THE CARE OF THE GAS ACCOUNT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2672, 15 December 1923, Page 1

THE CARE OF THE GAS ACCOUNT.

(By J. Gibbs in “Hobart Gas Review.”) When (he ordinary man gets a gas account which he considers is excessive he will probably take up one of three attitudes; lie may say: “Oh well, I suppose we must grin and hear it,” but while he is hearing il he seethes with discontent, and talks to his friends about it; or he may say: “This is too hot,-I’ll go down and blow them up,” and then he will clap on his hat, tell the world in general that he is going to cause a riot in the Gas Office, and stalk out in search of a good listener. When lie discovers his man he says: “Look here, my account is all to glory this quarter, I can't have burnt it. if you look hack you’ll see I’ve never had • s uch an account before. You’d better send a man up to see if the gas is escaping, and while he i. s there he could have a look at the cooker and s ‘‘ l ‘ if anything f- wrong with it. lie d bet ter lake the meter awa \ and test it, too —1 ciin’l understand how yon make it so much, we haven’t

made any jam this quarter, we never have more than two chops for breakfast, and we always light the range

fur <l innor. I suppose we are paving (<>r the- air you pump through tlie pipes. W hen this man has s;ii<l his say, he can lie (realeel in much Ihe same way tis the man who lakes up ihe third altitude —tiie (bird man says: “I think my gas is costing me too much, can you tell me what I should do?” llis stand is that of ihe reasoning man, who realises that tin* fault may as easily he at home as with the Ous Company. Both these latter gentlemen say the same thing in effect—they ask for help and information. 'They must first of all he told that big hills made at home, that if they live well they must he prepared to meet Ihe cost, and that the roof of Ihe trouble will pro ha My he found in the kitchen. We Australians are good trenchermen, big meat-eaters, and we must not forget that the cost of our good meals does not- end at the price of the beef. We must add the

cost of the vegetables and the gas to cook Ihe whole. It may also be true that there is a little negligence in the culinary department. The gas may not he turned oil" as soon as its work is finished, perhaps half a gallon water is boiled when only a pint is needed, and so on. Comparisons, according to the sage, are odious, and it is not very advisable to look at the corresponding- quarter last year for help—our habits and customs change from day to day, and what was extraordinary then may lie usual to-day,

It is not necessary for a man to go all over the house looking for gas escapes with a match —the little lest dial at the top of the meter clockface will record the smallest quantity of gas, so that if it moves 5 when no gas is being used, there is a hole somewhere. The next thing that our angry friend mentioned was that, there may lie something wrong with the cooker. As a rale there i.s nothing in tiiis idea, hut perhaps if the stove is very old fashioned it may he economy to'scrap it. Of course, it stands 1o reason that a modern cooker with asbestos-packed oven will use less gas once the oven is hot than an oven with sheet-iron sides which every draught will cool. If tin: stove stands between a door and a window, or in a fireplace with no damper, the draught is_a serious consideration, especially on the to]3 of (he stove, where every breeze disturbs the tiame.

The idea that the meter needs testing-is a result of ignorance of its working. The meter is really a

marvellous piece of accurate mee-

hnnism, which is simple in design mill ellicieni in operation. In the suitable climate of Tasmania, a meter will work day in and day out for years without need of attention, and when il does go wrong, if left too lung, its usual tendency is to grow slower and slower until it allows the gas to pass without registering the consumption on the dial. Ll must he realised that the meter is a machine of metal and leather, and not a tin box which helps the meter reader to guess the account by some spritualistio power. When we try to remember everything we did each day for 90 days, wc realise how impossible it would

he to criticise a gas account at the end of the quarter by trying to remember how often the gas was lit. 'J'hcre is a far better way than that which calls for very little trouble, and that is the weekly meter reading. Anyone who is interested in

his account should read his meter, and work out what has- been used weekly. Pamphlets of instructions how to do this are always on the counter at the Gas Office.

People who use a wood or coal range as well as the gas cooker often complain about the gas bill when their real complaint should be directed at the total fuel bill —gas, wood and coal. It has been proved

(By J. Gibbs in “Hobart Gas Review).

that gas would do the whole job more cheaply than wood, coal and gas combined, because there is an overlapping of functions between the two —the gas is used while the range is burning. Another point is that the range is burning fuel while it is not being used,, but the gas is turned off when finished with. The charge of pumping air through the pipes arises through a little misapprehension of the method of gas combustion. There is a notch cut in the underside of every stove burner to let in the necessary air to mix with the gas, and if the gas passes this notch at too great a pressure it will suck in too much air, and cause the roaring . noise which some of our friends call “air in the pipes.” The remedy is as simple as the cause —just turn down the tap at the meter till the right pressure is arrived at, and the roaring will stop. Too much pressure is, of. course, wasteful. Now that we have answered all our friend’s complaints, there are just one or two points worth remembering:—The gas should not bo lit: until the utensil is placed over it and should be turned out before it is taken off. Never use the big burner to boil when the small one will do. Avoid the griller burner for boiling like the plague —it is not meant for it. When two or three pots must be kept boiling, they can be brought to the boil on separate burners, and then all three placed on a sheet of tin over the small burner, and so kept boiling. Meat should not be placed in a heating oven—the oven should.be hot enough to close the pores of the meat at once, and so retain the essential juices which are the best part of the meat. With regard to gas lighting, the greatest satisfaction is gained by an arrangement with the Company, whereby, the Company supplies mantles, and chimneys and expert’s time for a small fixed monthly charge. The greatest advantage is that of the adjustment of the burners by an expert who knows the proper proportions of gas and air needed for the'perfect light.