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|  File Name      : FRENETTE.ASC     |  Online Date     :  06/21/95          |
|  Contributed by : Kenny Morrow     |  Dir Category    :  ENERGY            |
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The following excellent article describes what is today referred to as
Hydrosonic heating systems.  A fellow named Griggs is selling a similar system
as 100% efficient though they apparently are overunity, which he will not
claim in his advertising.  This is a major research subject because it defies
the 2nd 'law' of thermodynamics and is of great interest to many people.
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"FUELESS FURNACE" USES FRICTION TO HEAT AVERAGE SIZE HOME FOR "50 CENTS A DAY"

                                  Taken from:
                              FARM SHOW MAGAZINE
                               8500- 210 TH ST.
                         JOHNSON BLDG. LAKEVILLE, MN.
                              VOL. 2 # 5    1978
                     (Picture available from the article)

Eugene Frenette pours hydraulic oil into his prototype "fuelless furnace".
The oil, combined with the spinning action of two cylinders, supposedly
creates friction which in turn, produces the heat.

"Defies a basic Law of physics -- a complete hoax," say skeptics. Prototype
shown below has been used to provide supplemental heat in Fernette's 12-room
house.

How about this --- a fuelless furnace that uses friction instead of fuel to
heat an average size home "for only $15 to $16 a month".  What's more, it
reportedly will sell for less than half the cost of a conventional oil or gas
furnace.  Sound too good to be true?

"You bet" say some observers, who claim the whole thing's a hoax - that it
defies a basic law of physics. But others, including a host of small
manufacturers and distributors, have jumped at the chance to get in on the
ground floor of a "breakthrough" development they feel can help solve the
energy crisis. They have invested in franchises and hope to be taking orders
for Eugene Frenette's fuelless furnace early next year.

It all started during the winter of 1977-78. It was costing Frenette, father
of 12 children - 10 of whom are still at home - a whopping $230 a month to buy
fuel oil to heat his huge, old uninsulated 12 room "Pillsbury mansion" in
Londonderry, New Hampshire. He launched a crash program to perfect his
invention - a simple but unorthodox 'fuelless' furnace which he maintains will
be able to heat an average size home for only 50 cents a day and which he
feels can be retailed "for $600 to $800."

Frenette installed his prototype friction heater in a 10-year-old washing
machine.  It's made up of two cylinders spinning in opposite directions.
There is a clearance of 1/8 in. between the two cylinders which are lubricated
by a quart of light motor oil. Spinning action of the cylinders and resulting
friction produces the heat, according to Frenette.

He claims franchised models will be odorless.  They don't require any chimney
since no fuel is burned and there is no flame, soot or odor and are as quiet
as a refrigerator. All models will plug into a regular 110 volt outlet and
will occupy no more space than a washing machine or dryer.

Estimated operating cost to heat an average size, well insulated home with a
200,000 btu friction "centric" heater is right at $15 a month (for electricity
to operate the motor).

One of the first successful prototypes was built in August by Max Johnston,
owner of Johnston's Metal Specialties in Creston, Iowa. "I'll admit I was
skeptical at first. Sounded like a hoax to me," says Max who was hired by the
owner of the "Frenette Furnace" franchises for Alaska and Kentucky to build a
prototype.

Following basic design specs supplied by Frenette, Johnston built a prototype
which, in his words, "made a believer out of a lot of skeptics around here.
including me." It cost about $800 to build, including about 40 hours of labor.
Now that we've built one, we could build another in a lot less time.  We
estimated its output at between 100,000 and 150,000 btu's.

The friction stove produced no odor, made no more noise than you would get
with a furnace motor, and we had no vibration or other problems with the
rotating circular drums which create the friction heat." Max told FARM SHOW.

According to Larry Nickerson, Frenette's son-in-law, all franchises except
Washington. D.C. and Hawaii, have been sold. Some individuals bought up 3 or 4
states.  Cost of a state franchise, based on population, was $2,500 cash, plus
an additional down payment payable on availability of the first approved
stoves, and a remaining balance spread out over 20 years.

The Iowa franchise for example, was priced at $145,000.  Of that, $2,500 was
payable immediately to hold the franchise, with $36,250 payable upon
availability of Frenette-approved stoves for sale.  The balance ($108,720),
plus interest is payable over 20 years in monthly installments.

"I bought two states and others from this area bought up many of the other
states franchises during the short time they were available." Harold Schweiss,
of Sherburn, Minn., told FARM SHOW.  Schweiss has hired a firm to produce a
working model which was completed and ready for testing just as this issue
went to press.

"Frenette came up with the idea but doesn't have manufacturing or marketing
expertise," explains Schweiss.  "Individual franchise holders are taking the
patented ides to local manufacturers to get a working model. These models,
subject to Frenette's approval will then be produced and sold when they've met
the usual battery of tests.

Eventually, the best features of these prototypes will be combined into
production models which will be essentially the same but produced by a number
of different manufacturers," Schweiss explains.
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