[ethnical Paper 257 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR: ; ,. 
 
 FRANKLIN K. LANE. SECRET'ARV ' ' '''' 
 BUREAU OF MINES 
 
 VAN. H. MANNING, DIRECTOR 
 
 WASTE AND CORRECT USE 
 >F NATURAL GAS IN THE HOME 
 
 BY 
 
 SAMUEL S. WYER 
 
 
 WASHINGTON 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
 1920 
 
-T 
 
 The Bureau of Mines, in carrying out one of the provisions of its organic- 
 act to disseminate information concerning investigations made prints a 
 limited free edition of each of its publications. 
 
 When this edition is exhausted, copies may be obtained at cost price only 
 through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Wash- 
 ington, D. C. 
 
 The Superintendent of Documents is not an official of the Bureau of Mines. 
 His is an entirely separate office and should be addressed : 
 
 SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS, 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 
 The general law under which publications are distributed prohibits the 
 giving of more than one copy of a publication to one person. The price of this 
 publication is 5 cents. 
 
 Persons desiring for lecture purposes the use, free of charge, of lantern slides 
 of the illustrations in this publication should make request of the Director of 
 the Bureau of Mines, Washington, D. C. 
 
 First edition. January, 1920. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 \ 
 
 Page. 
 
 Foreword 5 
 
 PART I. CORRECT USE OF NATURAL GAS IN THE HOME. 
 
 SECTION 1. Consumers' methods of gas utilization determine quality of 
 
 service produced 7 
 
 2. Combustion of natural gas 7 
 
 3. What must happen when natural gas is burned 7 
 
 4. What may happen when natural gas is burned 
 
 5. Combustion products of natural gas can not be absorbed or 
 
 destroyed 8 
 
 6. Blue and yellow flame burners 8 
 
 7. Action of gas mixer 9 
 
 8. In burning gas for cooking three distinct steps are necessary. 10 
 
 9. Wrong burner position 10 
 
 10. Correct burner position 10 
 
 11. How to get cooking burners in correct position 11 
 
 12. How to cook with very low gas pressure 12 
 
 13. How to cook efficiently with high pressures 13 
 
 14. Why more gas is used for cooking in winter than in summer. 13 
 
 15. Rusting of ovens and burners 14 
 
 16. Steps necessary in correct house heating 14 
 
 17. Flueless heating stoves 14 
 
 18. Why flueless heating stoves are much more dangerous than 
 
 a flueless cook stove 14 
 
 19. Natural gas chimney troubles 15 
 
 20. Why the heating value of natural gas may seem lower on 
 
 windy days than on equally cold still days 15 
 
 21. Incandescent mantle lamps 15 
 
 PART II. FORMS OF NATURAL GAS WASTE IX THE HOME. 
 
 SKCTION 22. Waste from gas leakage 15 
 
 23. Waste from high pressure 16 
 
 24. Waste from imperfect combustion 16 
 
 25. Waste from low burners in cook stoves 16 
 
 26. Waste from improperly directed flames 16 
 
 27. Waste from solid tops on cook stoves 16 
 
 28. Waste from using gas before and after cooking 16 
 
 29. Waste from using gas in coal stoves or coal furnaces 17 
 
 30. Waste from excessive heating 17 
 
 31. Waste from useless radiation 17 
 
 32. Waste from daylight burning of lamps 17 
 
 33. Waste from improper lamp adjustment 20 
 
 34. Waste of gas in not using mantle 20 
 
 35. Waste of gas with dirty appliances 20 
 
 36. Waste in hot-water heaters 20 
 
 37. Wastes that ought to be prohibited 21 
 
 506930 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Page. 
 FIGURE 1. Diagram showing construction of gas mixer with adjustable 
 
 spud 
 
 2. Diagram showing wrong and correct position of gas flame 
 
 under cooking vessel . 11 
 
 3. Usual solid top for natural gas cook stove; wasteful and 
 
 should not be used 12 
 
 4. Grid top such as is used on manufactured gas stoves ; efficient 
 
 and should be used with natural gas 12 
 
 5. Diagram showing how nails or pieces of sheet iron may be 
 
 used to support cooking vessel close to gas burner for 
 effective service at low pressures IB 
 
 6. Home wastes of natural gas 18 
 
 7. Analysis of home wastes of natural gas 19 
 
 4 
 
FOREWORD. 
 
 Much has been said by the Bureau of Mines and by others about 
 the criminal waste of natural gas that is taking place in our gas 
 fields. Natural gas, one of the most valuable mineral assets of the 
 country, has been permitted to dissipate in such a manner that the 
 public has derived relatively small value from it. In recent years 
 the public has demanded that efforts be made to minimize this waste. 
 
 But, although possibly the most flagrant and the largest wastes 
 have been in the fields and along the transmission lines of the gas 
 companies, there have been great wastes in the household of every 
 consumer, and the public, therefore, has been a party to this crime. 
 Investigations as to the efficiency with which the domestic consumer 
 uses the gas supplied to him have disclosed that perhaps two-thirds 
 of the gas that has been metered into his house has been wasted and 
 only one-third of the gas has been consumed usefully. The follow- 
 ing figures contributed by Mr. Wyer show how such wastes occur: 
 
 " Domestic consumers waste more than 80 per cent of the gas 
 received. The efficiency of most cooking and heating appliances 
 could be trebled. By making natural gas worth saving the 2,400,000 
 domestic consumers in the United States could get the same cooking 
 and heating service with one-third of the gas that is, make 1 foot 
 of gas do the work of 3 and greatly delay the day when the present 
 supplies will be exhausted and consumers must go back to more ex- 
 pensive manufactured gas." 
 
