Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1863-11-20


How to Read a Gas Meter. The fol-
lowing from the Cincinnati Enquirer will be
interesting to gas consumers who are not al.
ready posted in the matter tofwhich it re-
lates; ...l
Seghe veraoity Of gas companies is often
called into question by consumers of that ar
ticle, though with how much Justice is not of
course for us to decide The employers of
the company maintain that they deal honestly
by their customers, and the attes knowing
that they are in the power of the company
often pay their bills feeling dissatisfaction. -
The matter of dissatisfaction mgtthe easily
remedied. The process of reading meter
is almost as simple as telling the time Of day
by clock, and may be acquired bysany per-
son OF common intelligencein ten minutes. -
Below we give brief explanation AZ the
top of the meter is placed a small tip case,
three or four inches long, which opens by
means of little door in front, and diecloses
a plate with three small dials, about al inch
in diameter, which are furnished With one
pointer apiece, moved by cog-whees aua PIN
ions on the inside, which, in turn, are made
to revolve by a large wheel propelled By the
passage of the gas. The circle on the dial is
divided into ten spaces numbered aronndathe
edges with figures, like the dial of clock
The dial on the extreme right indicates, By
means of its pointer, the burning Of one hun
dred feet of gas the dial in the middle indi-
Gates the burning of ore thousand feet, and
the dial on the left indicates the burning 6f
ten thousand feet For instance, the three
pointers all stand at cypher. The pointer oa
the right hand dial having moved from cyphee
TO, q ota thnN L.. r Il
of gas have been consumed If it move to the
two, two hundred feet, ald so on, until the
pointer has gone around the circle and again
reached the cypher, when one thousand feet
have been consumed. When this point has
been reached the eye will be directed to the
next dial, when it will be found thai the point
er has moved to the figure one, indieating,that
one Thousand feet have been consumed. The
pointer on the first dial continues on, and still
marking the amount passing. Suppose that
at the end of the first month the pointer on
the first dial stands ut eight, that on the sec
ond between one and two, 1t is easy to under
etand that one thousand eight hundred have
been consumed When the pointer on the
second dial reaches two, that on the first is
again at eyphef, indicating that two thousand
feet have been consumed Thus it goes on un-
til the pointer on the second dial has made the
circuit, which indicates that ten thousand feet
have been consumed, when the pointer on the
third dial will stand at one. This, in, turn
with an entire revolution indicates that one
hundred thousand leet have been consumed.
Taking the three dials in connection, the ex-
act amount Of cubic feet may thus be ascer-
tained, commencing anew every ltime one
hundred thousand feet have been run through
the meter and been consumed Now, 10 as.
certain the exact amount OF gas which will
be consumed in house during the coming
month of December, inspect the dials of the
meter on the FIRST of the month, the pointer
on the left hand dial perhaps stands between
the figures 6 aud Z, indicating sixty thousand
feet. The pointer on the middle dial stands
between 5 and 7, indicating Eve thousand feer,
and the pointer on the right hand dial stands
between and 8, indicating seven hundred
feet You thus have a total Of sixty-ive thous.
and seven hundred feet Of gas previously con
snmed. Set the figures down, and at the end
of the month again inspect the dial The
right hand dial stands, perhaps, nearly as be.
fore, and still indicates sixty thousand feet
The middle one has moved on and stands be.
tween and 8, indicating seven thousand -
The right hand Que has made number of rev.
olutions and stands between | aud 2, indi-
eating one hundred feel. We then have a
total OF sixty-seyen thousand one hundred feet
Subtract from this the number set down at the
beginning Of the month, and you have one
thousand four hundred ieet Of gas consumed.
Multiply this by the price per cubic foot, and
you have your gas bill for the month I'll
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