Current Topics 

June 2009

By Terry Peterman, the Internet Electrician

Great News (for me that is)!

The results are in from the question I posed to our readers in the February 2009 Newsletter with regards to a title dispute about the name for our newsletter that Sandy and I have debated over the years. 

The over-whelming response was in support of my choice …………………… Current Topics! 

A larger majority of our readers thought the name was good, and the intent of the title would not be lost on our readers.  Most respondents tried to make Sandy feel better by saying that they see her point, but….  Some even suggested compromises, however, Sandy now agrees, and I win (not often I win an argument with my wife, so when I do, I must brag)!

Personal Update:

Wow, time flies.  Again, I look at the date of the last newsletter, and see that it has been three months since the last one.  When will I keep my promise to communicate more often? 

In my defense, we left Mexico about March 6th and slowly made our way back to 'Norte America'.  We had a 3-day stop-over in San Blas, then off to Mazatlan, San Carlos (one day night stops), and out to Mesa Arizona for a week stay.  Then we connected with our friends, Norm and Jan Reimer, in Blythe California, and travelled together towards Canada with stops in Lake Havasu, Laughlin, Napa Valley, Northern California, Oregon, and then out to Vancouver by April 1, 2009. 

That got us back with time to prepare for a trip over to Europe to spend time with my son, Lyle, and do a whirlwind European vacation.  We saw Amsterdam (airport only), then off to Bremen Germany.  Then, with Lyle, his mother (my ex-wife), her husband Ron, Sandy and I, we piled into a rented Mercedes 7-passenger van, and toured parts of Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and back to Germany. 

We returned to Vancouver on April 26th and the next day got on the ferry to Victoria for a one month stay.  Late May we went back to Vernon B.C. for a week before heading back to home base here in Alberta for the summer, where we are now. 

Again, a better way to check out our travels so far would be a visit to Sandy’s blog, at http://canusamextravels.blogspot.com.  She has been fairly active with updates there (things will slow now as our travelling will stop for the summer, and my blog is http://internetelectrician.blogspot.com. 

What’s New on the Site:

Do you have a lamp, under counter lighting or other device that you wish you could control with a switch instead of having to pull the plug in and out of an outlet? We have completed a short article on "Installing an In-line Switch on a Lamp Cord".  The article covers in step-by-step instructions how to do so.  Check it out at:http://electrical-online.com/installanInlineSwitch.htm.

Also - we're polling our site visitors to see if they would prefer to see videos covering simple projects in addition to detailed articles included on the site.  Cast your vote at the end of the article by clicking on the 'Cast Your Vote' link.  NOTE:  There is no obligation other than sharing your thoughts on this question!

 Featured Product:

Are you planning on developing your basement?  My step-by-step basement wiring guide will save you time, money and hours of frustration!

Topics included in this informative guide are:

• Planning your basement wiring - the most important step you will take.

• Wiring factors to consider with each different room of your basement.

• The essentials of mounting boxes.

• Planning your circuits and drilling the holes.

• Pulling in the wire, and securing and cutting in the cables.

• Cutting the cables into the panel.

• PLUS tools and materials lists.

And more!  For more details CLICK HERE.

Question From a Reader:

Here's a question from a site visitor regarding a perceived problem that comes to me quite often.

Q:   I just moved into a new house.  The lighting is acting up and I don't know whether the problem is the light bulbs or the wiring.  Specifically, light bulbs in the recessed lighting fixtures work intermittently.  A light bulb will be working fine one moment, go off for a few minutes and then inexplicably come back on.  I have unscrewed and re screwed bulbs to make sure they were screwed in all the way but this has no impact.  This is happening at multiple locations throughout the house.  My hope is that this is part of the light bulb design indicating that it is getting old but I cannot find any literature to that affect.  Can you help me solve this problem?

A:  The problem is not really a problem.  These recessed lighting fixtures have an auto re-set thermal-disk trip built in to them to protect from getting too hot.  Check the wattage rating and lamp type of the fixtures (on a sticker inside) and ensure you have the proper lamps installed.  For example, if the fixture is rated for a maximum of 75 watts, par 30 style, putting in a 60W A19 (ordinary bulb) will cause the thermal device to trip because the heat from the lamp doesn't get reflected out of the fixture.  Both lamp style and wattage will affect the thermal trip device. Better yet is to use compact florescent lamps that have little or no heat output, and a 15W CF lamp puts out the equivalent of a 60W or 70W incandescent lamp of the same type. 

What’s Next:

We are working on several projects for the website, including the long awaited video and e-book covering how to wire a garage, and we will send out another newsletter when we have added a service or a feature to the site. 

If you have any ideas or suggestions that you would like to see covered, please send us a note to:  suggestions@electrical-online.com  and we’ll see if we can accommodate your request.

 - Terry Peterman, the Internet Electrician