 It is time for the public to take a new viewpoint on the waste of 
 natural gas. It is time for the domestic consumer to realize that his 
 duty is not done when he cries out against the flagrant* wastes oc- 
 curring in the gas fields, and demands of his Government that such 
 wastes be abated ; he must realize that he himself is likewise at fault 
 and that it is time for him to set his own house in order. Further- 
 more, the domestic consumer must realize that these wastes do not 
 concern him alone, and consequently he has not the right, merely be- 
 cause he pays for the gas, to employ it in any manner that pleases 
 him, no matter how wasteful. Natural gas is a natural resource in 
 which every inhabitant of this country has an equity. Those who 
 waste the gas do so at the expense of others who would use it 
 efficiently. Natural gas is not replaced by nature, and in comparison 
 with the life of the nation the duration of the supply will be brief. 
 
 5 
 
FOREWORD. 
 
 lr0:puWi<i .has -a right,- therefore, to demand that this natural 
 asset* Tbfe'iKseTtiF to" the.gi&sCtest advantage of all and that no one be 
 allowed to waste it. Natural gas in each city is a community asset 
 and every consumer has a right to demand that wasteful use shall 
 be prohibited in the interest of the public service. This is particu- 
 larly important during cold spells in the winter when the supply is 
 insufficient and actual suffering may occur. Clearly, it is not right 
 that any consumer suffer at such times because of the extravagance 
 and waste of other consumers, even though they are willing to pay 
 for the gas wasted. Nor can the citizens justify demands for better 
 service from the public utility companies without making provision 
 to correct abuses in their own homes. It must be recognized that 
 the public has been and is to-day, just as much a party to the crime 
 of wasting this natural resource as are the companies that produce 
 and market it. 
 
 VAN. H. MANNING, 
 
 Director. 
 
WASTE AND CORRECT USE OF NATURAL GAS IN THE HOME. 
 
 By SAMUEL S. WYER. 
 
 PART I. CORRECT TISE OF NATURAL GAS IN THE HOME. 
 
 SECTION 1. CONSUMERS' METHODS OF GAS UTILIZATION DETERMINE 
 QUALITY OF SERVICE PRODUCED. 
 
 Gas service is radically different from every other kind of public 
 utility service in that the gas can not be used by the consumer as 
 received, but 
 
 First, must be mixed in proper proportion with another substance 
 (atmospheric air) ; 
 
 Second, this mixture must then be completely burned ; 
 
 Third, the flame must be so directed that the heat generated will 
 effectively get into the food, air, water, or mantle that is being 
 heated, with a minimum loss. 
 
 The results obtained will depend primarily on the gas utilization 
 appliance and the consumers' skill and care in operating. All these 
 operating features are beyond the gas company's control, but are 
 vital in determining the quality of the service produced by one con- 
 sumer and the effect on the service of other consumers. 
 
 SEC. 2. COMBUSTION OF NATURAL GAS. 
 
 The combustion that is, the burning of natural gas can take 
 place only by first mixing the gas with the proper proportion of 
 atmospheric air. About 9J cubic feet of air must be mixed, by 
 the gas consumer at his burning appliances, with each cubic foot 
 of natural gas in order to insure perfect combustion. If not enough 
 air is mixed with the gas, the combustion will be imperfect and 
 wasteful. 
 
 SEC. 3. WHAT MUST HAPPEN WHEN NATURAL GAS IS BURNED. 
 
 When natural gas is burned by complete combustion, each cubic 
 foot of the gas will form 1 cubic foot of carbon dioxide and 2 cubic 
 
 For further discussions of gas use, see Bulletins of the Department of Home Eco- 
 nomics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, as follows : Bulletin 28. " Effect of 
 gas pressure on natural gas cooking operations in the home," May, 1918 ; Bulletin , 
 if Kitchen tests of relative costs of five fuels for cooking." Reprinted October, 1918. 
 
 7 
 
8 WASTE t AND. COECT USE OF NATURAL GAS IN THE HOME. 
 
 feet pf.steaic .ijhis carhop. dioxide is the same substance that is 
 exhaiett frotajtb- ^ngsyY- 
 
 The combustion of 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas will form 2,000 
 cubic feet of water vapor or steam, which, when condensed, will 
 make approximately 10J gallons of water. This production of 
 vapor is not peculiar to natural gas, as ordinarily manufactured gas 
 of the same heating value will form about the same quantity of 
 water vapor. It is this water vapor that causes the bakers and 
 broilers of stoves to rust, and, when gas is used in open fires without 
 flues, may make the walls and windows " sweat." 
 
 SEC. 4. WHAT MAY HAPPEN WHEN NATURAL GAS IS BURNED. 
 
 If the combustion of natural gas is not complete, carbon monoxide 
 will be formed instead of carbon dioxide. This carbon monoxide 
 is a deadly poison and, therefore, dangerous, and for this reason 
 a room in which gas is burned must be ventilated. The poisonous 
 action of carbon monoxide gas is so marked that one-tenth of 1 pel- 
 cent is enough to in time produce fatal results. This gas is especially 
 likely to be formed when a flame suddenly strikes a cold surface, as, 
 for instance, during the first few minutes' operation of a hot-water 
 heater. 
 
 SEC. 5. COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF NATURAL GAS CAN NOT BE ABSORBED 
 
 OR DESTROYED. 
 
 The inevitable products, carbon dioxide and water vapor, can not 
 be destroyed, although the water vapor when it is cooled- will con- 
 dense to a liquid. There have been many claims made by manufac- 
 turers of heating devices that their devices absorb the combustion 
 products, but all such claims are untruthful. 
 
 SEC. 6. BLUE AND YELLOW FLAME BURNERS. 
 
