Electrical Tips. Page Four

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="044fd5a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>I.R. Johnson (Electrical)                  </B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="I.R. Johnson (Electrical) "><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Electrical Tips"><U>Electrical Tips</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tips. Page Two"><U>Tips. Page Two</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Electrical Tips. Page Three"><U>Electrical Tips. Page Three</U></A>   |   <B>Electrical Tips. Page Four</B>   |   <A HREF="id119.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Electrical Tips. Page Five"><U>Electrical Tips. 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Johnson (Electrical) "><U><IMG SRC="08c62250.gif" border=0 width="98" height="37" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#CCFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Electrical Tips. Page Four</I><I>     </I><I>  </I><I>                                                     </I><I> <A NAME="top"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I></div> <bR> <div> <I>General Tips.</I></div> <bR> <div> 1.  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >Replacing Light Bulbs</FONT> when the power is on is to be frowned upon. It is important when replacing floodlight tubes of the Tungsten Halogen variety to <U>ensure</U> power is off. They get very hot almost immediately and will burn fingers in a few seconds. </div> <div> You must not touch the glass envelope of the tube when inserting, as grease from fingers will burn into the glass causing the tube to quickly fail. Most tubes come with a piece of sponge or paper wrapped round it which assists fitting and can be removed after the tube is installed.</div> <div> Use a good quality tube, do not buy cheap replacements as they can cause damage to floodlight contacts. The contacts should always be a tight fit to the tube, if the tube appears loose in the floodlight fitting, replace the floodlight as the contacts will arc and burn out along with the tube contacts. </div> <bR> <div> 2. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >Mains Spotlight/Downlight Bulbs</FONT>. When replacing this type of bulb, do not screw them up tightly, apart from the problems you will encounter trying to remove them at a future date, you will shorten the life of the fitting. It is only necessary to tighten just enough for good contact to be made between the bulb and the fitting.</div> <bR> <div> 2A. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >Premature failure of Downlight Bulbs. </FONT>If this is happening, the first thing you should check, is that there is adequate airflow around the fitting. On many occasions, especially with lights in bedrooms, is that they have been installed incorrectly in so much as fibre glass insulation has not been removed from around or over the fittings. This causes a build up of heat with the result that the bulbs will fail prematurely. It is also a cause of fire, especially with the low voltage type fed from a transformer. These have to be in free air as they get warm in normal use. Never be tempted to cover any recessed light fittings with insulation materials<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>unless<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>you want a visit from your local Fire Service.</div> <div> Rarely, bulbs have been known to fail due to poor contact with the fitting in which they are installed, other than that, there is no way any bulbs will fail prematurely unless, they are either a: inferior quality or b: subject to more use than others, such as a first floor landing or bathroom, where they may be switched on and off more frequently.</div> <bR> <div> 3. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >Enclosed Floodlight Fittings</FONT>. The standard 500 watt floodlight fitting either uses a securing clip for the hinged cover, or a bolt with a crosspoint head fitted to the top of the cover. If your fitting is the bolt type, it is always advisable when changing tubes, to remove the bolt completely, clean the threads, and lightly grease before re-assembly. On many occasions we are faced with a badly corroded bolt which refuses to move or snaps in the casing, which results in a replacement floodlight fitting. Just a few minutes maintenance work can avoid expense.</div> <bR> <div> 4. A<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >djusting Floodlights</FONT>. Please think of neighbours when adjusting a floodlight angle, the easiest way to upset a neighbour is to shine a powerful light through their bedroom window when they are sleeping. Be aware also that if you live on a roadside, do not adjust a floodlight to dazzle oncoming motorists, otherwise you may find yourself subject to a law suit. Please bear in mind the light pollution our country is suffering at the moment, so never angle a floodlight up in the air unless it is for a specific purpose such as illuminating a tree. Think also of wild animals if you live in a rural area, turn the light off if not needed, or better still, fit a sensor that will turn light off after a predetermined time. Leaving a light on for long periods disorientates Owls and other night wildlife, </div> <bR> <div> 5.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" > Fluorescent Tubes and Diffusers</FONT>. Try wiping over with a damp cloth every three months or so. You will be amazed how much light you have been loosing due to dust/grease build up. </div> <bR> <div> 6. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >Extension Leads</FONT>, always coil up neatly after use if it is possible, this eliminates a bunch of knots and twists developing and prolongs the life of the cable.</div> <bR> <div> 7. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >Consumer unit trips and r.c.d's</FONT>. Every six months or so, press the test button to make sure the rcd switches off power to your house, also switch off the individual circuit breakers. Reset the rcd and switch on the trips one at a time. By doing this you are ensuring the mechanism in the trip/rcd is free and working correctly. On occasions after a long period with no faults or tests carried out, they have been known to stick, requiring replacement.</div> <bR> <div> 8. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >Bathroom Pull Cord Switches</FONT>. If the nylon cord has become dirty, it can be cleaned with a small amount of bleach on a cloth, Run the cloth up and down the cord for a few times and it should remove the dirt and return cord to a clean white appearance . Most switches allow for the cord to be replaced without resorting to removal of the switch. Some of the older ones have a knurled brass, threaded, cone shaped nut, which can be unscrewed from the switch complete with cord, others have a plastic coupling with the cord knotted after threading through a small hole. Just push cord up until knot is exposed, cut it off, remove cord and replace.</div> <bR> <div> 9. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >When decorating</FONT> your house, try not to allow switches and sockets to be contaminated with paint, this is especially important with ceiling roses as frequently, it is impossible to unscrew them afterwards for flex replacements etc. Often breaking the cover is the only way to dismantle them in this situation, which of course results in a replacement fitting, at additional expense to you. Paint splashes can generally be removed by using a lightly dampened abrasive backed sponge with maybe a small amount of Jif or something similar. Do not use anything that is very wet for obvious reasons.</div> <bR> <div> 10. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >Creaking Floorboards.</FONT> If you wish to re-fix floorboards that are loose or creaking, it is advisable to use screws with a slotted head, crosspoint screw heads quickly become a container for dust and debris, making it difficult to remove when electrical work is required. Screw close to the edges of the floorboards, <U>never </U>in the centre, as this is where cables and water pipes are located, and you are sure to hit either one or the other. Use screws no longer than two inches for old floorboards and one and a half inches for newer ones. (Older floorboards are generally thicker).</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#top" TITLE="Electrical Tips. Page Four"><U><B>Top</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>