On the Wire - More Power to You
Protecting your home from power problems has become a necessity of the new millennium. While California has been the center of attention, the West Coast energy crisis has proven that utility companies can no longer be counted on for a steady stream of electrical power. Because of an aging infrastructure, confusion over deregulation and other factors, the suppliers of the nation’s electricity have been struggling to maintain enough service to power homes and businesses.
According to a study by Coleman Powermate, a generator and equipment manufacturer, 75 percent of U.S. homeowners experienced a power outage in 2000. In addition, 90 percent of the study’s respondents said they had been without power sometime during a five-year period between 1996 and 2001. So how do you protect yourself from these power problems? By setting up backup systems to protect mission-critical appliances from damage or destruction. Here’s where to begin:
WHOLE HOUSE GENERATORS – The California crisis has spurned record sales for companies that provide whole house back up generation systems. Why? Because these appliances make perfect sense. Generators can run on natural gas or gasoline, and some can re-power most of the homes critical systems within a short time of an outage.
SURGE SUPRESSION – Surges can occur from outside or inside the home. To protect yourself, you’ll need several types of devices:
- Lightning Rods – Good to protect against blasts of lightning hitting at or near your home. Lightning rods provide a “ground” path to divert this runaway power from harming your home’s electrical systems.
- Surge Arrestors – Surge arrestors are mounted inside your electrical panel and provide another protection against voltage spikes, which occur from the outside.
- Surge Suppressors - Surge suppressors provide the second stage of an interior defense system. Most suppressors resemble power strips with outlets, and protect equipment that's particularly sensitive to moderate surges such as computers, TVs, phones, and audio/video systems.
When shopping for surge suppressors, keep in mind that major qualitative differences exist. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for and finding out your suppressor didn’t work can be a very expensive lesson to learn.
BATTERY BACK-UPS – Probably the single most effective equipment to protect computers from damage is a battery back up. Known as an “uninterruptible power supply” or “UPS”, these small devices will not only protect your sensitive data from surges or spikes, they can also instantly restore power to your computer long enough to allow you to safely save your work and shut down the system.
Check out these sites for good tools and tips on protecting your power:
Protecting your home from power problems has become a necessity of the new millennium. But with a little preplanning, the inconvenience of losing electricity can be left at just that.
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Ask Tom & Leslie - Mold Mystery
“While getting a home inspection done for a potential purchase, the inspector pointed out a light blue/grey mold throughout the attic, but he refused to extrapolate on the problem. Could this be an expensive problem to fix?”
Home inspectors should point out signs of excessive attic moisture and it is common for that moisture to cause decay, especially in homes constructed fro the late 50’s through the late 70’s. However, they are not required to specifically identify mold. That being said, what the inspector saw may, or may not, be mold. It more likely is just be the early stages of decay and delamination of the roof sheathing.
If this is the case, the solution is two-fold. First, deal with the cause, which is inadequate attic ventilation. To improve it, make sure your home has continuous ridge and soffit ventilation. Many older homes simply don’t have adequate ventilation and as such, moisture gets trapped in the attic where it condenses on roof sheathing causing decay.
Secondly, you should ask your home inspector if the roof sheathing decay is serious enough to warrant replacement of the sheathing, something that could easily double the cost of your next roof replacement. If so, you may want to renegotiate the purchase price accordingly.
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Got A Question About Your Money Pit?
You can do-it-yourself but you don't have to do-it-alone. Getting in touch with us is as easy as 1 - 2 or 3!
- The toll-free studio hot line is 1-888-MONEY PIT. Find out when we broadcast in your area by checking out our website at www.moneypit.com. Each week we take dozens of calls, give great advice and offer callers a chance to win a terrific prize awarded to one random caller to every show.
- Call when it's convenient for you, 24 hours a day, same number: 1-888-MONEY PIT. A live person takes your call 24/7! So -- WHENEVER you have a home improvement question -- phone it in. Simply tell our phone screener your first name, and where you're calling from...and ask your question. We’ll get back to you with the answer – or even call you back during the show!
- Click here to email your question to us. We may read your email on the air and we also respond personally to many of the email questions we get.
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On the Air - Cracking Up?
Are cracks in your concrete driveway making the trip from your car to your front door a dangerous obstacle course? Find out how to fix those cracks once and for all, this week on The Money Pit. Download our Podcast, or find out where to tune us in here.
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Dot Common Sense - Fireworks Safety
Here are some tips to help you celebrate Independence Day safely from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Council on Fireworks Safety:
- Use outdoors only
- Always have both a garden hose and a bucket nearby.
- Light only one firework at a time.
- Never relight a "dud" firework. Wait 15 to 20 minutes and then soak it in water.
- Dispose of fireworks properly by soaking in water, then disposing in trash.
- Never shoot fireworks in metal or glass containers.
- The shooter should always wear eye protection and never have any part of the body over the firework.
Make sure you know the laws in your area, fireworks are illegal in many states. For more tips and info visit the website of the National Council on Firework Safety.
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Fun Fact - Wearing Well
Carpets are costly but making them last doesn’t have to be. Keeping them clean means a much longer life. Just like sandpaper, dirt can be the abrasive that causes carpet fiber to wear. Regular vacuuming and annual steam cleaning are the best ways to keep carpets from wearing out.
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Copyright 2006 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.
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