Dear Tim et al
There must surely be a list member who is old enough to have had a solid
fuel central heating boiler.
Looking in Chambers Dictionary of Science and Technology (1971 et seq.) I
find what appears to be a good definition of the term "clinker".
"Incombustiable residue consisting of fused ash, raked out from coal- or
coke-fired furnaces".
The entry goes on to add that "the ash is used for road making and as an
aggregate for concrete." But the latter refers to the fine clinker ash,
produced in large industrial chain grate high pressure steam boilers
burning washed slack. Here the aim was to produce a fused but friable
clinker mat which broke up as it fell from the end of the chain grate. This
ash was used in the manufacture of the light weight "breeze-blocks".
With coke fired central heating boilers a hot fire would produce fused
clinker lumps and in the domestic boilers these were often lumps several
inches across.
These would indicate that the bottom damper, controlled by the thermostat,
had been set at too high a temperature with consequent heat loss up the
chimney.
In the 1930's the ash and clinker from the school central heating boiler
were taken by the local building contractor, to be crushed in an edge runner
mill and made into a black lime mortar.
The coal fired furnaces of the iron salt pans required fast burning fires
for the production of fine salt and these yielded a regular supply of very
large clinkers which were twelve inches or more across and five or six
inches thick. These were called "basses" in the industry and were used to
support railway side, road side and river embankments. At Winsford, the
main centre of 19th century production, bass houses were built for salt
workers and also a village school. Many of the houses were still occupied
in 1934 when the Medical Officer's report commented that "while their
materials predjudice them in some minds and there appearence is unusual,
judged by the health of their occupants they have no bad name." In rural
saltmaking areas the saltworks ashes and clinkers. were taken by farmers
for making up farm drives. The term "bass" is presumably pecular to the salt
industry.
Cinders are more or less the domestic equivalent of coke and like coke are
difficult to burn in a Victorian fireplace.
George Twigg
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Young" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 9:24 AM
Subject: Clinker
> Dear list
>
> Could anyone advise on a good definition of the term "clinker"?
>
> Thanks
>
> Tim
>
> --
> Dr Tim Young
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Web: www.geoarch.co.uk
> Phone: 07802 413704
> Fax: 08700 547366
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