 If natural gas is forced out through a small hole, about the di- 
 ameter of a pin, enough air can be mixed with the issuing gas to 
 insure perfect combustion. This is the principle of the yellow or 
 luminous flame burner. The flames must not be suddenly permitted 
 to come in contact with any solid body, because if they do they will 
 deposit carbon and probably produce carbon monoxide. Only 
 very small quantities of natural gas can be burned in such burners. 
 In this yellow or luminous type of flame the production of the light 
 is due to the incandescence of momentarily existing carbon per- 
 ticles furnished by the decomposition by heat of the gas itself, 
 before coining in contact with the air. 
 
 Natural gas, to be burned in large volume, must have some of the 
 air mixed with the gas before the gas reaches the flame. This is 
 
CORRECT USE OF NAT^JRAk 'GAS., 
 
 9 
 
 the fundamental principle of the Bunsan or- tlus-flacie type of 
 burner. The air taken in to form the mixture is called the primary 
 air, and will usually be only a small part of the total air required. 
 The rest of the air necessary for complete combustion, called the 
 secondary air, will be taken from the atmosphere surrounding the 
 burning flame. Such a blue flame does not smoke or deposit free 
 carbon on a cool surface, although if the flame is sufficiently chilled 
 some of the gas will escape unburned. 
 
 SEC. 7. ACTION OF GAS MIXER. 
 
 The action of the mixer is shown in figure 1. The gas, 
 at a pressure above atmospheric air, is forced through a small hole 
 or orifice by the gage pressure in the gas pipe, and thus acquires a 
 
 ADJUSTABLE SPUD WITH 
 HEXAGONAL HEAD FOR 
 WffENCH 
 AIR SHUTTER 
 
 6A5 COCK 
 
 FIGUBE 1. Diagram showing construction of gas mixer, with adjustable spud. 
 
 relatively high velocity in passing through the small opening, as 
 shown in the figure. In this way an asperating or sucking action is 
 produced around the orifice, and this draws in atmospheric air from 
 the room so that it will mingle with the gas. A gas mixer is, there- 
 fore, in effect merely a small air injector. The mixer shown in 
 figure 1 has a stationary cone, and by turning the adjustable spud 
 with a wrench placed on the hexagonal head of the spud, the 
 effective area of the orifice may be made larger or smaller, thus 
 changing the velocity of the gas, and, therefore, its asperating action. 
 This is known as the adjustable type of spud. 
 
 By opening up this adjustable spud when the gas pressure 5s low, 
 more gas can be gotten to the burner, and, therefore, more satisfactory 
 operating conditions can be secured during the inevitable low pres^ 
 sure period in extreme cold weather. 
 
 156703 20 2 
 
10 WA$E* -.AND CQBRBQlf TjSE OF NATURAL GAS IN THE HOME. 
 
 TheVe:ar4 Jijan^'iri;ix6rs.-iir"u3e that have merely a stationary spud 
 opening; Whrcn % ca^i : riot : be" adjusted. 
 
 The amount of air going in may be varied by adjusting the air 
 shutter. 
 
 The mixer shown is of the type generally used on cooking stoves, 
 but the same principle is employed in heating stoves and incandescent 
 mantle lamps. In many burners a needle valve is used instead of the 
 gas cock shown for controlling the gas going to the orifice. 
 
 SEC. 8. IN BTTRNOTG GAS FOR COOKING THREE DISTINCT STEPS ARE 
 
 NECESSARY. 
 
 (a) The gas must be properly burned ; that is, it must be properly 
 mixed with air so as to burn with a pale blue nonluminous flame. A 
 luminous flame will be wasteful and will deposit soot on the cooking 
 
 (5) The flame must be properly directed; that is, the tip of the 
 flame must come close to the cooking vessel. If the flame is too 
 short to reach the cooking vessel, or is blown to one side by a strong 
 draft of air, gas will be wasted, a longer time will be required, and if 
 the flame tip is too far away it may be impossible to cook, although 
 the short improperly directed flames may be kept burning a long 
 time. 
 
 (<?) The heat generated by the burning gas must be delivered 
 through the cooking vessel walls and into the food, and grid or open 
 stove tops are necessary for good service. Natural gas should never 
 be used under a solid stove top Because such use is always wastful 
 and under low-pressure conditions may make cooking impossible. 
 
 SEC. 9. WRONG BTTRNER POSITION. 
 
 Wrong positions are shown in A and B of figure 2. At A, which 
 represents a typical natural gas stove condition, high pressures are 
 necessary, and although the flame with such high pressures will be 
 effective, it will always be wasteful of gas. When the pressure is 
 low so as to produce the short flame shown at B, the cooking vessel 
 is so far away that the short flame can not reach it. This results in 
 waste of gas, longer time being required for cooking, and often in- 
 ability to cook at all, even though the gas may be burned for a long 
 time. 
 
 SEC. 10. CORRECT BURNER POSITION. 
 
 Merely lowering the cooking vessel or raising the burner, as shown 
 at C in figure 2, will result in satisfactory cooking in the usual length 
 of time, with low-pressure gas in the same stove and with the same 
 burner. In fact, with a properly directed short flame at low pres- 
 sures, as shown at C, the amount of gas used will be less than one-half 
 
CORRECT USE OF NATURAL GAS. 
 
 11 
 
 of the amount needed with the usual high pressure and long flame 
 shown at A.- 
 
 SEC. 11. HOW TO GET COOKING BURNERS IN CORRECT POSITION. 
 
 When purchasing a new stove, get either a manufactured gas stove 
 or a natural gas stove with burners properly raised for short-flame 
 service. The burner should be about 1J inches below the, bottom of 
 the cooking vessel. 
 
