Waterworks Watch On Television Programmes

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30809, 22 July 1965, Page 1

Waterworks Watch On Television Programmes

Unless a waterworks shift engineer is familiar with television programmes he can easily be misled into starting extra pumps unnecessarily or suspecting a major mains blow-out When a popular programme ends mother goes to the kitchen to put on the kettle and ‘he whole family wanders through to flush the toilet. The relationship of water pressure to television programmes is given by Mr P. G. Scoular, the City Engineer, in the Dobson lecture for 1965 on municipal engineering. Mr Scoular has a graph showing how, because of the drop in pressure at the end of "Mr Ed,” a popular comedy programme, an extra pump cut In automatically for an hour and a half, probably unnecessarily. The graph shows that between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. when meals are being prepared and dishes are being washed, water pressure is low —about 95'b to the square inch. Then at the end of “Mr Ed,” pressure drops to 81b. the extra pump cuts in and the pressure goes up to 1101 b

and then fluctuates between 1051 b and 1151 b, when the extra pump cuts off. Half-time in “The Flintstones” is marked by a drop in pressure to 851 b. The next drop is at the end of "The Greatest Show on Earth.” and pressure drops again after “Z Cars.” At the end of the programme around 11 p.m. there is another slight drop, and then pressure builds up. The second part of the Dobson lecture this year is by Professor H. J. Hopkins, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Canterbury University, who deals With the education and training of an engineer. The lectures, which are aimed at interesting young men in engineering, have already been given to senior pupils of schools in Wellington and Auckland. Thev will be given to senior Christchurch school students today. . A preview was given to local body members, local engineers, parents, and others last evening. The lectures were inaugurated by the New Zealand Institution of Engineers in 1961.