Alarm System: Sirens
February 26, 2007
Alarm Sirens- There is both inside and outside sirens. Many towns have a noise ordinance, which should prevent your installer from putting yours outside, unless you are on a ranch where you need to know what’s going on while your out in the barn. You would not want a neighbor running over to your place during an alarm as they might be confronting a dangerous situation. It is better to let the police do that instead.
An inside siren is one that simulates a doorbell and placed high on a hallway wall, or a large siren is often placed in your return air vent. This will let a burglar know that they have violated an alarm so that they will hi- tail it out of there. It will also let you know that your system has been violated so that you can release the hounds, load your gun or hide under the covers, whatever you select as an appropriate response.
(HOT TIP!) Sirens are measured in decibels and wattage. A large siren would be 30 watts or more and at least 100 decibels. If you settle for a non- descriptive commitment such as "It will be loud" you may have authorized a smaller and less expensive siren to be installed. They are all loud, but the louder the better when it comes to scaring a burglar away.
Mosquito Farms? Is That What Water Gardens Are?
February 26, 2007
What is nicer that a lovely backyard garden pond. The lush growth rising above the water, graceful fish darting about and the soothing sound of the water. These are just a few of the reasons people are drawn to water gardens.
But when you think about adding a water feature to your garden, you are torn, because you know that a charming pond can also be a mosquito hatchery. And, everyone is concerned; rightly, about mosquitoes and the diseases they spread.
It is true, mosquitoes do need water to breed, but at the same time, there are so many effective ways to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in ponds, you should not let that stop you. Water gardeners are in a unique position; they can have wet spaces that can actually help stop mosquitoes from breeding.
Just a few simple precautions are all you need to feel safe and enjoy such a wonderful addition to the landscape.
If you have a water garden, or want one, try these suggestions.
I Need What Part?
February 25, 2007
One of the first things you learn as a homeowner is that you may own your home, but you don’t actually live in it full time. You get to spend the rest of your time living in the hardware store or hardware dept of your local retail store. Unfortunately the older the home the more frequent you visit this vast place with aisles and aisles of thingies and who whos, that previously meant little more than, ‘’?that aisle that my dad use to get all kinds of shiny pipes, connectors, and silver and brass things." A place where he spent many hours, (and you will too), talking about stuff with strange names and even stranger looking objects’d plumbing.
For now I’m just going to talk about plumbing. The first thing to realize is that older homes have plumbing systems that use galvanized pipe, which will corrode over time, leading to low pressure and leaks, (modern homes use copper and flexible pipe). Also in most modern homes there are usually "stop valves", (these are the little turn thingies) under each sink and toilet in the house, the most important one is the main water cut off. KNOW WHERE THIS IS LOCATED!! Or be ready to watch "Ole Faithful" wash your ceiling.
Home Equity Loan ? With a Reverse Mortgage, Your Home Pays You!
February 25, 2007
The home equity loan has become quite popular in the last five years, and Americans have tapped into the equity of their homes in record numbers. The reasons vary, although home improvement and debt consolidation are the most common reasons for borrowing against a home’s equity.
In the last fifteen years or so, a new twist has arrived in the home equity market ?- the reverse mortgage. Like a traditional home equity loan or line of credit, a reverse mortgage allows you to borrow against the equity in your home. Unlike those other options, you don’t have to make payments in order to pay it back. The repayment takes place when you die, when you move, or when you sell your home. You must be at least 62 years of age to qualify, but unlike other loans, you do not have to have any appreciable income in order to get a reverse mortgage.
There are a number of advantages of a reverse mortgage over a traditional home equity loan:
Due to the age restrictions on reverse mortgages, they are not for everyone. But if you qualify, it could provide an excellent opportunity to have an income during your retirement years.
The Motors Best Friend
February 25, 2007
The starting current of motor can become 3 to 6 times the normal running current! That’s normal for motors. The motor can experience this high current for a period ranging from 20 to 50 seconds.
A fuse will not be very useful in protecting a motor from this type of overload condition. A selected fuse large enough to permit passage of the necessary starting current would give little or no protection against overheating of the windings under normal running load conditions. The same case happens for the circuit breaker.
Overload relays offer protection of motors that is both compatible with the starting current of the circuit, and the requirement of protection in the event of overload running condition.
These conditions need to be adjustable. A particular motor requiring 56 seconds starting time under normal load will suffer serious damage if the rotor locks and the motor is not tripped in 20 seconds. Another motor may be able to withstand 25 percent overload for 30 minutes. A hermetically sealed compressor motor may burn in 3 minutes at 25 percent overload!