 COOK/NO VESSEL 
 
 EFFCJ7VE PART OF 
 FLAME FOffCCOWMG 
 
 FLAME &W 60 QVT 
 
 D&WWWD &UTA/OT 
 UP/NTO COOK- 
 /NG VESSEL 
 
 EFFECT/VE 
 
 AND 
 EFF/C/EMT 
 
 CORRECT 
 
 EFFECT/YE 
 
 BUT 
 WASTEFUL 
 
 JNEFFECTJVE 
 
 AND 
 WASTEFUL 
 
 WRONG 
 
 FIGURE 2. Diagram showing wrong and correct position of gas flame under cooking 
 
 Old stoves worth remodeling may be changed by : 
 (a) Raising the manifold and burner supports so as to bring the 
 burners to the proper height below the cooking vessel. 
 
 (&) In some stoves the manifold may be turned one-half way 
 around so that valves that are at the bottom will then eome on the 
 top. By altering the burner supports, the burners can then usually 
 be brought to the proper height. In some stoves where cocks similar 
 to the one shown in figure 1 are screwed into the manifold, turning 
 
FIGURE 3. Usual solid top for natural gas cook 
 stove. Such a top is wasteful of gas and should 
 
 not be used. 
 
 12 WASTE AND CORRECT USE OF NATURAL, GAS IN THE HOME 
 
 the manifold one-quarter way around, removing the cocks, screwing 
 a nipple and elbow into the upturned opening, placing the cock in* 
 the elbow and raising the burner supports, will usually bring 
 
 the burners to the proper 
 position. 
 
 (c) In some stoves it will be 
 preferable to cement a new 
 burner casting on top of exist- 
 ing low burners, so as to bring 
 the burner top to the proper 
 height. 
 
 Closed tops, as shown in 
 figure 3, should not be used, 
 and in all stoves where the 
 burners are raised, skeleton 
 lids, grid, or open tops, as 
 shown in figure 4, must be 
 used with the short flames. 
 
 A larger sized spud open- 
 ing that is, the small open- 
 ing immediately in front of the gas cock through which the 
 gas passes into the mixer should be used with low-pressure service. 
 Some stoves have adjustable spuds ;- others must have either new 
 
 spuds or have the old small 
 openings reamed larger. 
 
 Baker or oven burners need 
 not be raised, because the heat 
 from the burning gas is al- 
 ready inside of the chamber 
 to be heated. The spud and 
 mixer must, however, be ad- 
 justed so as to give a pale 
 blue nonluminous flame. 
 
 SEC. 12. HOW TO COOK WITH 
 VERY LOW GAS PRESSURE. 
 
 In cold weather, when the 
 demand for natural gas is 
 greater than the supply and 
 the pressure is therefore low, 
 lowering the cooking vessel 
 down to within one-half inch of the burner top may be desirable. 
 This may be done by placing three or four nails in drilled burners, 
 or three or four pieces of thin sheet iron in slotted burners, as shown 
 
 FIGURE 4. Grate or grid top for gas cook stove. 
 This top is official and should be used with 
 natural gas. 
 
CORRECT USE OF NATURAL GAS. 13 
 
 in figure 5, and then placing the vessel on these nails or sheet-iron 
 supports so that the very short flames from the low-pressure gas will 
 reach the bottom of the cooking vessel. If this is done, satisfactory 
 cooking results can be obtained with pressures as low as three-tenths 
 of an inch of water pressure, which produces a flame about three- 
 eighths of an inch long. That is, with this close position of the vessel 
 the cooking can be accomplished in about the normal time and with 
 less gas than would be used with the long flame and high pressure 
 necessary to produce the condition shown in A of figure 2. 
 
 SEC. 13. HOW TO COOK EFFICIENTLY WITH HIGH PRESSTTRES. 
 
 First raise the burners so that the vessel will be about 1J inches 
 above the burner openings, then efficient short-flame combustion con- 
 ditions may be obtained by partly opening the gas cock. Never 
 
 A" 7 
 
 \ / 
 
 \ COOK/NG VESSEL COOWMG VESSEL 
 
 \ 
 
 GASFLAAff GAS FLAME 
 
 M Gf^> n 7WW6UL4/? SHAflED 
 
 'RBNAIL 1 *-j MufMBM P/ECE OF T/N OR TH/M 
 
 SHEET IRON /M SLOT 
 OF BVfWEff 
 
 DRILLED BURNER SLOTTED BURNER 
 
 FIGURE 5. Diagram showing how nails or pieces of sheet iron may be used to support 
 cooking vessels close to gas burner for effective service at low pressure. 
 
 let the flame lick up along the side of the vessel. If the full pressure 
 is turned on, it may be so high as to actually blow out the flame and 
 give the erroneous impression that the gas will not burn. 
 
 SEC. 14. WHY MORE GAS IS TTSED FOR COOKINGF IN WINTER THAN IN 
 
 SUMMER. 
 
 The heating value of the gas in winter will not be any lower than 
 in summer, because the heating value is increased 1 per cent for each 
 5 degrees of decrease in temperature of the gas, and will actually be 
 higher during the low-pressure period in winter than it is in sum- 
 mer. However, the starting temperature of the food and water that 
 must be heated in cooking will be much lower in winter than in sum- 
 mer, therefore a larger quantity of heat will be needed to bring the 
 food or water to the boiling point. The radiating loss from the 
 cooking vessel and burner, because of the low temperature of the 
 surrounding air, will also be much higher in winter than in summer, 
 and thus will increase the gas consumption. 
 
14 WASTE AND CORRECT USE OF NATURAL GAS IN THE HOME. 
 SEC. 15. RUSTING OF OVENS AND BURNERS. 
 
 Eusting of ovens can almost be eliminated by opening the oven 
 door slightly for a few minutes after the burners are lighted. This 
 permits escape of the greater part of the moisture, which is produced 
 by combustion, and prevents too rapid condensation; 
 
 Oven linings and burners are best protected from rust by the ap- 
 plication of oil or grease, free from salt. This should be done while 
 the oven is warm, as often as may be necessary. 
 
