supply of air to the fire be limited the coal will cease to burn. All that is required to reduce the steam pressure is to close both the damper and the fire-hole door. But a good fireman never has steam wasting through the safety valve; he keeps the needle registering at a pressure about a pound below the blow-off point.