Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-04-22
ELECTRIC METERS.
HOW ELECTRICITY is MEASURED FOR
THE CONSUMER.

LIE SOtSSOWEhs
A Plain and Easily CoHprehenled De-
Not Generally Understood, Even by
People Who Have to Pay the Bills.
There is no doubt that consumers OF cleo
trio light and others interested have fire.
quently wondered how the ingenuity of
man has succeeded in measuring the
amount of electricity used in stores and
private dwellings.
Open one of the meters of the Edison
company and you will find that it consists
of two compartments; in the upper you
will find a thin piece of German silver run
ming in a zigZag line across the compart-
ment; in the lower compartment, separated
from the upper by a bar, the latter being
part of the cast iron construction of the
meter, there is a spool Of copper wire and
a bottle; in the latter there are two pieces
of zinc, separated from each other by
means Of piece of rubber. These three
things constitute the meter Some meters
contain two of each kind, and are called
double meters, being capable Of doing
double the work done by single meter,
The principle underlying the measuring
of electricity is that of electroplating The
latter is done by means of an electric bat
terry, piece of copper being placed in the
battery on the opposite pole or wire, and
the object to be plated being placed on the
negative wire; by the action of the cleo
tricity the copper is eaten away from the
positive wire and deposited on the article
fastened to the opposite wire. In the cleo
trio light meter two pieces of zinc are
uscd this zinc must be chemically pure
in order that the measurements may be
perfectly correct These two pieces of zinc
are separated by rubber and joined by rub
Der bolts, SO that they may be near each
other and still not permit Of passing of the
electric current.
One piece represents the positive pole,
the other the negative pole. Now, the
more electricity passes through these pieces
of zinc the more zinc will be taken from
the positive to the negative pole, SO that if
enough electricity is used, in course of time
all the zinc would be on one pole. Here
you have the principle of measuring cleo
trcity After the pieces of zinc have been
in operation for some time one will weigh
more than the other, and it is just matter
of mathematical calculation how much Is
charged, the charge being relative to the
amount Of zinc decomposed.
But if the bottle were all that was used
for the measuring of electricity, it would
REQUIRE bottle the size of a house tc
measure the electricity used in the average
residence or store, and the consumption OF
zinc would be something enormous 1t is
for this purpose that the piece of German
silver is used, this metal being selected as
best fitted for the purpose. This piece o;
+,,l ,e.o laI oh +e.I,,
off most of the electricity and prevents i;
from going through the bottle
This piece of metal is so accurately ad
justed that it takes just 500 parts of cleo
tricity to one which passes through the
light wire before it goes to the lamps
passes through the meter; here one-thou
sandth part passes through the bottle with
it's pieces of zinc, the rest being shuntet:
eff through the German silver. It is OIL
this account that the size of the bottle may
he reduced to small dimensions.
The spool of copper wire is fixed between
the wire and bottle. When the solution OF
gulphate of zinc contained in the bottle
gets too warm, it permits more electricity
to pass through it than the one-thousandth
part of the whole. At the same time the
increase in temperature would have an OPP
posite effect on the German silver, and less
would pass through, This would result III
| ii very heavy registering, the amount OF
zinc consumed being proportionally large,
and would be an injustice to the consumer.
In order to avoid this the spool of copper
wire is used When the bottle gets too
warm the copper wire is similarly affected.
The copper Goes not permit the bottle to
gobble up all the electricity it would like,
and thus acts as a regulator
During the last days CT the months en-
ployees of the Edison company go about
among the customers Of the company gath
ering in all the bottles and replacing them
by others. These bottles are all carefully
| marked and taken to the office of the com
pany. Here the pieces OF zinc are sepa-
rated and the negative pieces, which are
indicated by being opposite to where the
head of the rubber bolt is, are carefully
washed and then permitted to dry.
After this their record is looked up, and.
tie operator knows just to milligram
how much each piece of zinc weighed be-
fore it left the works and was put in the
meter On one of the most nicely adjust
ed scales the zinc is weighed and the diff
ference in it's weight noted down. This
decrease of weight is multiplied by fig
ure known as the constant, and the result
is the bill of the consumer in dollars and
cents
OF course the zinc removed from the
| positive pole is deposited on the negative.
and the amount OF electricity used might
be ascertained by weighing the negative
piece and noting the increase in weight
But this would not be accurate, as some Of
the zinc in process of being transferred
| from pole to pole is lost in the solution
| besides that, to determine the amount @
electricity used in this way would give
way to fraud on the part of few consum
ers who understand electricity. There Is
no likelihood of their scraping the positive
pole, for the more they scrape it til,
| higher would their bill be.
1t is but natural that only the mos;
| nicely adjusted scales can be used in th
weighing of these pieces of zinc. In the
| first place, before the weighing is don
| every door and window is closed, although
| the weighing is done in an inside room
| the least bit of air would add several dol
lars to some consumers bill Then thu
scales are covered with glass, and it i.
only when the piece Of zinc has been places
on the scales and the glass lowered thai
the weighing is proceeded with.-PatersoI
| q. j. Press