Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1914-05-13
HOW ELECTRICITY
ENTERS The Rouse

roiioWin9 the Route OF the Invisible
Current in the Home and Ex-
planning How It Behaves.
Electricity is orough. into the
house over the electric light wire So,
Yes, but how does it get On the
wire, what keeps it on and where
does it go to?''
Why, why stammered the Heed
OF the House." it is used up as light
IN the lamps, as heat in tEe disk
stove and as power In the motor ot
the vacuum cleaner"
Then he turned again 10 the eve
ning paper as though the matter o.
electricity in the home was thorougA-
ly explained.
This common error should be cor
rected at once Electricity is not
used up in the electric lamp, it is not
burned up in the electric stove, it is
not consumed by the electric motor
1t is only the energy of the electric
current which is utilized, Just the
same as it is only the energy of fall
ing water which is utilized from
water power. just as much water
flows out OF the tail race OF water
power as enters the head gates. Not
single drop OF water is consumed.
Only the pressure, or energy, Of the
falling water is changed into mscaaa-
lcal power by the water wheel
And this is equally true of the cleo
trio current. Just as much electrici-
ty flows out Of the house, via the re-
turn wire, as enters it. Only the en-
ergy Of this electricity current is IT'LL
lied. 1t is changed into heat, power
and hight through the medium Of cleo
trio heaters, electric motors and cleo
trio lamps.
The electricity enters the house at
a pressure of about 11O to 22O volts.
1t flows easily, and without serious
resistance, along the copper wires.
These wires, known as the Circuit"
or path, are protected with insulation
This insulation consists of rubber,
special gums, varnislles and cloth. In
addition to this each wire is suspend
ed from porcelain blocks as a further
precaution. The electricity cannot
flow through the insulation of the
wire. Even if it did it could not
pass through the air, or the porcelain
blocks as they are impervious to the
flow Of the electric current. Over
these wires, or circuits, the current is
directed to every room and to all
parts OF the home where it is to be
used. Those electric wires are de-
signed to carry only certain amount
of electricity To prevent a heavy
flow of the current over the small
house wires each line is protected
with little device called a fuse"
A fuse is nothing more or less than a
bit of lead wire inserted in the line
This bit of lead is designed to carry
just so much current, usually about s
amperes at 10 volts. Any attempt to
draw more than this over the line
will melt the lead wire and thus au-
tomatically open the circuit.
The electricity cannot flow over
the house wires unless the circuit is
complete. Whenever you turn ON an
electric light you complete an cleo
trio circuit and allow the current to
flow. The flow of this current thru
the filament of the lamp heats it
white hot and produces light When
no lamps are in service, and no other
devices in use. no electricity is flow
ing over the house circuits. When
ever a lamp is trned on, motor
started or heating device used. the
current starts to flow This current
| flows first through the electric meter.
This meter measures the watthours
of current flowing over the wire. A
thousand of these watJhours are equal
to one kilowatt From the meter the
! current flows over the various cir
cults where it is being used When it
reaches the lamp, the heating device,
or the motor, some OF the energy of
the current is changed into light en-
ergy, into heat energy or into me-
chanical energy. The current itself
is not used, but flows on over the re-
turn wires out of the house and back
to its source in the power station.