Wait till you study the table below! You already know that if you want protection, you need joules. There is a wide variance in the amount of joules for each surge suppressor. The all important clamping voltage is fairly consistent in many of the models, but the joule rating is all over the map.
Sears has everyone beat hands down. They have an affordable suppressor that has all the bells and whistles AND offers a 2,500 joule rating! It is also affordable with a retail price of $59.99. These suppressors offer the highest protection of all the ones I could readily find. If you can't get a Sears suppressor, the Belkin top-of-the-line model will give you great protection as well.
Recently, I attended the 1998 National Hardware Show in Chicago, Illinois. I saw numerous surge suppressor vendors displaying product. Most of the suppressors were low powered units. I was shocked to see some of these inadequate units being marketed as OK for computers and such. They simply had way too few joules to do any good. I have listed below just some suppressor manufacturers / sellers (Sears).
You may find a great surge suppressor on a store shelf that I have not listed. You are looking for four things as far as I am concerned: A joule rating near or in excess of 2,000, a UL 1449 clamping voltage of 330 or less, an audible and visible alarm if the suppressor has been exhausted, and a generous, enforceable connected equipment warranty.
You should also read the fine print on many of the packages. Some manufacturers will replace their units if they fail in the field. All you need to do is make a simple phone call. You may need to keep some paperwork. If you are organized, this should be an easy task. Pay attention to the length of the surge suppressor power cord. Some come with a generous length such as 6 or more feet. This can come in very handy. Look for surge suppressors that protect your phone equipment and cable TV equipment as well. Call the following manufacturers and get some literature right now!
American Power Conversion (APC) 877-272-2722
Belkin 800-223-5546
Pacific Electricord 310-532-6600
Panamax (Whole House Surge Protector) 800-472-5555
Computers, printers, fax machines, stereos, calculators, copying machines, you name it - if it has an electric cord, it very likely has one or more computer chips that control some function. Chips are everywhere and they are multiplying like rabbits. They make our lives less complicated but when a chip burns up because of a voltage surge, our lives can become miserable about as fast as the surge roared down the power line.
Small Spaces
One reason electric surges are becoming more of a problem is because computer chips are becoming more efficient. In other words, the distance between the electrical pathways on the chips is shrinking. This means that it takes less electricity to arc across the borders between the pathways.
Surges are also becoming a problem because of the deregulation of the electric industry. Electric utility companies are now having to deal with electric coming from many different sources. This wasn't such a problem years ago when just your electric company generated power. If they needed more juice, they would simply make the buy and prepare for the delivery. I believe it is much more complicated today with the net result being an increased possibility of electrical surges sneaking into your local electric distribution network.
Lightning strikes near your house or in your neighborhood can cause all sorts of problems. The huge voltage surge can travel down electric lines, telephone and cable TV lines. This rush of current is hunting for a place to go. It wants to go to the ground, but if it can't get there quickly enough, it will search out and destroy things in its path until it does find adequate pathways to the ground.
You can stop much of this damaging current with protection at your electric panel. This protection may include a surge protector, sacrificial lightning arrestors, oversized grounding wires and ground rods to dissipate the massive quantities of electricity. Think about it - imagine trying to drain a swimming pool through a drinking straw. That is not a good fit. Standard sized ground wires work fine for regular dead fault short circuits. They are no match for the massive amounts of amperage / voltage contained in a lightning strike. Never, ever underestimate the power of Mother Nature.
Plenty of Protection
If you want solid protection for your household electronic equipment, I feel you need to install two levels of protection. A whole house surge suppressor will absorb many - if not all - surges that originate outside your home. The point-of-use surge protectors that connect behind your computer and stereo will do that as well. They will also capture larger surges the might originate inside your home.
The surge suppressors you buy must have the highest joule rating possible. These ratings represent how many metal oxide varistors (MOVs) are inside the suppressor. The MOVs are sacrificial. Each surge no matter how large or small eats away at the MOVs. Eventually, the MOVs inside the suppressor will be destroyed. You want as much protection for as long a period as possible.
Super Safety
I have always been a Doubting Thomas. I have used surge protection equipment for years, but in the event of electrical storms, I always unplug my protector from the wall outlets. This automatically isolates all of my computer equipment from any possibility of damage.
