It's Time to Check Your Wall Surge Protector

While you might know that you need a wall surge protector for your electronic appliance, not many people know that once you have it installed that is not the last of your worries. A surge protector will deteriorate over time as it steadily absorbs power surges. Once it reaches its absorption limit it will no longer function as a protection device and will become a simple power strip. You should therefore check your device at least once a year to make sure it still operates like it should.

How do you tell if it is no longer working? Well most surge protectors nowadays come equipped with an LED indicator light that lets you know that you are protected. This light is usually red. Some devices will have two LED lights: one red, one green. The green LED light indicates that the outlet the protector is Plugged into is properly grounded. While having a properly grounded outlet is important it will not matter if the red indicator light is out. That means your device is no longer working and your electronics are at risk of failing as well. Of course if the outlet is not grounded then your unit will not protect you anyway, which leads to my next point.

In spite of indicators lights letting you know you are protected, you are never 100% safe. Lightning blasts for example will outright fry any surge protection unit you have installed and may even damage or destroy the very equipMent it was trying to protect. Then you have units whose indicator light means nothing more than that it is Plugged in and turned on. This by the way is not a surge protector but simply a power cord. People often think that power cords are enough protection for them when the fact is these devices provide zero protection against surges.

Another misconception people have is about whole house surge protectors. These do not protect individual items but rather attempt to stop surges at the home's periMeter via the power Meter or main circuit board. They will still not stop a lightning blast. For individual electronics you will need to install a separate protector for each appliance.

If you want to know exactly what to look for when shopping for a protection unit then make sure you find something with at least 4,000 Joules. Joules measures the amount of volTAGe a suppressor can contain before it is rendered inoperable. Anything less than 4,000 Joules will find you replacing them more often.

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Vegan Candles?

Like many others, enjoy burning candles. I like the way candles make my home smell, from clean and fresh in the summer to cinnamon and spicy or baked goods in the winter. I also enjoy the relaxing effect candles have taking me to a tropical wonder or a romantic get away. Candles always seem to give my home the extra touch, giving my home the little extra.

As much as I like candles not just any candle will do. I prefer a good quality candle that has an even burn without a lot of soot. I have tried paraffin candles. Some of the scents would have a good scent but they had too much scent to tried to make it smell strong making them smell fake. Other paraffin candles did not have an even burn or had a lot of black at the top jar even after trimming the wicks.

Then I tried soy candles. The soy candles had an even burn and smelled great. Soon I discovered that the scent rose to the top. The first half of the candle smelled great. The more I burned the candle the less the candle smelled. By the time I got to the bottom of the soy candle there was very little to no scent left. I was left with wax and a wick. How disappointing.

Recently I ran into some gourmet candles that were made of palm wax. "Palm wax?" I thought. The lady said "yes, palm wax." Who has heard of a gourmet candle or a palm wax candle at that? As soon as I opened the jar I could tell there was something different. The wax was something I have never seen before, unique. The candles were strong and had a realistic smell, not fake. I was hooked!! I had to buy one and try it. As I burned the candle I kept expecting the scent to diminish. Much to my surprise after burning the candle down to the bottom I was still left with just as much scent as I started with. I was also amazed at how even the wax burned and at how clear the jar was. At last I found my quality candle that has everything I want clean burning, an even burn, wonderful scent throw, and wonderful smelling scent down to the last flicker of the flame.

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How Much Does Solar Energy Cost in a Solar Energy House?

"How much does solar energy cost?" is a difficult question to answer, but this article will hopefully give you some good pointers.

The cost of using solar energy is next to nothing after the initial investMent of setting up your solar power system for your home. The amount of money that you will pay for the equipMent is determined by a number of variables.

Factors that determine the cost of solar energy include your electricity requirements, the amount of sunshine that is available to charge the solar panels, size of the place where the panels will be used and incentives given by the government to people using 'green' technology. And governments and states are recognizing the benefit to society at large to encourage the use of renewable energy sources. Clearly this would also have the effect of reducing the obligation on government to provide power which is an increasingly onerous task because of the depletion in fossil fuel Supplies.

Taking into account the above mentioned variables, here is a rough estimate of the cost of solar energy.

Water Heating System: The cost of a solar water heating system is ,000-$4,000.

Photovoltaic System: The price of a solar panel depends on its watTAGe. A 1 kW system costs between US ,000 and ,000. For an average sized family, 1.5 - 3 kW solar panels are required, which cost between US ,000 and US ,000, without rebates.

You can save a lot of money on solar panels with the help of government rebates and tax credits. For example, say you live in California and have purchased a 2.5 kW system for ,500.

The government rebate on this system will be 00 (2500 watt x .80 per watt rebate = ,000). Also subtract the tax credit amount of $ 1,163 from the sale price (7.5% of system cost after rebate. ,500 - ,000 x 7.5% = ,163).

It should be kept in mind that the example given above is an estimate and other factors will play a part in determining the final cost price of a solar energy system.

You can reduce these costs enormously though by building your own solar panels which can be built at a fraction of the cost of buying ready made units.

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