The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-02-06
HIGH GAS BILLS AND THEIR PRE-
TENTION

VEN11OM.
A conflict exists ct present in Brooklyn
between the gas companies on one side and
some Of the gas consumers on the other
Tho price Of gas has reached lately 50 pei
1000 feet, and even at this high cost has BY
many been found to be of poor and unsatis
factory quality. As . result, some people
have abandoned the use of gas and substi
tuted lamps
It is we'll to remember that large gas bills
are due not merely to the cost per 1000 feet Of
the gas burnt, but to the number of feet con.
sumed. As any one can easily learn to read
his meter index from the instructions printed
on tho back of the bills rendered, it is pre-.
sumable that the consumer is informed OF the
quantity of gss he is using, and hence can
not dispute bills which accord with the
meter But the meter is sometimes the OBJ
ject of the consumers suspicion.
Now surprising him to be certain that no
gas unknown to him has been wasted, the
question of the veracity of tho meter is easily
settled by simple test The wet meter is
simply q circular box filed with water to
. point . little above its center. The axis
carries series of curved buckets, each capa-
Bile of holding . definite quantity of gas.
which ia ADMITTED ct the central part Of the
u0l6I, ana WHICH C6u600 LILO OuCA0I6 6uCCob-
sively to rise, thus keeping them in continu-
rises from the liquid, the gas escapes and goes
to the delivery pipe ct tho circumference,
while the quantity 50 discharged is measured
by the rotation of the bucket axis, acting on
gearing which communicates with an index.
Now to test this meter, provide any large air
tight vessel, say good sizsd jar, of which
the exact contents in cubic feet and inches liz
easily calculated Fill this with water and re-
verse it. mouth down. in q good sized pan, on
the bottom of which are two or three
inches of water. The atmospheric pressure
will keep the water in the jar The connection
between the house pipe and the meter being
previously cut, and piece of rubber tubing
attached to the meter, lead the end of the
gas, which will bubble up and displace the
water. The moment all the water in the jar
is driven out, stop off the gas. Fill the jar
with water again, thus expelling the gas col.
lec.ed, and repeat tho operation. Do this,
say five times, until in fact the previously de
termined cubic contents of the jar, multiplied
by the number of filings, equals exactly (for
exsmple) 10 cubic feet Now compare tho re-
suit thus obtained with tho indication of the
index on the meter, allowing = slight margin
in favor of the latter to compensate for any
inacouracy on your part, and the error of the
meter, if any there be, will ut once be ap-
parent
The causes of error may then be searched
for; and generally the trouble is that the
meter has either too much or too little water.
This water is put in through q screw, on top
of the front box and to the right It should
be admitted until it escapes from the ven, in
the side just below, when the same is opened.
It sometimes happens that q plumber in fill
ing q meter, will fill above the vent, and yet
not sufficiently raise the float (Which is sup
posed 10 regulate the entrance of the gas and
shut the same off when too much or too little
water is the CASEY. The effect Of this is to
the cubic contents of the buckets,
while the index shows no change in the num-
ber of evolutions of the drum. So that the
then pays for more indicated cubic
feet than he has really consumed
To remove water, try the bottom screw and
tai out the water from what is called the dry
well. When there is too little water in the
meter, its proper quantity is easily added,
and the contents should just escape from the
lower edge Of the vent In winter, the meter
is very prone to freeze; this need not occur
more than once, if the consumer will pour
little glycerine into the water after the thaw-
ing is accomplished Sometimes also the
water in old m sters becomes thick, from an
OF tar and dirt from the mains.
Thus causes slow and unsatisfactory action,
md should be remedied by cleaning the meter
,ut and replacing ,heimpure with fresh water.
There are various other causes Of high gas
bills which the householder might we'll look
o, but into which we can not enter in any
letail here. Prominen among these are the
burners, poor one OF which may easily burn
double the gas and not give half the light of
me properly constructed. The ordinary
ype of burner, besides, burns out, and,
through the enlargement of it, orifce, soon
becomes very was.eful of gas. Another cause
# waste is people trying to read or work by |
everal lights located in a high chandelier or |
ixture, instead Of by one light brought near |
hem. A single burner, one foot distant
rom the page of book, will shed |
N that page thlrty-six times more light than |
he same burner Six feet away; or, in other |
words, the single burner, located as first |
tated, will light up the page as brilliantly as
* chandeliers, OF six burners each, hung |
tx feet from the book. The absolute guam |
lty of light is the same at all distances, but it |
] spread out over an area which increases |
nth the square of the distance from the |
lame; go that it is obvious that lights are |
lsed very wastefully when they are placed |
ar away from the objects which they are to |
illuminate. -Scientjfc american.
rHE STEREOSCOPE AS A CIFILLZER.