Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-15
MENACE AND WASTE
IN GAS co. SERVICE
CHARGED IN REPORT
icontinued FROM First Page

are incorrect and unsatisfactory for
present pressure conditions. 1t is i'm
portant that these be thoroughly
checked and altered as and If necessary
to meet requirements of definite pres
sure areas which should be established -
Some Can Be Corrected.
Unsatisfactory conditions of two
kinds were found during the survey
These were described as conditions
which might be Immediately corrected
and others which will require time for
correction.
The causes of these conditions the
report explained lie entirely with the
inadeQuacy OF the transmission system
| to care for present loads except in Wes-
ley Heights territory, where some de-
| ficiency of local distribution is indi-
Gated. The remedy, it said, is addi-
tional transmission main capacity,
which may be secured by installing ad-
ditional mains or additional district
governors or a combination of both. In
the Wesley Heights section, however,
the report said the remedy lies in i'm
proved distribution mains supplement-
ing transmission Improvements.
Depends on Requirements.
Service pressures, Mr.. Peck told the
commission, are dependent upon the vol
ume of the gas required by consumers
at particular times, and consequently
upon the outdoor temperatures prevail
ing, since considerable gas is used for
homes and general space heating. Gas
requirements, he said, also are de-
pendent on the days of the week. being
at maximum on Sundays end holi-
days, particularly Thanksgiving and
Christmas.
In spite of these requirements, Mr..
Peck explained plant station opera tors
are maintaining generally uniform
preSsures at the control stations located
throughout the distribution areas with
out regard to temperature, times of day,
or days of the week.
ut is certain" he declared, that
efforts directed toward a variation of
these pressures to meet these governing
conditions would result in better service
to the consumers and operating savings
to the companies"
During the past six months" the
report stated, "the companies have
added about 1900 house-heating GUS
toners and conducted several intensive
campaigns for appliance sales.
Transmission System Burdened.
while the house-heating business
the city. it and other increased load has
burdened the transmission system as
a whole until pressures have necessarily
been carried eXorbitantly high with the
resulting customers pressures indicated.
These high presSures have generally
been necessary in order to prevent I'M
duly low preSSureS at customers prem
Uses. Even under these conditions, how
ever. one section of the city wesley
Heights and adjacent territory has Suf-
fered from low presSures, which has
meant practically the depriving of con-
sumers in this section of services at GER
tain hours of the day under severe
weather conditions"
1T is respectfully urged that, if com
mission requirements are to be met or
even present infractions not exceeded,
immediate measures are necessary.
Conditions next Winter may be antici-
pated as materially more burdensome
than now prevail and plans to be made
effective against that time must be
consumated in the very immediate
future"
Changes in fundamental conditions
influencing presSures, Mr.. Peck pointed
out, indicate the desirability of a some
hat higher pressure than prescribed in
the existing regulations, and he sug-
gested a range from three inches mini
mum to eight or nine inches maximum,
which he said would better serve the
consumer than the present two to six
inch limitation. This recommendation
is predicated upon the assumption that
gas appliances are adjusted properly to
the general pressure conditions prevail
ing In the respective distribution areas.