I suggest you think about doing this as well, especially if you plan on leaving your house for vacation or some other reason. It seems to me that this plan offers the highest level of protection. I know what lightning can do as my house suffered a strike or near strike 10 years ago. We came home and all of the smoke detectors were blaring, the garage door openers were fried, the VCR was toasted, 5 circuit breakers were ruined, and all of the GFCI outlets were burned up as well.
Connected Warranties
Virtually every surge suppressor sold today comes with a connected equipment warranty. This is good coverage, but be sure you know what is covered and how you can make a valid claim. I urge you to create a file folder that you keep all product packaging, receipts, instructions, etc. You may need these things to make a claim.
Also keep in mind what the warranties don't cover. Think how many hours you might have invested in electronic files on your computer. You need backup data storage for this, not a warranty! Don't forget, tapes in computer tape backup drives can be fried if they are left inside your computer!
The door chime market is controlled by two major players. I'm quite sure that years ago there were many manufacturers. The two companies today both make excellent products. You can find them in virtually every home center or lighting showroom.
The variety of designs and styles is overwhelming. You can buy the simple, traditional rectangular plastic box two note chime or you can upgrade to elegant art deco wall sconce fixtures. Chimes that contain wall clocks, ones that look like planters, etc. are all available.
Even the door chime buttons are impressive. Broan and Nutone each make over 25 different buttons. Many are solid brass and will go with any style house.
If you are a purist and want an old fashioned doorbell or buzzer, you can get those too! The bells are very cool, as they have the bell clapper on the outside of the bell. When you activate the button, you actually see the clapper going back and forth. It takes you back 50 years or more. The buzzers are wonderful too. If you want to install one inside the house to aggravate your husband in his workshop to tell him dinner is ready, it is an easy chore!
Is someone in your family hearing impaired? If so, you can get a door chime that sounds a tone and has a strobe light. When the button is pushed, a strobe light pulses on and off for 10 seconds. Call the manufacturers below and ask for brochures. You will be amazed at how stylish the chimes are!
Both Broan and Nutone above make wireless door chimes. These have a radio transmitter and their own chime. However, another company has a wireless system that uses your existing chime button and chime in addition to adding a slave chime somewhere else in your house.
The slave chime plugs into any electrical outlet. It receives a radio signal from the small transmitter that is installed with your existing chime. I suggest that you call this company and get additional information. Two of my readers contacted me after my column appeared in the paper. Both readers have the system and love it. They said it was affordable and very simple to install. Thanks to Gretchen G. and Robert W. for helping!
Kathy, my wife, just doesn't like doorbells, door chimes and especially the buttons. As a result, we have beautiful solid brass door knockers on our front and side entrances. When those bad boys are "activated," they can be heard down the street!
Last week, we missed a UPS delivery because we don't have a doorbell or button adjacent to the door that leads from the house into the garage. I had coated the front and side porches with a wood sealant and the UPS driver had no other choice but to use the garage entrance. He is not the only person to use this back entry. Often people mistake our garage door opener buttons for door chimes. To make a long story short, I'm installing a lighted button at the garage door that will operate an old fashioned doorbell. The Carter house is climbing out of the dark ages!
Simple Devices
Door chimes are very simple electrical devices. They operate on low voltage (commonly 16 volts) and the electrical current is direct current (DC). Regular household high voltage wiring is alternating current (AC).
Direct current devices obtain their power from transformers that push electrons out from one terminal screw and pull them back into the transformer at the other terminal screw. In other words, a DC transformer is nothing more than a small electrical pump - it pumps out electrons instead of water. When you install a simple switch and a doorbell between the two terminals, you create a loop. The electricity flows out of the transformer past the switch, into the bell and then back to the transformer. As the electrons pass through the bell, they "tickle" it and make it vibrate or ring. More sophisticated door chimes do the traditional "Ding - Dong" or play a four or eight note tune.
The Loop
To solve pesky door chime wiring problems, you need to always keep in mind the loop wiring diagram in your head. If you understand how the electrons are supposed to flow, you can almost always quickly identify where a problem exists in your doorbell/door chime wiring loop.