 SEC 16. STEPS NECESSARY IN CORRECT HOUSE HEATING. 
 
 (a) The gas must be burned with perfect combustion. However, 
 ihis is merely the first step. 
 
 (5) The combustion products must be made to deliver the most 
 of their heat into the air or water that is to be heated, and before 
 leaving the heating device should be cooled to within 100 degrees of the 
 air or water that is heated. Failure to appreciate the importance of 
 this second step, rather than merely obtaining perfect combustion, 
 is responsible for the gross waste of natural gas in many heating 
 devices. 
 
 SEC. 17. FLUEIESS HEATING STOVES. 
 
 There are many so-called " odorless," " smoke-consuming," and 
 " chimneyless " natural-gas heating appliances in use. These are al- 
 ways dangerous and a positive menace to health, and ought never 
 to be used. 
 
 SEC. 18. WHY FLUELESS HEATING STOVES ARE MUCH MORE DANGER- 
 OUS THAN A FLUELESS COOK STOVE. 
 
 In the kitchen the cook stove is seldom used for more than one hour 
 at a time. The volume of steam from the cooking food will be much 
 greater than the volume of the combustion products from the gas, 
 and the steam alone will make ventilation necessary. 
 
 The person in the room will be constantly moving about, with 
 head 4 or 5 feet above the floor level, and in all probability the 
 kitchen door will be opened several times during the cooking, thus 
 increasing the ventilation. 
 
 In contrast with this condition, when a heating stove is used in a 
 bedroom or bathroom, the period of use is much longer, the ventila- 
 tion is less, the person in the room will be quiet with head closer to 
 the floor, and the doors will probably, at least in the bedroom, not be 
 opened or closed. Furthermore, a flueless stove properly adjusted 
 at 9 o'clock in the evening, when the pressure is low and when the 
 person goes to bed may become a carbon monoxide generator at 3 
 o'clock in the morning, when the person is asleep and the gas pressure 
 has greatly increased. 
 
 Hoods over open-top kitchen stoves, of course, are always desirable. 
 
FORMS OF NATURAL GAS WASTE. 15 
 
 SEC. 19. NATURAL GAS CHIMNEY TROUBLES. 
 
 The water vapor in the combustion products of natural gas, when 
 turned into the ordinary brick, mortar-lined, or fire-clay-lined chim- 
 ney, will in time cause the mortar to disintegrate ; also the condensed 
 water will work through the porous brick and frequently discolor 
 the walls on the inside of the room, as well as disfigure the exterior 
 of the chimney. The best way to handle the combustion products 
 of natural gas is to have a metal or vitrified pipe in the chimney. 
 
 SEC. 20. WHY THE HEATING VALUE OF NATURAL GAS MAY SEEM LOWER 
 ON WINDY DAYS THAN ON EdUALLY COLD STILL DAYS. 
 
 The wind has no effect on the heating value of the gas, but may 
 affect the consumer's use as follows: 
 
 (a) A strong wind may deflect the flame from under the cooking 
 vessel and thus lower the efficiency of the gas for cooking. Protec- 
 tion of the flame from a strong draft will correct this difficulty. 
 
 (5) For heating stoves an excessive draft caused by a high wind 
 may take a larger amount of the heat produced up the chimney, 
 thereby greatly increasing the chimney loss, and of course, depriving 
 the room of that much heat. Cutting down the draft with, a damper 
 will correct this. 
 
 (c) Most houses are rather loosely constructed and are more sus- 
 ceptible to a high, cold wind than to merely a cold, quiet atmosphere, 
 even though the quiet atmosphere may be much colder than the 
 rapidly moving wind. The practical effect of this is that a high 
 wind will bring an excessive proportion of cold air into the house 
 and thereby increase the heating demands on extremely windy days. 
 
 SEC. 21. INCANDESCENT MANTLE LAMPS. 
 
 The incandescent gas mantle lamp is simply a Bunsen burner where 
 the burning gas heats the material in the mantle to incandescence, 
 thereby producing light. The lamp must be closely adjusted if 
 efficient and satisfactory results are to be obtained. Hissing or roar- 
 ing sounds sare indicative of excessive gas consumption. Adjust the 
 lamp by adjusting the air shutter and gas needle valve of the 
 burner if the /burner has one so as to obtain a maximum illumina- 
 tion and a quietly burning lamp. 
 
 PAET H. FORMS OF NATURAL GAS WASTE IN THE HOME. 
 
 SEC. 22. WASTE FROM GAS LEAKAGE. 
 
 The various gas cocks, fittings, and piping on the consumers' 
 premises are seldom tigKt, and will frequently waste a large amount 
 of gas in a year through leakage. Even a leakage of only 1 cubic 
 foot per hour will mean 8,760 cubic feet of gas per year, or about one- 
 twelfth of the average consumer's annual domestic consumption. The 
 
16 WASTE AND CORRECT USE OF NATURAL GAS IN THE HOME. 
 
 average leakage will be more nearly 15 per cent of the gas passing 
 through the consumer's meter. Most gas meters have a small dial 
 indicating either 1 or 2 cubic feet of gas per revolution. Shutting 
 off all the burning gas in the house and noting the movement on this 
 small dial for a period of two or three hours will give a good indi- 
 cation as to leakage. 
 
 SEC. 23. WASTE FROM HIGH PRESSURE. 
 
 High-pressure gas; that is, gas under a pressure of 4 ounces per 
 square inch, will frequently cause the blowing of the burners, usually 
 indicated by a hissing sound. Partly opening the gas cock will 
 remedy this. 
 
