Home Decoration & Real Estate

Archive for December, 2009

Inadequate electrical capacity is mainly due to increasing the number of devices that consume electricity in your home like new heating and cooling equipment, frost free refrigerators, clothes dryers, water heaters, electric ranges and ovens, dishwashers, and other powerful electric motor driven tools and appliances.

As you add devices to your home, the power supply may become inadequate. If you have indicators like fuses or circuit breakers tripping, or lights dimming, it’s time to carefully look at your circumstances before equipment failure, fire, or other problems arise.

- 5 Causes of Inadequate Power in Your Home -

1.Limited service panel capacity

When the overall demand from total electrical devices is greater than what the panel is able to supply, the main service panel will likely fail, frequently. Excess demand indicates that the panel rating is less than needed or the panel might be limiting capacity because it has no space left for more fuses or circuit breakers.

In either case it’s time to make a circuit map to calculate demand and compare it with the capacity of the main panel to supply. If you find the power demand is less than the capacity and there is no room for more breakers, then a sub-panel might be the answer. Conversely, if the overall demand is greater than the main panel ability to supply, then you will need a licensed electrician to install a new main panel.

2. Overloaded circuits

Another use for the circuit map is to determine if demand on the circuits are greater than the amperage rating of the circuit controlling it. It is important to note peak demands of appliances that may draw more power on starting and create a power surge that trips the breaker.

A power surge that doesn’t trip the breaker is indicated by lights dimming when an appliance turns on. Appliances that produce surges should have their own separate circuit designed to tolerate the surge.

To prevent the risk of fire do not exceed the safe amperage of the circuit. Blown fuses or tripped breakers indicate an overloaded circuit. Do not replace breakers with ones of higher amperage just because they fail. Instead run a new circuit from the main panel that is within the supply capacity.

3. Insufficient number of outlets

A general recommendation is to have at least one outlet for every 12 feet of wall, ground fault interrupted outlets in bathrooms and exterior walls, one outlet for each counter top in the kitchen, or as required by local codes.

The most obvious indicator that more outlets are needed is when you start to use multi-outlet extension cords on a regular or permanent basis. Most low cost extension cords are not designed to carry heavy amperage demanded of permanent wiring. Excess loads may cause overheating and fire.

Computer workstations can require outlets for more than two devices from a single dual receptacle wall circuit. Older CRT monitors and laser printers can cause surges when they are turned on. The best solution is to supply the required outlets on separate circuit(s) designed to exceed the demand. The next best option is to use a fused and surge protected uninterrupted power supply (UPS) to protect your equipment. UPS are now available for less than $100 and can protect your computer investment from power problems better than anything else. The less expensive power bars and extension cords run risks of equipment damage or fires if the circuit is overloaded.

4. Inadequate feeder lines

Older houses may have original two-wire feed lines from the power company’s nearest utility pole. One of the wires is hot, delivering 110-115 volts and the other is neutral. Obviously these lines will not power 240 volt appliances nor is the amperage likely able to power more than a few newer appliances at a time.

The electric company should replace the two wire system with a three wire system at their own expense. Since you will have to pay an electrician to install a new service panel, use your circuit map and any expansion plans to determine future demand, then size the new panel capacity accordingly.

5. Overtaxed transformer

In older high-density neighborhoods electricity demands over time have increased. In some cases the transformer serving the area may not have been increased to meet the growth in demand. Although the power companies are required to scale up supply according to demand, it is wise to check into the matter before paying to connect a larger service.

Tips

Demand Side Management (DSM) refers to actions taken on the customer’s side of the meter to change the amount or timing of energy consumption. Utility DSM programs offer a variety of measures that can reduce energy consumption and consumer energy expenses. Electricity DSM strategies have the goal of maximizing end-use efficiency to avoid or postpone the construction of new generating plants.

In recent months there has been a lot of talk about a crash in the real estate market.

Analysts predict a housing bust. News reports indicate that home sales are declining in several markets all over the country. This paints the picture that real estate investing is no longer a lucrative business. Investors all over the country are advised to get out of the game as quickly as possible to avoid losses.

What analysts and news reports don’t tell you is that every decade for the past forty years there has been some kind of warning about a crash in the real estate market. Each time these warning come out, people begin to mistrust real estate investing.

They turn their sights to other forms of investing. Analysts to preach this gloom and doom on the real estate market also do not understand that real estate investing is much different than stock investing. The same rules and trends do not apply.

Every decade when analysts state their predictions for a real estate market crash there are some real estate investors who heed this advice. These investors eventually regret doing so once they realize that there was no cause for alarm in real estate investing. Smart investors, on the other hand, realize that there is always money to be made in real estate investing and they know exactly why.

Humans have only a few basic needs. These basic needs never change, they never go away. These needs include food, clothing, and shelter.

The constant need for shelter lies at the root of the reason that real estate investing will remain profitable. Of course, there are some other key elements, but the least you need to know is that humans will always need real estate.

Even if real estate somehow dwindles from a structure with walls and a roof to a measly hole in the ground, it is still considered shelter. Someone has to provide these holes in the ground. Some holes will end up being better than other holes. Some people will have the means to buy and sell multiple holes. Real estate investing will continue to exist.

The real estate market alone will never experience a crash. In all the years that real estate has been around, the market has never crashed. The only time you will see a negative impact on the entire real estate market is when the general market experiences a downfall as well. However, when this happens, the value of all other commodities will decrease at the same time. Even in this case, real estate investing can still prove to be profitable.

