Williamson Octopus Furnace still alive and well

TheUpNorthState88 · April 27

Hello,

Went to an estate sale down the street from me (actually my across the street neighbor’s late aunt) and to my surprise heating her house was still the original Williamson gravity furnace and massive ducts wrapped in asbestos. While other people were checking out the estate items not paying attention at all, I was geeking out at the furnace. 😂🤣. As I tend to do at these estate sales in old houses when I encounter original heating equipment. Figured I would share here where others get excited about this stuff. Not a speck of rust anywhere. The house had gorgeous unpainted woodwork and other original features.

My neighbor tells me his aunt kept this thing cranked at 80° in the house throughout winters.

Enjoy!

EdTheHeaterMan · April 27

Williamson. That name has been around for some time. the Willimson boilers and furnaces you can buy today are not from the same company. Marley is reusing the name pf a company that has gone out of business. And I think that William's son does not even care

mattmia2 · April 27

is that a coal bin in the corner to the left?

was it always automatically fired? it is weird that one of the covers blanking off one of the fire access doors appears to be a factory made cover which makes me wonder if it was installed new with an early oil or gas burner in the 30's or 40's.

TheUpNorthState88 · April 27

@mattmia2 I think what you are referring to is just a picnic basket someone left there. There was no coal bins. And that gas burner looks old but no idea when or if it was a convert. I was a total stranger in this house. I hope the new future owner keeps it around. The thing literally so simplistic and just works.

mattmia2 · April 27

that roberts-gordon conversion burner is probably from the 50's. That sheetmetal around it clearly is a later retrofit .

this is what I thought looked like part of a coal bin

The fact that this is a factory piece covering the coal grate access door is what makes me wonder if it was installed with a older conversion burner originally:

JUGHNE · April 27

Did anyone notice the screen door spring on the upper door?

Those were added whenever something like this was converted to gas.

That was the pressure relief point in case of a delayed ignition. The latch catch was ground off so the door could not be held shut.

mattmia2 · April 27

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1895227#Comment_1895227

i noticed, i had questions about what combustion problems it had making that necessary.

EdTheHeaterMan · April 27

Factory specified re-engineering in the 1930s was sometimes very unusual, but practical.

I remember playing with pulleys as a child that were designed for opening and closing hand fired furnace dampers. My Dad had hundreds of them laying around the garage.

Mom always wanted to know where her clothes lines were vanishing to? The pulley driven draw bridge staircase to the back yard tree-fort would be my guess!

Pumpguy · 12:32AM

I'm thinking that red circled panel is where the "humidifier" went. On my dad's coal fired Holland, behind that panel there was a place where you could put a pan of water.

EBEBRATT-Ed · 12:42AM

Anyone notice the high limit set at 250?

I can't imagine what 250-degree air is like.

I bet the stack temp is like 1000 degrees. There is no danger of squirrels or birds coming down that chimney.

And no worries about flue gas condensation.

Luckly the house hasn't gone up in flames.

Does it take house air for the return air or is it taking in outdoor air?

I agree that that Roberts Gordon burner is probably 1950s Used to be thousands of them around.

mattmia2 · 1:27AM

you can see a return duct in one of the pictures. i would think if the firing rate is anything reasonable it doesn't get anywhere near 250.

Williamson Octopus Furnace still alive and well

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