Natural Gas Measurements

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JimChochola
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Natural Gas Measurements

Hi, all. I have some questions the answers to which will help me more accurately gauge CHAOS' portion of the gas bill each month.

The CHAOS community brew house is on the same gas line as the tenants; i.e., no separate meter. So...

(1) Does anyone know where to get a cheap (or free?!?!) meter we can attach where the gas line enters the brew house to get an exact reading of what the brew house is using?

(2) Alternately, does anyone know some statistics on gas usage? For example, If a Blichman is running with the valve fully open for 90 minutes, how many therms of natural gas it would consume. Same with a stove (since some people use those, too). If someone can begin to estimate the ceiling heater, too, that would be great.

I know nothing about gas delivery or equipment so thanks for indulging these questions.

David
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flow meter....but they aint

flow meter....but they aint cheap.  Especially for NG.

JimChochola
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JimChochola

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Yeah, I remember people saying that. Hence my plea for cheap or free. Do the=
se things just lie around at construction sites?

On Dec 29, 2012, at 16:21, "CHAOS Brew Club" <reply+758cb6787ec1626443f97fec=
8530c906@chaosbrewclub.net> wrote:

> David commented on the post "Natural Gas Measurements"
> --------------------
> flow meter....but they aint cheap. Especially for NG.
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<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Yeah, I remember people saying that. Hence my plea for cheap or free. Do these things just lie around at construction sites?<br><br>On Dec 29, 2012, at 16:21, "CHAOS Brew Club" &lt;<a href="mailto:reply+758cb6787ec1626443f97fec8530c906@chaosbrewclub.net">reply+7...@chaosbrewclub.net</a>&gt; wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>

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<p>David commented on the post "Natural Gas Measurements"<br>
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flow meter....but they aint cheap.&nbsp; Especially for NG.</p>
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lagerdan
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The only time I have seen a

The only time I have seen a temporary hookup from the gas company is when the bricklayers are on a site and its too cold for the morter.  It looked like the gas company came out and put a temp meter in ......but it looked pretty elaborate and not something that would be left or lost.  Good idea but not sure if thats the solution......

Jeff W
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It's been my experience that

It's been my experience that submetering is not an inexpensive (by our standards) thing to do.  We've been in the process of having sub-meters installed to monitor our tenant power usage.  So far, though, rather than spending the money, we have waited until one of the agencies remodels, then have them pay for it as part of the remodel.  Of course, if the money you save out wieghs the cost of installation, then it's worth doing.

JimChochola
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So, let's ignore the first

So, let's ignore the first question then for a bit. Any rule of thumb for floor burners/stoves/heaters and therm usage?

ChuckMac
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Try this to measure gas usage

Try this to measure gas usage, also note that all gas powered appliances must be off for this method to work.

  Check the gas meter to ensure it's stopped, then turn on the burner and time how much the meter moves in ten minutes.  Divide this by your cost of gas, as listed on your utility bill, and you can figure out the cost of using that burner per minute or hour.

JimChochola
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Ingenious!

I'll ask Iggy if we have access to the meter....

On Dec 31, 2012, at 5:46, "CHAOS Brew Club" <reply+a0a746e8f445243807b85b7bd=
223b565@chaosbrewclub.net> wrote:

> ChuckMac commented on the post "Natural Gas Measurements"
> --------------------
> Try this to measure gas usage, also note that all gas powered appliances m=
ust be off for this method to work.
> Check the gas meter to ensure it's stopped, then turn on the burner and t=
ime how much the meter moves in ten minutes. Divide this by your cost of ga=
s, as listed on your utility bill, and you can figure out the cost of using t=
hat burner per minute or hour.
>=20
> --------------------
>=20
> To view the full thread, change your subscription settings, or to reply to=
the comment visit: http://www.chaosbrewclub.net/comment/66445#comment-66445=

> You can also reply to this message to respond, please ensure you reply at t=
he top of this message. The hash contained in this message can only be used f=
or a single reply.

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<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Ingenious!</div><div><br></div><div>I'll ask Iggy if we have access to the meter....<br><br>On Dec 31, 2012, at 5:46, "CHAOS Brew Club" &lt;<a href="mailto:reply+a0a746e8f445243807b85b7bd223b565@chaosbrewclub.net">reply+a...@chaosbrewclub.net</a>&gt; wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>

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<p>ChuckMac commented on the post "Natural Gas Measurements"<br>
--------------------<br>
Try this to measure gas usage, also note that all gas powered appliances must be off for this method to work.<br>
&nbsp; Check the gas meter to ensure it's stopped, then turn on the burner and time how much the meter moves in ten minutes.&nbsp; Divide this by your cost of gas, as listed on your utility bill, and you can figure out the cost of using that burner per minute or hour.</p>
<p>--------------------</p>
<p>To view the full thread, change your subscription settings, or to reply to the comment visit: <a href="http://www.chaosbrewclub.net/comment/66445#comment-66445">http://www.cha...
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IGZ
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access would have to be

access would have to be coordinated with the landlord, its in the basement of the front buidling, which i do not have access to.

but i think thats a great way to get some metrics for better estimating!

...igz...