Honeywell Heat Generator No. 1

I have a heat generator too! No gauges anywhere on my set up though. It has been pretty interesting figuring out how to keep it runnin with the limited information out there. 100% gravity is so nice, no power! Might not look the greatest, but they sure don’t make anything like they used too.

Gorgeous. The radiators are pretty, too.

Keep that guy. He gets it.

Amazing device but unfortunately in the old days manufacturers didn't think ahead much when It came to safety. In this case though mercury wasn't considered a safety hazard ..much. So fast forward a hundred years. A friend of my sister's family have a house built in 1905 or so and have a water based boiler heating system which included a Honeywell Heat Generator.

They called a heating company and a crew of two came out to replace the boiler. I am not sure of the details about exactly what they changed it over to ( I am an electrician and electrical contractor owner) but unfortunately the crew that was sent out had no idea what they were dealing with. They scrapped parts of the old system, including the heat generator. Of course it was tossed onto the pile of other pipes and refuse and, naturally, gravity doing what it usually does accellerated the spewing out mercury at 32 feet / sec² all over the ( rough) concrete floor. And , yes unfortunately , these " youngins" not only didn't understand what a Heat Engine was , they didn't understand what mercury is evidently and certainly not the dangers with coming into contact with it. Very very unfortunate indeed. They " swept up" the mess...I kid you not...and left when done.

You might imagine the rest ? Old house, laundry faciliities in the basement. Mom/Dad walking down stairs to do the laundry and strolling across the floor containing liquid mercury remnants. Bare feet, shoes, slippers on ...carrying the mercury up the stairs and then throughout the house ..into the carpeting in the bedrooms and living room ,etc. Vacuuming the carpet? Yep, spreading it further. Of course health conditions ensued..all kinds of them. They had no very young children ..the most vulnerable to mercury poisoning. The worst conditions involve developing brains. But there are plenty of other ailments it causes. Well as you can imagine , its most contractor's nightmare situation..lawsuits,etc. Long term dissabilities, expensive remediation, replacements, etc. It was eventually settled.

Even though I am an electrical contractor..I sent emails to every HVAC contractor I knew about and/or worked with and gave them this story and warned them to be aware of this type of mercury containing component. One would think that instead of just imprinting " Honeywell Heat Generator #1" on the iron case it would add " caution contains liquid metallic mercury , dispose of properly ". But as always , easy to say with what we know now. Live & learn !

As an electrical contractor we have all sorts of " old" potentially dangerous wiring , such as K & T ( knob & tube) from the 1880's to the 1930's. If its not dealt with properly can cause fires..and death/ destruction. Many many young electricians don't have a clue what K&T wiring is or how to deal with it.

Or terrified of learning?

I'm sorry for them.

mecury doesn't need to get tracked around the house, if you spread it out some of it evaporates and the vapors from that are dangerous.

Simple solution: A “CONTAINS MERCURY” label. Skull and crossbones or worse: A picture of a lawyer in a suit.
You can’t expect a laborer to know what’s inside that thing. Even a heating professional may not recognize it.

My point...a "good" professional better or like the hacks that did this job..you're gonna be up **** creek without a paddle.

I guess I'm sort of an odd duck… 84. Smoked most of my life — two to three packs a day, mostly unfiltered Camels or Luckys. Lived pretty close to the edge most of the time. But I'm happier looking around and saying "hey! That was quite a ride" than looking around quivering and paralyzed by each new fear that some white coated person comes up with and saying "but I was always so careful". But that's me..

This guy:

Oh I agree, @EBEBRATT-Ed . No question that asbestos fibres aren't good for you — at all. And while metalic Mercury isn't poisonous, some of its compounds are really nasty neurotoxins, as is the vapour. No question at all. But it's a matter of relative risk, and that is something which many people — most? — have a very hard time evaluating. So some risks really scare folks, even though the actual risk of dying or getting some major problem is verry very small, and some risks — many orders of magnitude larger, such as venturing out on the highway every day — we accept without thinking about it. We seem to be much more able to accept risks over which we at least we have some control than we are risks which are invisible or over which we have no control.

No doubt about it. Innovation has always been around , from the cavemen figuring out the " chimney effect" for indoor heating to the WiFi Hvac systems of today where you can adjust the temp of your house in Minnesota from you Vacation home in Hawaii. There's definitely a sense of satisfaction not being dependent on electricity for your hot water , heating & cooking. Good'ole gravity & thermocouples. Ok , so you are dependent on "milli-volts" and a consistent supply of fuel ⛽️ . As far as electrical goes. I can't say I know of anyone currently alive that would say K&T wiring is or even was "better" than the wiring material & methods being used today. I actually have a nostagia based fondness for it. In fact I try to search out old historic homes that have retained the original K&T wiring installation in it. One is the James J. Hill mansion( museum) , built over 3 years finishing in 1891. I always try and imagine an electrician in 1912 working in an attic in 12 degree F weather trying to solder wires together. Crazy stuff.

Incidently, heres a few pics from that J.J. Hill home...pictures of the two coal furnaces in the basement. All gravity heating system, including a system that heated the ice build up on the roof and gutter system. The light fixture is a " dual-fuel" sconce light in the dining room. It has both electrical bulbs and natural gas " mantles" to provide light. Many people were skeptical at the time about this " new fangled" thing called electricity.

I love those pics. Thanks for sharing. The Heat Generator has an interesting story. I would love going back in time to meet Mark Honeywell, really smart

I've been looking around for a really detailed "cross sectional" diagram of exactly how the Honeywell Heat Engine isolated the approximately 200⁰ F. boiler water from the vent or expansion tank along with an explanation of how it worked. I kind of know the basics.. "tube within a tube", etc.

Bigelow made really good boilers they lasted forever.

For those that think steam boiler are always cast Iron……..no. Steal boilers are very common for steam just not in residential.

Bigelow closed down in 1986.

Someone bought the engineering and can make Bigelow parts. They are known now as the Bigelow Company