Select your Market
-
{{ userContent.title }}
{{ userContent.lookingForMoreLabel }}
Well whistle, 1950s
textblock default title
The well whistle is an entirely mechanical measuring device for measuring the precise water level of wells, reservoirs and monitoring well pipes. The measuring set comprises a steel tape measure, the front of which is attached to a metal cylinder with scaled grooves and a whistle hole. The well whistle is quickly lowered into the surface of the water. When it is plunged, the water displaces the air in the cylinder, which flows through a whistle hole, giving a sound.
The depth of the water can be accurately determined to the centimeter by adding the length of the tape measure and the number of grooves on the cylinder that are not filled with water. At a depth of more than 30 m, this piece of equipment is unusable as it becomes increasingly difficult to hear the whistle sound. In this case, a contact gage could be used, which uses the electrical conductivity of the water to determine the depth of a body of water that is several hundred meters deep.
A secure water supply has always been indispensable for the company. The well whistle was used when the site premises were relocated from the center of Darmstadt to Frankfurter Strasse. Ten wells were dug for the “new factory” in 1901. After the move in 1904, further wells were required. By 1914, 18 wells covered the constantly increasing water consumption. Additional reservoirs and, in particular, the water tower ensured the supply. Well whistles remained an important control instrument for these facilities for a long time.