If you don't own a simple volt meter, I suggest you go to Radio Shack and buy a medium priced digital or old fashioned VU meter volt meter. This is absolutely necessary if you want to locate a doorbell problem.
Check Connections
If your current doorbell/door chime doesn't work, the problem will very likely be a loose connection, a broken doorbell/chime, or a burned up transformer. I always like to check the transformer first to see if it is generating power. This is where you need the voltmeter. If you touch the two leads of the voltmeter to the two screws on the transformer, you should see the voltmeter register power. If it doesn't the transformer is bad and/or the high voltage power feeding the transformer is off. If you have 16 volts or near that let's move on.
The door buttons are the second place to look for trouble. I always remove the cover and detach the wires from the button. If you touch the two ends of the bare doorbell wires together it very possibly will activate the doorbell/door chime. If you see a brief spark and no noise from the chime, it usually means that there is a problem at the bell/chime. Don't continue to touch the wires together as you can burn up the transformer!
To test to see if the door chime is the problem, I suggest you purchase the least expensive doorbell or buzzer. Go to the current door chime location and hook up the buzzer or bell to the existing wiring. If you hook up the wire from your existing chime that is attached to the screw that says "Trans" and then you attach the other wire to the buzzer that is connected to the screw that says "Front", you should hear a BUZZZZ when you push the front door button. This assumes that you have power at the transformer and the button works.
Old Wiring
If you have an old house - say 50 years or older - there is a possibility that the low voltage doorbell wire has older cloth insulation. This insulation can deteriorate and cause shorts to develop. If you check out the transformer, button, and bell/chime and all seem to work, you could have bad wire.
Transformers
The transformer for your door chime system should be adjacent to your electric panel. In fact, they are allowed to be connect directly to the side of the panel through a regular 1/2 inch knockout.
Transformers are affected by heat. Never install them in an attic or other area where they will be subjected to high temperatures. If you are installing a new chime, ALWAYS install a new properly sized transformer. They are inexpensive!
Let's think cars for just a minute. For a car to move it needs an engine and a transmission. The transmission transfers the power from the engine to the wheels. Your portable generator needs a transmission, too - a generator transfer switch. Without this device, you will struggle to get the electricity from the generator to the appliances and tools safely. In fact, some things such as your furnace motor are hard wired. How would you ever attach an extension cord to your furnace motor?
This is what transfer switches do. They enable you to safely transfer power from the generator to your electrical motors and equipment. The switches look like a sophisticated electric panel with circuit breakers. You can get them in a variety of sizes that handle both single pole (120 volt) and double pole (240 volt) circuits.
Transfer switches are a MUST! They take your house off line when the generator is in use. Without them, you could kill a utility company worker with high voltage! Remember, those transformers on poles work in both directions. You feed in 120 volts and it can make 7,200 volts or more down stream! Plus, the switches protect your new generator from voltage spikes when the power is restored. Be sure to ask about these when buying a generator. If the salesman at the store doesn't know anything about transfer switches, kindly thank him for his time and gently back out of the store. Call this company for some cool information:
There are quite a few players/manufacturers of portable electric generators. Each one makes a full line of products. The range of products is remarkable. You can buy cute little 350 watt generators. These would be great for a camping trip or cookout. Want a real generator? One that will handle some real loads? Then get a 12,000 watt generator. The only problem is that you will pay about $1 per watt! Yes, these can run as high as $12,000 after taxes.
For household emergencies, a 4,500 or 5,000 watt generator will usually get you through the power outage. You will be inconvenienced. You will have to incorporate rolling brown outs in your house most likely. This means that you will not be able to have all of the necessary things on at the same time. Oh well, it is either that or pay the big bucks for a monster generator.
Not all generators are created equal. The engine and alternator that creates the electricity can vary in quality. These components control the quality and quantity of electricity. Price is an excellent gauging tool. The better engines and alternators WILL cost more money! If you are powering sensitive equipment or you just want good "juice", then buy a high quality generator. Honda happens to make some excellent equipment. I have a Honda engine on my portable air compressor. The engine has been abused and it still starts on the first pull every time! It also has a unique low oil alert feature. If the oil drops or you set the engine on a surface that is severely out of level, the engine will not run. This has happened to me and I saved my engine!