You might see a local real estate market decline as a result of another catastrophe, such as New Orleans in the case of Hurricane Katrina. Because of a natural disaster, the majority of the real estate in the area was lost. There were no properties for homeowners to purchase. A key thing to know in real estate investing is that local markets always correct themselves. The disastrous loss in the New Orleans area created a huge opportunity for real estate investing.

Although the real estate markets in various cities might fluctuate from time to time, the real estate market as a whole will never experience a serious decline. This is the reason that real estate investing will remain a lucrative form of investing.

Records show that over the long term real estate has always increased in value and there is no good reason why this will not continue.

We were taken for a ride by a property manager we had in Toronto. His services were cheap (5% of the rent and no charge for new tenants except advertising costs). That’s real cheap, if you don’t count the fact that he was stealing rent money from us!

Before hiring him to manage our tri-plex in Toronto, I researched him a bit and learned that he was a Mom & Pop-type shop and was registered with the Better Business Bureau, but I didn’t check references or dig much deeper than that. His scam? He collected $950/month from our tenants but only told us we were getting $890!

The only reason we caught onto his scam was because we moved into the house and the tenants started paying us the rent instead of him. Imagine our surprise when the cheque was for $950, and we were expecting $890!

Looking back, we could have easily protected ourselves. Now, we want to help you prevent it. Here’s some tips:

* When ads are placed for your unit(s), get copies of the ads. Also, ask where the ads are being placed and check for the ads yourself (looking back, I had noticed an ad for our unit for $50 more than we had agreed to rent it for. I wrote him to change it, and he said he would, but now I think it was a red flag that I should have recognized).

* Ask for copies of the signed leases.

* Ask for proof of expenses incurred (always get receipts, but for larger repairs or purchases get pictures or visit the property yourself).

This may not save you completely, but had we been able to get copies of the leases or asked to see the ads, our property manager would have had a harder time stealing from us.

Most people when asked that age old nursery rhyme question, “How does your garden grow?” would spew out, “with silver bells and cockleshells, and pretty maids all in a row.”  If you are the wise, experienced gardener you may have a different answer, “bird proof, from grass to roof.”  Not only does it take watering, pruning and fertilizing to get your garden and yard green and blossoming, but it takes action against the pest bird that can wreak havoc on your property and peace.

The time, effort and money spent on gardens and yards in spring should not be wasted.  The last thing we want is to pick the peaches and apricots off the trees that have already been taste tested by birds.  It is also not very appealing to serve fresh garden tomatoes that have been half eaten already.  So how do you best bird proof and protect your precious gardens, yards and homes?  Physical, sound and visual deterrents that is safe for all and humane for the bird.

Physical bird deterrents work by preventing access to the area the birds are drawn to.  For instance, bird netting could be used to protect any fruit trees or blueberry bushes you may have in your yard.  Bird proof netting is lightweight and very easy to use.  It will not take away any aesthetic beauty from the colorful fruits as it is virtually invisible.  It can be used for any garden plant as well.  Many times the birds will sit in wait on the roof ledges.  Installing plastic or stainless steel bird spikes will keep the pest birds from landing and roosting. All physical bird deterrents make a very unwelcoming environment for the birds.

Sound bird deterrents can actually be quite fun to use.  It takes some time outside to investigate and determine which pest bird is hovering around and sitting on your tree branches waiting to feast on your harvest. Once you have decided which bird is the culprit, select the bird sound on the sonic unit; place it anywhere in your garden area, patio, gazebo or roof top.  Turn it on, adjust the volume and watch the birds being chased away by their own predator and distress calls. Sonic units are very easy to use, and can run day and night, depending on how you set the timer.

Visual bird deterrents can be very useful in an variety of areas.  If you have a pool in your backyard, there are inflatable balloons that can float in your pool which actually confuse and frighten the birds away.  The balloons as well as hanging bird deverters have an iridescent foil eye that has a shiny reflective surface, and predator eyes that will make the bird turn and leave and avoid any areas where these bird proof deterrents are.  They are very easy to hang in your fruit trees, pool area or patio covers.

There is no need to worry about the fight-or-flight response of the pest birds.  Using any of the deterrents will induce a flight response.  The goal is to bird proof your property safely and humanely.  Get out your gloves, do your gardening, or just lay by the pool knowing you have protected your home by taking the time to bird proof the needed areas and look forward to a fruitful summer.

Every home got it is own designs, Persian rugs became a bigger part with the years coming, oriental touch from the Middle East. Persian rugs have known as the carpets of the primitives, but as the years goes by the Persian rugs became more relevant and more “cozy” for the modern home.

Every interior designer must bring two important things to the customer’s new house: The one is a modern new look for the “update look” in the house and the other is that old or if you call it better – vintage, some old look for keeping the “old look” in a better way, Persian rugs have the both of them only in one single carpet. Persian rugs not trying to impress no one and it is the best features a design product could have. That oriental look and that Persian charm can buy a better view then any new carpet, Persian rugs known by rugs that been made by man hands, and every body knows that man hand is a well done product, specially when its Persian rugs, carpets that made by man hands could only bring the best look in the house.

Persian rugs – Persian carpets – Persian look?

Plenty of designers got the idea that if you put the Persian rugs in your house it will look like a Persian house, the thing is the Persian rug won’t bring the Persia with it, it will bring the hand made charm, the east touch and of course the best feel only a rug or a carpet can bring to your house.

Research shows that rugs and carpets in our house make it look allot more “family kind” more cozy and homey, Persian rugs not only for your new look but also for your kids to sit on to watch television, enjoy the feel of the rug, Persian rugs – not only a carpet, but oriental, cosmic and your new “flying carpet”.