L An increased consumption of gas. A careful considera-
tion of the use made of gas during the period covered by the
bill will very often reveal the fact that an unusual amount of
gas has 1>een consumed. Bakings ranuing of fruit, entertain-
ing, the coming of long winter evenings, and the like aie a
common cause of increased gas consumption resulting in
larger bills than usual Leaks in the gas pipes of the house
may produce the- same i*esults.
2. An error of the gas company in rearJing the meter or in
office work. If the consumer reads his own meter and checks
the bill, the f|uestion as to whether tliis cause is operative can
be quickly ascertained,
3. A fa^t meter. If the two above causes apparently do
not exist, the consumer will naturally consider that his meter
is fast.
The best procedure for the consumer who thinks his meter
incorrect varies with tlie locality. Many of the larger cities
are provided with meter-inspection departments, under the
supervision of the city or state, and the consumer can have
hifl meter tested by this department. If his meter is found to
be fa^t in excess of the established tolerance, the
s round to m
I company I
HOUSEHOLD MEASUREMENTS AND THEIR USE 147
usually pays the fee for the test and refunds to the consumer
a certain amount, depending on the magnitude of the error of
the meter and the probable length of time that the consumer
has been thereby overcharged. If the meter is found to be
within the tolerance^ or '\slow/'* the consumer usually pays
the fee (about ^1), and may have to pay the gas company for
the probable amount he has been undercharged.
MEASURIKQ ELECTRICITY
How to read an electric meter,
A view of the dials of a modern electric meter is given in
Fig, 43. The method of reaifing Is similar to that for the dials
MLOWATT MOUR5
Pto. 43. — Dial of a watthuur meter. In this dial the hands are eoirectiy
set OD their shafts. The reading is 5llB4dlowatt hours*
of a gas meter as exphiined on page 144. The reading in Fig, 43
is 538 kilowatt hours. In taking down these figures one should
re^ the dials from right to left; that is^ in the reverse of the
usual order of writing numbei-s. The pointer on the dial at
the extreme right points to 8; the number S is written down as
the figure in the units place- The index of the next dial to the
left has passed the 3, but has not reached tlie 4, as shown by
the fact that the units' dial reads 8; the figure 3 is accordingly
written in the tens^ place. The index of the third dial has passed
the 5, and this figure is to l)e written in llie hundreds^ place,
giving 538 kilowatt hours as the reading of the meter, since the
index of the dial at the extreme left has not reached the figure 1.
If the index hand of the second dial in Fig. 43 be turned
slightly so as f n point to, or even sHghtly past, the figure 4, it
becomes^ more dilficult to read the meter correctly, bb a hasty
I
d
148 A MANUAL OF HOME-MAKING
Page 83
Presented as published in 1919. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A modernized reading is not available for this page yet. You are seeing the original text.
L An increased consumption of gas. A careful considera-
tion of the use made of gas during the period covered by the
bill will very often reveal the fact that an unusual amount of
gas has 1>een consumed. Bakings ranuing of fruit, entertain-
ing, the coming of long winter evenings, and the like aie a
common cause of increased gas consumption resulting in
larger bills than usual Leaks in the gas pipes of the house
may produce the- same i*esults.
2. An error of the gas company in rearJing the meter or in
office work. If the consumer reads his own meter and checks
the bill, the f|uestion as to whether tliis cause is operative can
be quickly ascertained,
3. A fa^t meter. If the two above causes apparently do
not exist, the consumer will naturally consider that his meter
is fast.
The best procedure for the consumer who thinks his meter
incorrect varies with tlie locality. Many of the larger cities
are provided with meter-inspection departments, under the
supervision of the city or state, and the consumer can have
hifl meter tested by this department. If his meter is found to
be fa^t in excess of the established tolerance, the
s round to m
I company I
HOUSEHOLD MEASUREMENTS AND THEIR USE 147
usually pays the fee for the test and refunds to the consumer
a certain amount, depending on the magnitude of the error of
the meter and the probable length of time that the consumer
has been thereby overcharged. If the meter is found to be
within the tolerance^ or '\slow/'* the consumer usually pays
the fee (about ^1), and may have to pay the gas company for
the probable amount he has been undercharged.
MEASURIKQ ELECTRICITY
How to read an electric meter,
A view of the dials of a modern electric meter is given in
Fig, 43. The method of reaifing Is similar to that for the dials
MLOWATT MOUR5
Pto. 43. — Dial of a watthuur meter. In this dial the hands are eoirectiy
set OD their shafts. The reading is 5llB4dlowatt hours*
of a gas meter as exphiined on page 144. The reading in Fig, 43
is 538 kilowatt hours. In taking down these figures one should
re^ the dials from right to left; that is^ in the reverse of the
usual order of writing numbei-s. The pointer on the dial at
the extreme right points to 8; the number S is written down as
the figure in the units place- The index of the next dial to the
left has passed the 3, but has not reached tlie 4, as shown by
the fact that the units' dial reads 8; the figure 3 is accordingly
written in the tens^ place. The index of the third dial has passed
the 5, and this figure is to l)e written in llie hundreds^ place,
giving 538 kilowatt hours as the reading of the meter, since the
index of the dial at the extreme left has not reached the figure 1.
If the index hand of the second dial in Fig. 43 be turned
slightly so as f n point to, or even sHghtly past, the figure 4, it
becomes^ more dilficult to read the meter correctly, bb a hasty
I
d
148 A MANUAL OF HOME-MAKING