Other generators will work well too. However, when comparing generators, make a list of features. See what you are really getting. Pay attention to AC output in watts, DC output (if any!) and the size of each power outlet - this is the control for the MAXIMUM juice you can pull for any one appliance! Pay attention to fuel tank size and maximum time the unit can run between refuelings. This may be important if you want a good night's sleep! Call these manufacturers and get some literature and the location of the closest distributor. Take your time selecting a generator!
Le Corbusier, who wrote "Towards a New Architecture", summed up interior design and planning quite accurately. He wrote "The plan is the generator...... Without plan there can be neither grandeur of aim and expression, nor rhythm, nor mass, nor coherence....A plan calls for the most active imagination. It calls for the most severe discipline also. The plan is what determines everything; it is the decisive moment." These thoughts, in essence, tell the whole story. Planning is everything.
Interior designing calls for this discipline. Designers are charged with the responsibility of utilizing 'space' to its fullest. However, at the same time they must attempt to make things as visually pleasing as possible. It is a huge challenge. The best designers go about this process in an orderly fashion. Remember, Le Corbusier said that is "...the most severe discipline also." Often during the process, an intelligent interior designer asks many, if not all, of the following questions:
1. What exactly will you be doing in the room or group of rooms that are being considered? If more than one activity is going to take place, what is the primary activity? List other priorities in order of importance.
2. How does this room or group of rooms interact with other rooms in the structure? Basically, is this room or group of rooms at the center of the structure or off to one side? The location of the room or group of rooms can have a profound impact on its final design.
3. How do you envision the traffic pattern in this room or group of rooms? This is extremely important. Don't forget, just as you often have hallways connecting rooms, you also have 'interior hallways' within rooms connecting parts of the room. You never want to block one of those 'hallways' inside a room. The traffic pattern in the entire structure should also be studied. For example, will normal household traffic enter and exit in this new 'space'? Or, will traffic travel through this room or group of rooms into another part of the house? All of these aspects must be considered.
4. How will this room or group of rooms be lighted? Will it be primarily natural light during daytime hours? How will nighttime lighting be balanced with daytime needs?
5. How will mechanical needs of this room, group of rooms, or other rooms affect this area? Remember, mechanical systems (heating/air conditioning ducts & pipes and plumbing pipes) often require specialized placement. They are not easy to relocate. It is often impractical to relocate these systems due to extreme financial costs.
6. Have you taken into consideration the sound qualities of the room? If sound will be generated in the room, how will it affect other rooms in the house? If the room will have a sound system within it, have the speakers been installed in the proper locations? Have the acoustic properties of other materials within the room been studied for compatibility?
7. Are you taking advantage of natural outdoor vistas in your interior scheme? If the room or group of rooms has a mountain or ocean view, or a view of a simple well-landscaped patio, take advantage of it. Orient the space to the view, or bring the view into the space.
8. Do you want the room or group of rooms to convey a feeling? Do you want people to feel a certain way when in the room? If so, plan accordingly. For example, if you want a wide open feeling, consider light colors, high ceilings, etc.
Interior design is not just the simple concept of furniture layout. It involves the entire 'feeling' of a space. Many elements come into play in a very subtle, yet effective way. For example, an interior designer can create a mood or feeling by working with lighting, materials, textures, colors, furniture types, etc. All of these elements working together can create a dramatic effect.
Also, interior designers often design the room, as we have discussed, from the inside out. They develop a plan based upon what will happen in the room or group of rooms. Often, those not trained in interior design attempt to create a room by starting with the outside dimensions. They then try to make a plan or layout work based on those outside constraints. This method can lead to very unworkable layouts.
Interior design is a blend of common sense and creativity. Our personal habits dictate what is comfortable to us. Those feelings should be conveyed to a designer. At that point, the designer can add the creative touch to create a room which will be both functionally and visually pleasing.
The subject of interior design has been extensively documented. There is a huge volume of fine literature concerning the subject. Many books are available that deal with the introductory level of basic interior design. Often these books are available at a local library, or a university library which has a design program. These collegiate libraries often extend lending privileges to individuals who carry a regular library card. I highly recommend that you visit your local library or bookstore should you wish to investigate this topic.