 SEC. 24. WASTE FROM IMPERFECT COMBUSTION. 
 
 With the Bunsen type of blue-flame burner, a showing of red or 
 yellow in the flame is an indication of imperfect combustion and, 
 therefore, waste. Unburned gas will cause smoke and the deposit- 
 ing of soot on the cooking vessel. Adjusting the air shutter and gas 
 supply is the remedy. 
 
 SEC 25. WASTE FROM LOW BURNERS IN COOK STOVES. 
 
 The long flames necessary for low burners always require more 
 gas than those from the burners in proper poeition about 1 inches 
 below the vessel bottom. Eaising the burners to the proper height 
 will correct this. 
 
 SEC. 26. WASTE FROM IMPROPERLY DIRECTED FLAMES. 
 
 A strong draft or the opening of doors may frequently deflect the 
 flame under cooking vessels so that the heat will not get into a vessel. 
 Cutting down the chimney draft or protecting the flame from side 
 drafts will correct this. 
 
 SEC. 27. WASTE FROM SOLID TOPS ON COOK STOVES. 
 
 If cooking operations are on top of the stove, more gas and a longer 
 time are required. The use of skeleton lids or grid tops will elimi- 
 nate this waste. 
 
 SEC. 28. WASTE FROM USING GAS BEFORE AND AFTER COOKING. 
 
 Most persons do not appreciate that the burning gas can do no 
 good before the vessel is over the fire or after the vessel is taken away. 
 Therefore, the gas should not be turned on until after the vessel is 
 ready to place over the fire, and should be turned off as soon as the 
 vessel is removed. 
 
FORMS OF NATURAL GAS WASTE. 17 
 
 The gas can be turned down after boiling begins, and the vessel 
 can be kept boiling with a smaller quantity of gas. It is important to 
 bear in mind that when a cooking vessel boils it can not be made any 
 hotter and any use of gas other that merely to keep it boiling is a 
 waste. 
 
 SEC. 29. WASTE FROM USING GAS IN COAL STOVES OR COAI FURNACES. 
 
 In coal stoves or coal furnaces the path traveled by the flame is 
 short and the radiating surface is relatively small. For this reason, 
 the use of gas in such stoves is always wasteful and will require about 
 three times as much gas for the same heating service as would be re- 
 quired if the gas were used in a properly built natural-gas furnace. 
 Even with perfect combustion in the fire pot of a coal stove or coal 
 furnace the waste will usually be about 75 per cent, as shown in figure 
 6. Properly built natural-gas furnaces have a longer fire travel and 
 much more radiating surface than coal furnaces, and are, therefore, 
 much more efficient. 
 
 SEC. 30. WASTE FROM EXCESSIVE HEATING. 
 
 Eooms are more healthful if kept at about 68 F. with proper 
 humidity, yet much gas is wasted by keeping room temperatures 
 higher. A thermostat control will greatly aid in controlling waste 
 from this source. 
 
 A thermostat on the baker of a cooking stove is also desirable, 
 because it will use just enough gas for the particular baking opera- 
 tion, without waste. 
 
 SEC. 31. WASTE FROM USELESS RADIATION. 
 
 The baker of the ordinary natural-gas range is very poorly insu- 
 lated and the radiation loss is large. Use of proper insulating ma- 
 terial will greatly improve the efficiency. 
 
 The heat radiated into furnace rooms from the furnace, the fur- 
 nace piping, and hot water and steam piping does not enter the room 
 that is to be heated and therefore is wasted. Proper insulating of 
 furnace piping will greatly curtail this loss. 
 
 In any gas-heating device the temperature of the combustion prod- 
 ucts where they go into the chimney should be within 100 of the air 
 or water that is heated. 
 
 SEC. 32. WASTE FROM DAYLIGHT BURNING OF LAMPS. 
 
 One incandescent mantle lamp burning all of the time, or 8,760 
 hours in the year, will consume 43,800 cubic feet of gas. Three such 
 lamps will waste enough gas to supply an average of one domestic 
 
18 WASTE AND CORRECT USE OF NATURAL GAS IN THE HOME. 
 
 COOKING 
 
 Based on tests* made by the 
 
 Department of Home Economics 
 
 Ohio State University 
 
 Columbus, Ohio 
 
 4 to 5 oz. pressure 
 long flames 
 
 1 to 2 oz. pressure 
 
 properly directed 
 
 short flames 
 
 9S ~ 
 
 60 ~ 
 
 65 
 
 H 
 
 FURNACE HEATING 
 
 Based on data published by** 
 
 Smithsonian Institution 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 
 Used i n coal fire 
 
 pot of ordinary 
 
 furnace 
 
 3 
 3 
 
 \J 
 
 Used in 
 
 correctly designed 
 gas furnace 
 
 95 
 
 ri 
 
 35 
 
 30 ~L 
 25^ 
 
 Z0 ~i. 
 
 IS 
 
 n 
 
 I43I 
 
 25 
 
 J 
 
 3 
 a 
 
 
 
 ;75l - 
 
 30 
 
 23 
 
 FIGURE 6. Home wastes of natural gas. 
 
 *Ohio State University Bulletin No. 28. Effect of Gas Pressure on Natural Gas Cooking Op- 
 erations in the Home. 
 
 **Smithsonian Institution Bulletin No. 102, Part?, on " Natural Gas: Its Production, Service, 
 and Conservation." 
 
FORMS OF NATURAL GAS WASTE. 
 
 19 
 
 A'^E- 
 
 95=- 
 
 &? ^tf 
 8 - 
 
 cr 
 
 LJ 
 
 85 
 
 75" 
 
 LEAKAGE IN 
 HOUSING PIPING 
 AND FIXTURES 
 
 CO 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 ID 
 
 
 n: 
 
 LJ 
 LJ 
 
 
 - 30 
 co 
 
 LJ 
 
 X 
 
 2 
 
 v ? 
 
