Transfer of Power How to Safely Restore Power to Your Home
Hurricane Charley is quickly teaching homeowners a valuable lesson about taking electricity for granted.
The Category Four hurricane knocked out power to nearly a million homes in Florida, and many residents are still living without power.
Homeowners are now using portable generators in record numbers to safely restore power to their homes.
"Getting a generator is one thing," says Jon Hoch, founder of Electric Generators Direct.com (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com). "Getting the electricity into the house is another."According to Hoch, extension cords are fine for small generators because you can only plug in one or two appliances.
The most common way to use a portable electric generator is to place it outdoors, then run extension cords through an open window or door to the chosen appliances.
Extension cords have several drawbacks. First, most extension cords can't be plugged into a furnace, well pump or ceiling-light fixture. If the cords are too long, the resulting power drop may damage the generator and appliances. And if they are placed under rugs or carpets, heat can buildup and spark a fire.
"Be sure to use appropriately sized power cords to carry the electric load," said Hoch. "Typically, the thicker the cord, the more electricity it can carry." If you want to use extension cords, consider getting a Gen-Cord (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/accessories.php). You simply plug the all-weather cord into your 20- or 30-amp generator outlet and then run it inside. The plug on the inside splits into three 120-volt outlets, where you can plug in several household appliances or additional extension cords. For safety's sake, Hoch recommends hiring a licensed electrician to install a power transfer system that redistributes power from the generator to the home's circuit box.
The power transfer system (starting at $200) reduces the need for multiple extension cords running from the generator to specific appliances, and it eliminates the risk of electrical "back feed" injuring utility workers working on downed power lines. It is installed beside the main electrical panel, and then it's connected to the circuits you'll want running during a blackout. When the power goes out, you simply crank up the generator and run a single power cord from it to a transfer switch.
"Once the generator is running, you can choose which appliances and circuits you want to use by simply flipping the switches," said Hoch. It's important to keep track of what's being powered, warns Hoch, because the transfer switch is often wired into more circuits than the generator can handle all at once.
"A typical power transfer system installation will take less than two hours and cost around $100-$200," said Hoch. "But it's an investment that will be fully appreciated the next time the power goes out."Electric Generators Direct (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com) is an online generator superstore owned and operated by Power Equipment Direct, Inc. The company also maintains Pressure Washers Direct (http://www.pressurewashersdirect.com) and Air Compressors Direct (http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com).For more tips on how to pick the perfect emergency generator, visit http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/pickperfect.phpFor more tips on how to safely use a portable generator, visit http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/transferofpower.php.
Helpful Kitchen Remodeling Ideas
Functionality and aesthetics are the two main objectives of any kitchen remodeling plan. A kitchen must provide an efficient working place, even while it looks good.
Most kitchen designs in vogue for the last few decades have been based on three standard layouts: the U-shaped kitchen, the L-shaped kitchen and the galley kitchen. All of them make use of the classic work-triangle concept that basically positions the three major kitchen components (refrigerator, stove, and sink) in a triangular pattern.
With changing lifestyle and man-woman roles, whereby both wife and husband share home responsibilities, multiple work centers or work stations within the kitchen are gaining popularity in order to allow more than one person to work efficiently without getting in anyone else's way.
Adding an island is one of the most common ways to have multiple work centers into a kitchen.
An island creates two to four small work stations along the perimeter...
Helpful Kitchen Remodeling Ideas
Appliances > Helpful Kitchen Remodeling Ideas
Small Home Appliances
Can you picture yourself in your den living a life without wires? Hair dryers to egg beaters, who say diamonds, are woman's best friends? Remember the primitive days when your community slogged and toiled to make everyone happy in the family? The less electricity and space consuming devices are indispensable to a modern woman's existence and especially to single parents (fathers are you listening?).
With the coffee makers brewing the strong, frothy, smooth coffee and vacuum cleaners eating up dog's hair without giving you sneezes the benefits of small appliances are obvious. With Mon Uncle winning best film in 1958 by Jacques Tati, the world knew that the old irksome tasks were soon to be a thing of the past. Electric sewing machines, can openers, hand blenders and knife sharpeners are things your grand mothers could only dream of. Brooms look good only in the witchcraft movies, they must be replaced by handy vacuum cleaners in the real life or we will have a hair pulling...
Appliances > Small Home Appliances
Greek travel travelling in Athens Greece free travel tips, electric outlets in rooms and apartments
What should one consider while travelling in Athens, Greece? Among them you should pay special attention to the electric current, especially if coming from the States or Canada. The standard in Greece is 220-230V AC (50Hz). Appliances from North America require a transformer and British ones an adaptor.
Remember: Adaptor plugs do not convert electricity.
We recommend that you pack an adapter or transformer depending on your needs
together with your electrical appliances, so that you do not have to spend valuable time looking for adaptors and transformers during your stay in Athens Greece.
Please note: from my experience laptops do not require a transformer.
Well at least my laptop works well in Canada and Greece.
Many electrical appliances have a transformer that allows them to adjust to different voltage, and some must be switched manually from 120V to 220V electricity. The power is the same all over Greece in the main land as well as...
Appliances > Greek travel travelling in Athens Greece free travel tips, electric outlets in rooms and apartments
Home Generators
Home generators are designed to provide electricity in times of power shortages or failures for a short duration of time. Home generators not only light up the house in case of power outages but also, depending on their capacity, provide power to run appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, furnaces, television and heaters.
Home generators are available in two types: portable and stationery or standby generators. In times of power shortages or disruption of power, small portable home generators can be used to run some selected appliances such as lights, refrigerators, furnaces and sump pump. Generators come in varying size and capacities ranging from 1 kilowatt to 100 kilowatt. Home generators run on diesel, gasoline, propane or natural gas.
The least expensive is the portable gasoline powered engine.
The size and type of generator depends on the requirement of a house owner. Is it required to power the entire house or to run just a few selected...
Appliances > Home Generators
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