Publix Opinion (Jan 17, 1930)

x PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF JANUARY 17TH, 1930 CHECK YOUR AIR CONDITIONING PLANTS! INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED BY MAINTENANCE DEPT. WILL SAVE COSTLY REPAIRS In line with the economy drive recently instituted by Publix, J. H. Elder, Director of Maintenance, has issued a set of instruc tions regarding the care and maintenance of the cooling and air con ditioning plants in theatres, application of which will insure against unusually expensive repair or replacement, as well as high operating costs. Two types of cooling systems are prevalent in our theatres: (1) The pressure system, manufactured by the Brunswick-Kroeschell Company, Wittenmeier Machinery Company and American Carbonic Company; (2) The vacuum system, manufactured by the Carrier Engineering Cor poration. Inasmuch as the entire responsibility for the proper maintenance and operation of these plants rests with us, after they have been approved and accepted by the operating company under Publix control, it is very important that only such operating engineers be employed who are especially familiar with the type of plant installed in the individual theatre. PAS SS Sea ea sae sa aeassssaaasnaseneasun~ pt ttt RN re GET A MAGNIFYING GLASS!! Solely for your personal benefit, Your Editor suggests that every Advertising Manager, and House Manager, have a_ small magnifying glass in his desk. This is to enable him to read the “reduction” on copy contained in some of the fac-simile-cuts used in PUBLIX OPINION. By so doing, much time will be saved. You can thus “lift” copy and ‘improve it, instead of merely depending upon your own copy-writing ingenuity. The reason PUBLIX OPINION makes many “cuts” so small, is obviously because of space limitations. We want to show you, firs, WHAT was done, and after that, with your magnifying glass, you can see HOW it was done. -Competent Help To keep the operating expenses pared down to a minimum, these plants must not only be manned by competent help but a systematic or routine method of operation must be established. which will be standard throughout the entire circuit. Otherwise, repairs, replacement and operating costs will be abnormal, resulting, generally, from carelessness. Ordinarily, repairs or replacements, such as the repairing of refrigerant leaks, cleaning of evaporators, tubes, purge, replacement of spray nozzles and the like should be done by the operating engineer, or help under his supervision. The manufacturer should be called in only on those rare oceasions when the repairing is of major importance, or beyond the facilities and ability of the operating engineer to handle. The manufacturer charges not only for labor and materials involved but also for traveling and other incidental expenses incurred by his representatives while away from their own headquarters. Inasmuch as this usually results in a substantial sum, it. is important to adhere to the policy of calling upon the manufacturer only when his intervention is absolutely necessary. Now that the non-cooling sea SR SUEREE EE SEU E OE EEE DUES R EERE S RSS EES BSE ESS ERS SEE ESS BE SESS ESSERE SESESEESEES SEER SREB BEEBE ES <u EERE EERE ERE SERSSES DSSS GUE RARER Raa See SE EEE EE ES RE RRS E EEE RSS EES SERRE ERE SSE EEE EE EEE EEE Ee eS ten days or two weeks. This will keep piston rod oil at the stuffing box where the leather cups are located and at the same time prevent the rod from corroding at this point. The oil will also find its way into the cylinder and keep the piston head and cylinder surfaces coated with oil. The operating engineer should go over the entire system at least every two weeks and check up on any joints which might be leaking so as to preserve as much gas as possible during the shut down period. : Do not shut off any of the CO? valves on the condenser or cooling coils, but the stuffing box nuts on these valves should be taken up every few weeks so as son is here, it is important that all managers whose theatres have a cooling or air conditioning plant in their theatres, submit a list of matters requiring | attention in connection with their plant before the cooling season starts. This list should be submitted to the District Maintenance Office. It should be in two parts: (1) those items which can be taken care of by the engineer or help un der him; (2) those which re quire an outside contractor or manufacturer of the equipment. Pressure System The following is a list of items requiring attention during the non-cooling season for the Pres sure System: |. 1. To endeavor to hold as much gas in the system during the shut down as possible. To accomplish this, close the two main_ stop valves on compressor; that is the suction stop valve and the discharge stop valve. Piston Rods should be coated with vaseline or light grease where it extends outside of the stuffing box so as to prevent erosion. ; The crank shaft and connecting rod should also be greased. In fact all exposed finished or polished parts should be greased in the same manner. 