 Wasteful Combustion Conditions in 
 
 (a) USING GAS AT HIGH PRESSURES AND 
 LONG FLAMES FOR COOKING 
 
 (b) BURNING GAS AFTER COOKING IS 
 FINISHED 
 
 (c) BURNING GAS BEFORE FOOD IS 
 READY TO COOK 
 
 (d) NOT TURNING GAS DOWN AFTER 
 BOILING BEGINS 
 
 (e) IMPROPER MIXTURE ADJUSTMENT 
 
 (f) USELESS RADIATION 
 
 (g) USING MORE HEAT THAN NEEDED 
 
 1/7:1 
 
 HEAT UNITS 
 ACTUALLY UTILIZED 
 
 FIGDKE 7. Analysis of home wastes of natural gas. 
 
20 WASTE AND CORRECT USE OF NATURAL GAS IN THE HOME. 
 
 consumer. As many street lights are fitted with' -three mantles per 
 post and are kept burning continuously, the waste from this source 
 is much greater than is ordinarily appreciated. 
 
 SEC. 33. WASTE FROM IMPROPER LAMP ADJUSTMENT. 
 
 Most incandescent mantle lamps are not properly adjusted and 
 use much more gas than is necessary, usually 50 per cent to 75 per cent 
 more than would be required with proper adjustment. A hissing or 
 roaring sound from the lamp is a sign of excessive consumption. 
 This not only wastes gas but shortens the life of the mantle. 
 
 SEC. 34. WASTE OF GAS IN NOT USING MANTLE. 
 
 Many people still attempt to get illumination by using gas in the 
 ordinary open-flame burner. For a given amount of illumination a 
 flat burner will require 2^ times as much gas as an incandescent mantle. 
 
 SEC. 35. WASTE OF GAS WITH DIRTY APPLIANCES. 
 
 Cooking burners if not properly cleaned will give imperfect com- 
 bustion and will, therefore, waste gas. Lamps if not properly 
 cleaned will likewise be inefficient. 
 
 Hot-water heaters having the heat applied at the bottom of the 
 tank, or any of the forms of coil or circulating heaters, require fre- 
 quent cleaning. The deposition of soot, produced by the chilling 
 action of the cold water on the flame, increases the gas consumption. 
 
 The use of grid or open tops on cook stoves, so that the burners 
 are entirely visible, will result in more frequent cleaning of the 
 burners and, therefore, more efficient stove operation. 
 
 SEC. 36. WASTE IN HOT- WATER HEATERS. 
 
 Water that precipitates scale or sediment will frequently build up a 
 thick coating on the inside of a hot-water heater and greatly in- 
 crease the amount of gas necessary to heat the water. In a great 
 many cases this scale in time will entirely close the water passage. 
 
 Most coil or circulating heaters do not have enough radiation sur- 
 face and the combustion products leave the heater at a much higher 
 temperature than they should. 
 
 In the tank type of heater, where the flame is applied at the bot- 
 tom of the tank, it is necessary to have an outer jacket of galvanized 
 sheet iron, about No. 30 gage and about 2 inches larger in diameter 
 than the tank, so as to leave an annular space between the tank and 
 it. This jacket should extend several inches below the bottom of 
 the tank and should have a tight head or end at the top, which in 
 turn should be connected to a chimney. If such a jacket is not pro- 
 
FORMS OF NATURAL GAS WASTE. 21 
 
 vided the gas consumption will be excessive. However, with such 
 an outer jacket the efficiency can be kept as high as with a coil 
 heater. 
 
 "With instantaneous heaters improper adjustment of the pilot light- 
 frequently results in excessive consumption of gas. 
 
 SEC. 37. WASTES THAT OUGHT TO BE PROHIBITED. 
 
 (a) Improper adjustment of appliances, resulting in imperfect 
 combustion. 
 
 (5) Low burners that is, burners more than 1J inches away from 
 the cooking vessel on cook stoves. 
 
 (c) Solid tops on cook stoves. Grid tops or skeleton lids only 
 should be used. 
 
 (d) Use of gas in coal furnaces and stoves. Especially built gas- 
 heating appliances, giving an efficiency of at least 75 per cent should 
 be used. 
 
 (e) No hot- water heater should be used that gives an efficiency of 
 less than 75 per cent. 
 
 (/) No tank heater, that is, tank with burner underneath, should 
 be used without an outer jacket and flue connection. 
 
 (y) All daylight burning of lamps ought to be prohibited. 
 
 The prohibition of the foregoing wasteful uses of natural gas 
 would 
 
 (a) Greatly improve the quality of the service. 
 
 (b) Immediately convert low-pressure conditions into usable 
 service for cooking. 
 
 (c) Cut down the needed consumption during the cold-weather 
 period where the demand is now greater than the available sup- 
 ply so as in effect to make more gas available for all. 
 
 (d) Add 15 to 20 years to the period that natural gas will be 
 available for domestic use. 
 
 (e) Because of the greatly increased efficiencies obtained even 
 with decidedly higher prices per 1,000 cubic feet would permit the 
 domestic consumer to get the same service without a greater annual 
 outlay of money. 
 
 (/) Permit the many small towns that are too small for the intro- 
 duction of manufactured gas to have gas service for a much longer 
 period. 
 
PUBLICATIONS ON NATURAL GAS AND INDUSTRIAL GASES. 
 
 A limited supply of the following publications of the Bureau of 
 Mines has been printed and is available for free distribution until 
 the edition is exhausted. Requests for all publications can not be 
 granted, and to insure equitable distribution applicants are requested 
 to limit their selection to publications that may be of especial in- 
 terest to them. Requests for publications should be addressed to the 
 Director, Bureau of Mines. 
 