Bedroom Benches - The Ease of Decorating With Them
February 25, 2007
Do you want to add a sense of style and sophistication to your bedroom space but are not sure how to accomplish it? Do you have a large bedroom that would benefit from the addition of a gorgeous, functional piece of furniture? Is your bedroom lacking in closet space? If so, you should consider getting a bedroom bench.
Far from being just another piece of furniture, bedroom benches bring unparalleled grace and elegance to bedrooms with all types of décor. Whether you prefer rich upholstered bedroom benches or the more practical, but just as beautiful, storage benches, you can truly customize your space and add that needed touch without spending a lot of money or doing a complete remodel.
Upholstered bedroom benches can be used to add a romantic or Old-World feel to your intimate space. Available in a wide range of wood finishes, upholstered bedroom benches can be matched and blended with practically any existing bedroom furniture or can be selected to make a bold statement or to become the focal point of the room.
Bedroom benches can also be covered with rich, colorful fabrics chosen from a large tapestry of colors and designs. Want something a little more personal or customized? Simply cover your upholstered bedroom bench with your own needlepoint work or family heirloom fabrics.
Successful Motor Protection Formulae
February 24, 2007
As we have discussed before, all overload relays have one major limitation - because they operate on line current, they do not directly sense the motor temperatures.
However, with proper heater selection and careful attention to the factors that affect heater performance, the overload relay can work extremely well to protect the motors.
Some of these factors that need close attention are:
Motor full load current
Motor temperature rise rating
Service factor
Ambient temperature at the motor and at the protector
Motor locked rotor current ratio
Starting time
Duty cycle
Locked rotor endurance time.
If attention is not given to these factors, the overload relay will perform poorly. The other factor to be considered is maintenance. Below are some maintenance routines:
Cleaning - The overload relays should be cleaned periodically. Dirt or dust created by the operating conditions in the plant tends to settle around the moving parts in the device and prevent it from operating properly.
Tightening connections - Because most overload relays make use of current flowing through heater elements to sense overloaded conditions, it is important that the electrical terminals are not loose. Loose electrical connections can create extra heat and cause false tripping of the relays.
Getting the Power to Control
February 24, 2007
One of the advantages of using machines to control processes for you is that you can harness tremendous amounts of power and energy which humans do not possess.
By a flick of a switch, huge sliding flood gates can move to allow large quantities of water to flow out of a dam. With just a slight twist on a handle, supertankers weighing hundreds of thousands of tons are able to turn because of the corresponding rotation of huge rudders.
Similarly, processes operating valves can be remotely operated to control flow, temperatures, pressures and so on.
All these final control elements - flood gates, rudder, valves - must be operated by actuators. The function of the actuator is to move to control elements in the processes.
In order to move the actuator, there must be a medium for transmitting the required power or action. All the actuators are mechanical in nature. The common means of transmitting the power are: pneumatic (air), hydraulic (fluid), and electrical (motors).
To Salt or Not to Salt Your Pond
February 24, 2007
The important question of whether or not to add salt to your pond is often confusing for beginners and forgotten by experienced pond-keepers. To newbies and pro’s alike we have this to say:
“Add Salt Today to Keep the Fish Doctor Away”
True, there are some negative effects of higher salt levels on plants in the pond, but overall we think it is absolutely the very best thing you can add to your pond in terms of keeping your fish happy and healthy. Salt acts as a natural ’stress coat’ and essentially thickens the slime coat on the fish’s body - which is it’s own natural defense system against bacteria and parasites.
Salt is also very effective in killing bacteria and parasites in the pond. When added in proper doses, salting your pond can dramatically reduce the threat of disease affecting your fish.
It’s just like with humans - we are always exposed to the common cold cells in their body, but can usually resist if their immune system is strong. Similarly, pond fish and KOI are always exposed to some degree of parasite and bacteria presence in the pond, but by keeping their immune system strong and their slime coat thick, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Multi Family Property Living
February 24, 2007
While most multi family properties are designed to allow the peaceful coexistence of many families within their separate units, some apartments and houses give you the feeling that you’re actually living in one big family. Things like sharing one washer and dryer between five families means you never know whose underwear you’ll have to fish out of the washer before you start your own laundry. And a shared water heater means that now there’s an incentive to early morning classes. Catching the ‘Cosby Show’ every night at seven through your living room wall keeps you conveniently updated on the latest goings-on in the Huxtable home.
While living in multi family housing may not be an ideal situation for some tenants, it can be a way to wealth for the person collecting the rent. My own landlord, also currently a college student, manages several properties for his wealthy, out-of-state family, collecting a handsome property manager’s fee in the process. Sure he had to evict the people upstairs, replace the roof, renovate the unit next door, and perform other sundry tasks, but at the end of the month, he’s got another $2500 in the bank.