4. The edge ta box oil pump should ‘be kept filled with ice machine oil and the operating engineer should pump about an inch full out of the glass by hand every 9. to prevent any leakage of gas from the packing at the stems. If the condensers are located in a heated space where the temperature is above freezing it will be unnecessary to drain off water from the inner tubes. But on the contrary should the condensers be so located where the water would be subjected to a freezing ‘temperature it will then become necessary to drain the water from the inner tubes. It is preferable if these condensers are not exposed to a freezing temperature to keep them filled with water at all times so as to prevent erosion. All cooling towers or spray ponds in localities where temperatures reach the freezing point should have the water drained completely out of pans on the roof and also the return lines to the tower or spray pond. The valves in these return lines should be left open so the elements will not fill the riser pipe and thus cause breakage as a result of freezeups. All duct systems should be thoroughly cleaned by vacuum if possible, and where oil coating exists, this should be removed by hand. : All nuts, bolts and pipe connections should be tightened up to avoid leaks and vibration. — 10. All regulating or controlling de 12. All should be inspected so that same} vices on refrigerating machines should be checked very closely. 11. Humidifiers, pans, headers, elimi nator plates and diffusion plates should be thoroughly. cleaned and painted with a bitumastic paint and repaired wherever necessary. dampers and regulators are in proper working condition. A LOBBY WITH A KICK! No doubt about it, live lobbies pack a punch! Here is an example of one in the Strand Theatre, Knoxville, Tennessee, that made ’em bite the dust. On a Saturday showing the house did an average three days business. Note action posters, trick horses, and real as life cowboy. \ as to their alignment and clear ance. 5 14. Fan blades should be thoroughly cleaned, removing oil and grit. 15. All electrical equipment should _wiring and the like. be inspected in company with the house electrician and all parts showing wear or reason for replacement should -be taken care of before the cooling season begips. This will trol boards, include starters, conmotors, switches, Emergency where absolutely necessuch as resistance tubes, ete., parts, sary, carbon or copper contacts, should be kept at all times. Vacuum System The following is a list of items requiring attention during the non-cooling season for the Vacuum System: 1. Withdraw all refrigerant from the system and store it in drums with caps tightly screwed down on good lead washer gaskets, so that there can be no leaks. Do not fill the drums entirely full. a. A simple method of removing the refrigerant is by putting an air pressure of two or three pounds’ gage on the system and forcing the liquid out into an open drum. Thus, the condition of the refrigerant, and the progress made in filling the drum, ean be observed. Blank off vacuum gages which have no pressure scale, also rupture diaphragms. b. The main charge is removed from the evaporator thru the filler connection. This connection removes the entire cooler and pump charge. The trap, condenser, and return liquid line can be drained thru the trap fitting, connecting to the purge return, where styled “RB” “and “C” purges are used. Where this connection is not provided, drain this section thru a 1%” hole, (provided for the occasion, if not already present, and carefully plugged later) near the bottom of the trap. O82 Oo © O0-O-0O0-O-O+-O-+O2-O+O+-O-B:-S02 S G2 O82 OO Ps $0 +-© 901-01 O+© O0-O 10+ © O9-O-9G0+-@ + O-O-2O0-O-2O+OO 2-O-+O+-O 100-22 O+-O-+ 0+ O° Or-O O° OOOO CORRECTIONS! The eagle eyes of Publix showmen, and the care with which every portion of PUBLIX OPINION is read by the boys in the field, is exemplified by the instant detection of an error which appeared in the February Forecast Calendar published in the issue of Jan. 10th. : In the calendar, under Feb. 3, appeared the following statement: “Lent begins on February 13th and lasts until March 30th.” This, of course, is an error. Lent opens on Ash Wednesday, March 5th and _ ends Easter Sunday, April 20th. Another slip-up spotted in the field was the printer’s error whereby ‘‘Tuesday, Jan. 4th’ was run instead of the correct date, Jan. 7, as Mr. Adolph Zukor’s birthday. | 138. All bearings should be Checked .e-e-0--e-0--0-0-0:0-o10-o+0-O10010-070" O20" 020. o refrigerant withdrawn. ©O2-O-2O+-© 2 8+-@-2O0-O-+O+-O--O+-O-10*-©-G-1O+-G-10+-G-102--10"OO" 10* S20 O18*-S O° D810" O10 01H HOW TO OBTAIN FREE STAGE BROADCAST If you have any kind of talent in your theatre, there is no reason: why you can’t arrange a broadcast| show from your stage, on the final evening performance of “blue” Mondays. Your local radio station will be glad to get the program, and will pay the line charges, and any expense involved. It’s being done in many Publix. theatres, and has been for several years. Some of the theatres sell the program to a prominent local advertiser, who pays all costs, in addition to paying the talent and the theatre. Several towns charge the — advertiser $500 for this, paying the talent about $200, expenses of about,;$75, and getting the benefit of the plugging of the current andi | advance shows, as well as an in e. Remove all water from refrigerant. Its presence is easily de ‘tected by a muddy color and it floats on top of the refrigerant, appearing with the last ef the Pour the water from the surface of the refrigerant after a little settling. d. If there is any oil in the refrigerant it should be removed by distillation when recharging for the next season’s operation. This is done simply by pulling a drum to the system, and vaporizing the refrigerant from the drum by heat to the refrigerating system. The oil and dirt will remain behind in the drum and the pure vapors can be condensed