meternatural-gas
We have a gas meter similar to the one pictured below. I've not seen one of these before and can't find anything on reading them. The reason I'm asking is because it must not be as simple as just subtracting today's value from yesterday's.. Today's value is less than yesterday, by almost 100.
Ccf stands for 100 cubic feet. So the meter is read 8953 hundred and 9035 hundred, or 895,300 cf and 903,500 cf respectively.
When reading a meter, you'll notice each dial has an arrow. This arrow points the direction the needle spins. The number above the dial indicates how much the value increases, per revolution of that needle. For example. If the needle furthest to the right spins from 0, all the way round and back to 0. You've used 1,000 cubic feet of gas. This number is not a multiplier.
If the dial is exactly on a number, that's the number you use. If the dial is between two numbers, you'll usually use the smaller of the two. The exception here, is when the dial is between the 9 and 0. In this case, the 9 is actually smaller, and so should be used.
Here's a graphic from The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, explaining how to read a standard 4 dial meter.
So I did it! And it turned out not to be the problem...
Things to note:
Here is the joint compound that I used
I also used teflon tape.
And of course, be sure to turn off your gas when working with it, drain your water heater if it is an older style model (like mine) and be careful putting everything back together.
My problem: My problem ended up being the thermocouple. The replacement pilot light assembly I had installed just 8 weeks ago ended up having a faulty thermocouple. Obviously I should have taken more time to test the thermocouple rather than spending all the time and money on a new valve. Ah well! I'll be putting in a new anode shortly and hopefully I will get another 3-5 years out of this water heater. Enough time to take care of the freon line when the budget allows...
Also worth mentioning, I found an identical gas control valve from a vendor on Amazon. Ever since I got the new pilot light assembly in place it has been working just fine.
Best Answer
Yes, it should be that simple. My first guess would be that you have a typo or a misreading, and that yesterday it showed 4814.
If true, from the meter shown that would be a change of around 300 cubic feet, or about 3 therms. You can check your gas bill to see how many therms per month you are averaging. During my peak heating days, I can use that much, so it's not unreasonable.
For the meter to record 10000 cubic feet change in a day (or to run backward) is unreasonable. If you can confirm such a change is really indicated on the dial, you should contact the utility.
The dials for the one shown will indicate usage less than 100 cubic feet. If you're just recording long-term usage, you can ignore them. Under light usage, you might need them to see a daily difference.