New Britain herald., 1917-04-13
How Electricity Enters the House.

''Electricity is brought into the house over the electric light wires!' "Yes, but how does it get on the wire, what keeps'it on and where does it go top
 ''Why, why" stammered the Head of the House, ''it is used up as light in the lamps as heat in the disk stove and as power in the motor of the vacuum cleaner"
 Then he turned again to the eve ming paper as though the matter of electricity in the home was thoroughly 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. It>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 a water power. Just as much water
 flows out of the tail race of a water power as enters the head gates Not Only the pressure, or energy of the l falling water is changed into mechan- !. ical power by the waterwheel.
 And this is equally true of the elec- ] tric current. Just as much electricity l flows out of the house, via the return l wire, as enters it. Only the energy ] of this electric current is utilized. It l is changed into heat, power and light l through the medium of electric heat CTS, electric motors and electric lamps. 1 The electricity enters the house at a l pressure of about 110 volts. It flows easily, and without serious resistance, l along the copper wires. These wires, l known as the ''circuit' or path, are protected with insulation. This insu- lation consists of rubber, special gums, l varnishes and cloth In addition to ] this each wire is suspended from porcelain blocks as a further precau- 1 ton. The electricity cannot flow ] through the insulation of the wire. ] Even if it did it could not pass l 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 in every room and to all parts
 of the house where 1t is to be used. These electric wires are designed to carry only certain amount of elec- ! tricity. To prevent a heavy flow of the current over the small house wires each line is protected with a little de- | vice called "fuse." A fuse is noth- ing 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 am-
 pores at 11O volts. Any attempt to
 draw more than this over the line will melt the lead wire and thus auto
 matically open the circuit.
 The electricity cannot flow over tho house wires unless the circuit is com plete. Whenever you turn on an elec- tric light you complete an electric cir
 cult and allow the current to flow. The flow of this current through 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 flowing over 1 the house circuits. Whenever lamp i is turned on, a motor started, or a l heating device used, the current starts I to flow This current flows first ] through the electric meter. This meter measures the watthours of cur rent flowing over the wire. A thou sand of these watthours are equal to one kilowatt From the meter the current flows over the various cir