in the system by allowing a small amount of cooling water to pass thru condenser. A full charge of oil should remain in the compressor thruout this period. Before beginning the next season’s operation, the compressor should be run long enough to warm the oil slightly, stir it up, and flush the oil channels. Then drain all the old oil from the system, with as much of the scale and grit as possible, and recharge with fresh. oil. Maintain a vacuum of 10” to. 20” on the system thru-out the idle period. About once a week run the macnihe long enough’ to lubricate the bearings, fill the seal reservoir and change the position of the motor, so that no rust marks are allowed to grow on the bearing ends of the shaft, or on the impellers. : If the room where the machine is located is damp, keep all polished or finished surfaceswell: greased. Keep the coupling well oiled. — Examine and repack if necessary the liquor pump stuffing boxes before starting a new season. ~ The cooler and condenser tubes should be examined and cleaned thoroughly at least once every two years, oftener where found desirable or where dirty water is used. In plants where fine dust or acid fumes are likely to get in the cooler water, the cooler tubes ee be given additional attenjon, All water should be drained from the cooler, condenser motor cooler, oil cooler, etc. Special care should be taken to do this completely, where machines are in locations exposed to outdoor conditions or in unheated rooms, to prevent freezing. A vacuum is to be maintained on the system during the shut down period, but all refrigerant is to be removed at the end of the operating season. The vacuum should be broken once a week, when there is no refrigerant in the system, and pumped up immediately after to purge out any accumulated water vapor. Where a style ‘“D” purge is installed, the refrigerant should be removed from the purge “hamber, and replaced by a lhgnt grade of oil, such as Gargoyle D.T.E. Oil light. This oil can be used to pump up a vacuum of about 15 inches. All cooling towers or spray ponds in localities where temperatures reach the freezing point should have the water drained completely out of pans on the roof and also the return lines to the tower or spray pond. The valves in these return lines should be left open so the elements will not fill the riser pipe and thus _ cause breakage as a result of freezeups. All duct systems should be thoroughly cleaned by vacuum if] possible, and where oil coating exists, this should be removed|by hand. : come that means $225 each week. The program director or owner of the local station will be glad to arrange this for you, if you want | it. Another advantage of the stage broadcast is that it attracts extra ticket-buyers. ot 10. Acrofin cooling coils (for cooling: motor air) should be taken apart. and cleaned. All gauges known to be out of callibration should be iramediately repaired. 11. All nuts, bolts and pipe connections should be tightened up to avoid leaks and vibration. 2. All regulating or controlling de-— vices on refrigerating machines should be checked very closely. 18. Humidifiers, pans, headers, eliminator plates and diffusion plates. should be thoroughly cleaned and painted with a bitumastic paint © and repaired wherever necessary. 14. All dampers and _e regulators. should be inspected so that same are in proper working condition. | 15. All bearings should be checked ~ as to their alignment and clearance. ) 16. All electrical equipment should be inspected in company with the house electrician and all. parts showing wear or reason for replacement should be taken care of before the cooling season begins. This will include starters, control boards, motors, switches, wiring and the like. Emergency parts, where absolutely necessary, such as resistance tubes, carbon or copper contacts, etc., should be kept at all times. ; 17. Fan blades should be thoroughly cleaned, removing oil and grit. For reasons stated above and because it is most important that operating engineers in charge of cooling plants familiarize themselves with each part of this equipment and its operating conditions, it is found most practical to have evaporators, coolers and humidifiers all cleaned by help under the operating engineer’s supervision. er Rent Chain Blocks In instances where chain blocks — are not on hand they can be obtained from a local contractor on a rental basis, possibly at the rate of $5.00 per week. It is felt certain that in each cooling plant there is an I Beam available where the chain block can be secured for removing the heads of coolers or evaporators. ; The most efficient way to clean the tubes in the evaporators and coolers is to first wire brush same and then blow out the residue with compressed air. In cleaning the humidifiers the spray nozzle risers should be removed from the headers in the air washers and the riser pipes, nipples and spray nozzles should be thoroughly cleaned and replacements made where necessary. Diffusion and _ eliminator plates — should also be removed and wire brushed. All of the interior of the air washers including piping, floor pan, etc., should be coated with a bitumastic paint as approved by this office.’ : There should be no mystery or gross carelessness in the operation and maintenance in cooling systems in Publix theatres as the maintenance Department is prepared to furnish the theatre manager or operating engineer with any information or assistance which might be required to efficiently operate and maintain his plant.