The work is normally eight hours per day, with Saturday afternoons off but, since the men are usually paid monthly salaries, sometimes they will do little work on one day and have to spend overtime on the next. Theoretical training in a school which teaches electric wiring is very desirable for a man who has not made a study of the code requirements. The salary for an inspector will range from $100 to $175 per month. A chief inspector to whom several men report may receive from $150 to $250 per month and possibly more. In some cities the wiring inspectors must be members of the wireman’s union and receive the prevailing rate of pay for wiremen.
PLAN No. 1201. WORK IN STORAGE-BATTERY SERVICE STATIONS
Thousands of automobile electric service stations are now in operation, while a few years ago there were none. This phenomenal development has been due to the increase in the use of automobiles and to the popularity of electric-starting systems. Many stations specialize on only one component of the starting equipment, as for example the storage battery. Storage-battery stations have become so necessary that almost every city has at least one station which handles exclusively storage batteries. It charges, repairs, or rebuilds the batteries as occasion demands. Since the service station is becoming an established and rapidly growing institution, it affords many promising openings.
A storage-battery service station should be equipped for handling battery work of all kinds. Often because of a defective switch or some similar trouble a battery will run down. Then it is brought to the station to be recharged. In the station specially designed equipment is utilized so that a number of batteries can be charged simultaneously. The workman who directs the charging department arranges the battery on the bench and connects it into the circuit with others, all of which may be recharged simultaneously. As the batteries become charged, certain chemical actions occur. The density of the acid solution changes, and by observing with a hydrometer the specific gravity of the solution, the battery man knows when to disconnect the cells from the line.
On the service floor where the cars are driven in for examination or adjustments are the inspectors who are familiar with the general performance of storage cells. Often an inspector must locate causes of a trouble which does not originate in the battery, but which is due to a defect in some other element of the system. He must be able to diagnose quickly the difficulty and its origin and to recommend the corrective action necessary. Work of this character demands men with battery and general automobile experience. They should be familiar with all of the motor car electrical equipment. A detailed account of service station work is given in the monograph on “Automobile maintenance and service.”
In the repair shop worn batteries are rebuilt and damaged batteries are repaired. In the repairing process, often the only thing required is the replacement of the wooden separators which separate the lead plates of the cell. These separators rot quickly when a battery is mistreated, a short circuit results, and this, if not promptly remedied, will ruin the battery. Other trouble cases may be caused by the plates having become “worn,” either through a long period of normal service or because of abuse. A worn battery can by utilizing the old jars be rehabilitated by substituting new plates and separators for the old. When a question arises as to whether it will be best to repair a cell, or to replace the plates, or to substitute a new cell, the repair man should be able to judge accurately as to the most economical procedure. In repairing a cell the sealing compound is removed by heating, and the lead straps which effect the electrical connection between the various cells of the battery are drilled or cut off. The element, as the group of plates is called, is then taken out. If the plates are in poor condition they are thrown away, new ones are substituted, and new wood separators are inserted. The jar is washed, the plates and element replaced, and the covers sealed on the cells. Finally the connectors are burned securely to the posts.
Lead burning by the hydrogen or acetylene torch is necessary in connecting cells. This requires great skill. A man must usually do battery work for a considerable period before he becomes a competent lead burner. After the battery is sealed, it is filled with a new sulphuric-acid solution and placed “on charge.” When readings of the hydrometer and voltmeter indicate that it is fully charged, it is delivered to its owner or is placed in stock.
It appears that the demand for men in this vocation has never been satisfied. Some of the work requires physical exertion because the heavy batteries must be lifted on and off the charging bench. In the charging room the air may be permeated with sulphuric-acid fumes. These are irritating to the nostrils of some individuals but do not seem to affect others.
The workman should be familiar with the action of batteries and with electrical circuits as well. He should be able to observe readings of meters, thermometers, and hygrometers. To become a skilled battery repairman, considerable practical experience on the job is necessary. However, a beginner with little experience can start in as a helper and gradually work up in the trade. Some theoretical training will be of great assistance. It can be obtained in the storage-battery departments of those schools which have automobile courses.
The work as a rule is eight hours. The compensation of a beginner or helper will range from $60 to $80 per month; an all-around experienced battery man will receive from $80 to $125 per month, and a foreman in charge of a shop may receive from $100 to $200 per month. There is always the possibility that a man following this work can branch out into a service business for himself.