 The Bureau of Mines issues a list showing all its publications avail- 
 able for free distribution as well as those obtainable only from the 
 Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, on pay- 
 ment of the price of printing. Interested persons should apply to. 
 the Director, Bureau of Mines, for a copy of the latest list. 
 
 PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 BULLETIN 6. Coals available for the manufacture of illuminating gas, by A. 
 H. White and Perry Barker, compiled and revised by H. M. Wilson. 1911. 
 77 pp., 4 pis., 12 figs. 
 
 BULLETIN 55. The commercial trend of the producer-gas power plant, by R. 
 H. Fernald. 1913. 93 pp., 1 pi., 4 figs. 
 
 BULLETIN 89. Economic methods of utilizing Western lignites, by E. J. Bab- 
 cock. 1915. 74 pp., 5 pis., 5 figs. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 9. The status of the gas producer and of the internal-com- 
 bustion engine in the utilization of fuels, by R. H. Fernald. 1912. 42 pp., 
 6 figs. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 38. Wastes in the production and utilization of natural 
 gas, and methods for their prevention, by Ralph Arnold and F. G. Clapp. 1913. 
 29 pp. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 106. Asphyxiation from blast-furnace gas, by F. H. Will- 
 cox. 1916. 79 pp., 8 pis., 11 figs. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 112. The explosibility of acetylene, by G. A. Burrell and 
 G. G. Oberfell. 1915. 15 pp. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 131. The compressibility of natural gas at high pressures, 
 by G. A. Burrell and I. W. Robertson. 1916. 11 pp., 2 figs. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 158. Compressibility of natural gas and its constituents 
 with analyses of natural gas from 31 cities in the United States, by G. A. 
 Burrell and I. W. Robertson. 1917. 16 pp., 9 figs. 
 
 PUBLICATIONS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED ONLY THROUGH THE SUPERIN- 
 TENDENT OF DOCUMENTS. 
 
 BULLETIN 4. Features of producer-gas power-plant development in Europe, 
 by R. H. Fernald. 1910. 27 pp., 4 pis., 7 figs. 10 cents, 
 
 BULLETIN 7. Essential factors in the formation of producer gas, by J. K. 
 Clement, L. H. Adams, and C. N. Haskins. 1911. 58 pp., 1 pi., 16 figs. 10 
 cents. 
 
 BULLETIN 9. Recent development of the producer-gas power plant in the 
 United States, by R. H. Fernald. 1910. 82 pp., 2 pis. 35 cents. 
 22 
 
PUBLICATIONS. 23 
 
 BULLETIN 13. ResumS of producer-gns investigations, October 1, 1904, to June 
 30, 1910, by R. H. Fernald and C. D. Smith. 1911. 393 pp., 12 pis., 250 figs. 
 65 cents. 
 
 BULLETIN 19. Physical and chemical properties of the petroleums of the San 
 Joaquin Valley, Calif., by I. C. Allen and W. A. Jacobs, with a chapter on 
 analyses of natural gas from the southern California oil fields, by G. A. Burrell. 
 1911. 60 pp., 2 pis., 10 figs. 10 cents. 
 
 BULLETIN 31. Incidental problems in gas-producer tests, by R. H. Fernald, 
 C. D. Smith, J. K. Clement, and H. A. Grine. 1911. 29 pp., 8 figs. 5 cents. 
 
 BULLETIN 42. The sampling and examination of mine gases and natural gas, 
 by G. A. Burrell and F. M. Seibert. 1913. 116 pp., 2 pis., 23 figs. 20 cents. 
 
 BULLETIN 88. The condensation of gasoline from natural gas, by G. A. Bur- 
 rell, F. M. Seibert, and G. G. Oberfell. 1915. 106 pp., 6 pis., 18 figs. 15 
 cents. 
 
 BULLETIN 109. Operating details of gas producers, by R. H. Fernald. 1916. 
 74 pp. 10 cents. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 3. Specifications for the purchase of fuel oil for the Gov- 
 ernment, with directions for sampling oil and natural gas, by I. C. Allen. 1911. 
 13 pp. 5 cents. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPEB 10. Liquefied products of natural gas, their properties and 
 uses, by I. C. Allen and G. A. Burrell. 1912. 23 pp. 5 cents. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 20. The slagging type of gas producer, with a brief report 
 of preliminary tests, by C. D. Smith. 1912. 14 pp., 1 pi. 5 cents. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 54. Errors in gas analysis due to the assumption that the 
 molecular volumes of all gases are alike, by G. A. Burrell and F. M. Seibert. 
 1913. 16 p., 1 fig. 5 cents. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 57. A preliminary report on the utilization of petroleum 
 and natural gas in Wyoming, by W. R. Calvert, with a discussion of the suit' 
 ability of natural gas for making gasoline, by G. A. Burrell. 1913. 23 pp. 
 5 cents. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 104. Analysis of natural gas and illuminating gas by frac- 
 tional djstillation in a vacuum at low temperatures and pressures, by G. A. 
 Burrell, F. M. Seibert, and I. W. Robertson. 1915. 41 pp., 7 figs. 5 cents. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 109. Composition of the natural gas used in 25 cities, with 
 a discussion of the properties of natural gas, by G. A. Burrell and G. G. 
 Oberfell. 1915. 22 pp. 5 cents. 
 
 TECHNICAL PAPER 120. A bibliography of the chemistry of gas manufacture, 
 by W. F. Rittman and M. C. Whittaker, compiled and arranged by M. S. 
 Howard. 1915. 30 pp. 
 
YC 18480 
 
 506930 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY