the Handy Man 



Electric Lights for the Summer Cottage 5 



IN planning the system of distribution 

 for the current at the low potential 

 of six volts, we have first of all to con- 

 sider ways and means for getting the 

 current to the lamps by the shortest pos- 

 sible route in order that the already low 

 voltage may not suffer a serious drop. 

 In this manner we also effect a saving 

 in copper, as a short line does not have 

 to be of as heavy a conductor as would 

 be the case if the transmission were over 

 a long wire. The plan of the cottage 

 under consideration readily adapts itself 

 to a short and simple wiring diagram as 

 the reader will note upon reference to 

 the illustration on the facing page. 



As outlined in the preceding article, 

 the plan is to employ 2i-candlepower, 

 nitrogen-filled, six-volt lamps for the 

 living room as well as in the combined 

 dining room and kitchen. The sleeping 

 balconies and the porch are to be lighted 

 with six-candlepower, six-volt mazda 

 lamps. The battery is to be one having 

 a capacity of from 80 to 100 ampere 

 hours and the suggestion is to charge the 

 battery from, the generator on the auto- 

 mobile or motor boat during the day. 

 This necessitates the removal of the bat- 

 tery from the house for charging, but the 

 annoyance is slight, and if the user is 

 willing to put up with the trouble, he 

 may save the cost of a generating plant 

 thereby. It is realized, of course, that 

 perhaps some of those who build the cot- 

 tage will not be the fortunate possessors 

 of either a car or a boat, and in such an 

 event the only recourse is to an isolated 



* Continued from the June number. 



plant combining a small generator and 

 gasoline engine. The installation of such 

 a plant, low in cost and simple in opera- 

 tion, will be described in the next article. 



The wiring diagram discloses the bat- 

 tery beneath the seat on the porch. 

 Where space is at a premium, as in the 

 present instance, the natural closet room 

 afforded by the porch seat offers an op- 

 portunity that should be taken advantage 

 of. Furthermore, in view of the fact 

 that this installation is purely a warm 

 weather one, it is just as well for the 

 battery to be placed outside the sleeping 

 and living quarters in order that any 

 possible fumes arising from the acid may 

 be readily carried off. Anticipating the 

 next article a bit, we may add that the 

 porch seat also provides room for the 

 entire charging plant in the event that it 

 is installed. Therefore, the logical start- 

 ing place for the mains is beneath the 

 seat and near the wall. 



Tracing the conductor, which should 

 be of No. 10 rubber covered wire, we 

 follow it up the side of the cottage on 

 cleats until it reaches the ceiling of the 

 porch which it follows to the front door. 

 Here a tap of No. 14 rubber covered wire 

 is taken to provide the branch circuit for 

 the porch light. This outlet may termi- 

 nate in a standard dome such as is used 

 on the ceiling of a limousine car. The 

 control is preferably through a snap 

 switch just inside the front door of the 

 cottage. 



To continue the mains, however, we 

 find that the No. 10 wire is carried in a 

 straight line through the center of the 

 living room to the dining room. At the 



106 



