About.com Electrical

Gas Space Heater Tips

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:07:40 +0000

Gas space heaters add heat to a room and can be a great addition if the power suddenly goes out. Some gas space heaters have standing pilot lights and while furnaces have electronic pilots that require the power to be on. To help heat a room or two in your home or to have heat when the power goes off, a poratble gas space heater may be the answer!

Gas Space Heater Tips originally appeared on About.com Electrical on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 12:07:40.

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Heat It With Space Heaters

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:42:40 +0000

If you've ever had a room that is just a little chilly, but didn't want to turn the thermostat up for the whole house, a space heater may be just the answer for you. They are compact and, depending on the type you choose, can heat you and/or the room up to a comfortable temperature.

There are three choices to heat your home: convection, radiant, and combination heaters. Each has it's own special way of heating and they vary in size and heat output. Do you know which one is the best space heater for you?

Photo: Timothy Thiele

Heat It With Space Heaters originally appeared on About.com Electrical on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 10:42:40.

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Single-pole Switch Swap

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:51:36 +0000

Single-pole switches help us light our homes and make it convenient to turn on these lights. Sometimes, however, there are obvious and not so obvous reasons that they need to be replaced. Although changing a single-pole switch isn't all that difficult, in fact it is the easiest of switches to wire, safety precautions should be followed.

If you have single pole switch problems or just want to give your switches a new look, try the single-pole switch swap.

Here are some more great switch articles:

Anatomy Of A Three-way Switch
Common Household Switches
How to Wire a Time Switch
What Is A Furnace Switch?
What is a Rotary Dimmer Switch?
What is a Four-way Switch?

Photo: Timothy Thiele

Single-pole Switch Swap originally appeared on About.com Electrical on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 11:51:36.
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Solar Cell Systems

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:15:50 +0000

The use of solar power with solar cells collecting energy from a free source, the sun, is getting more and more popular as the cost of electricity continues to rise. During the day, an almost never ending supply of sunlightlight coverts solar power into useable electricity to power your home. Through the use of batteries to store the power and an inverter to change the power into usable AC power from DC, your system can keep on supplying power to your home even in the darkest of nights.

Solar cell systems can be placed in out-of-the-way places like rooftops. Because of their slek design, they are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and can save you big money on your electric bill over the life of the system. Your biggest question may be about the initial cost of a solar system.

Photo: Getty Images

Solar Cell Systems originally appeared on About.com Electrical on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 11:15:50.

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Wordless Wednesday 10-28-09

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:26:15 +0000

Protection That Pays!

Photo: Timothy Thiele

Wordless Wednesday 10-28-09 originally appeared on About.com Electrical on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 18:26:15.

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Power It With Sunlight

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:34:03 +0000

Ahh, the sun is shining and it is a great source of suntan power, but that's not all the sun can power. Did you know that the sun can not only poewr you home through the use of solar panels, but also save you money on your utility bills? These clean energy producers not only look good around or atop you home, they can actually pay for themselves.

The great thing about solar panels is that you can build the size solar panel array that is big enough to power your home. So what is a solar panel?

Power It With Sunlight originally appeared on About.com Electrical on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 13:34:03.

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Christmas Light Blues

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:20:51 +0000

Since Halloween is just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about Christmas. You know, the stores have the Christmas lights out already, even before Halloween and Thanksgiving are being celebrated. Undoubtedly, the lights you packed up last year will not work. So your choices are to toss them out and buy new sets of lights or go through the light sets one-by-one until you find the culprit. It's really not that hard to replace a burnt bulb, but it is time consuming.

So where do you start when trying to find the solution to Christmas lights not lighting? What is the problem and where do I start? The answer may lie in one of these three areas.

Christmas Light Blues originally appeared on About.com Electrical on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 12:20:51.

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Farm Safety At Harvest Time

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:11:31 +0000

Well the fall harvest has fiannly begun and now is a great time to talk about farm safety and especially electrical safety on the farm. There are many dangers that lurk around the farm. It may be overhead powerlines or a nicked extension cord that danger lurks.

We all know the dangers of slow moving vehicles. As you may be well aware of, farm implements move very slowly and have an orange triangle warning sign, with or without flashing hazards lights. We all need to be aware of how quickly we come upon these vehicles and need to be prepared to slow down or stop to avoid hittng them.

Just remember, your family doesn't want you to get hurt, whether you are the one in the field or the one emptying the grain wagon. Play it smart this year by practicing electrical farm safety.

Farm Safety At Harvest Time originally appeared on About.com Electrical on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 06:11:31.

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Halloween Safety Around The House

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:46:32 +0000

It is time for the little goblins to visit your home once again. These creatures crave the likes of candy bars and treats. They are not afraid to come banging at your door to harvest the rewards.

This however brings up a few concerns reguarding your halloween displays in the yard and the amount of visibility through the maze of creepy, crawly pathways to your door. Are the paths free from clutter? Is there an ample amount of lighting on the pathways to candy land? Are there dropcords that are unsafe or trip hazards? The list goes on and on, but after examining this article on Halloween safety, you haunted mansion will be a good memory, not an accident waiting to happen. Is your haunted house display safe?

Halloween Safety Around The House originally appeared on About.com Electrical on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 06:46:32.

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Deciphering Line And Load Connection Points

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:42:21 +0000

Wires, wires weverywhere, but where do they go and does it matter? Well the answer is very clear, yes it does matter and knowing which connection point to connect to, whether it be the line or load connection, is critical in electrical wiring.

Line connections are the places where power comes in to feed a circuit breaker panel or devce in your home. Load connections are the points where wires leave the panel or device to feed something else.

So it is such a big deal if you accidentally connect the line feeds to the load side and the load feeds to the line side? The answer is very clear as far as electrical safety is concerned, yes! To clear up the differences, you'll need to understand what line and load connections are all about.

Deciphering Line And Load Connection Points originally appeared on About.com Electrical on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 17:42:21.

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