If you have low voltage down lights or low voltage track lighting this can occur due to heat build up around the transformer.
A low voltage light is fed via a transformer which reduces mains voltage (240V) down to low voltage (12V). These transformers almost always have an internal automatic thermal cut out which will switch your light continue reading…
Humidity settings on extractor fans seem to be a common issue, so I thought I’d offer a few pointers on setting up and troubleshooting the Airflow HTM humidity module.
The module can be wired either with OR WITHOUT a switched live depending on the functionality you require. This is quite handy as many people who are swapping out an existing fan find that they have a permanent live only.
The question of 2 way switching with wall motion sensors arises from time to time so here’s a possible solution to the dilema.
The Timeguard ZV810 PIR wall switch allows either 1 way or 2 way wiring unlike many other motion sensor switches on the market. Full wiring instructions are provided with the unit. continue reading…
There are at least 4 different types of consumer unit that can be used to comply with the 17th edition wiring regulations. It isn’t the consumer unit itself that complies with the regulations, its the way your electrician groups the circuits inside the unit in order to reduce the likely-hood of nuisance earth fault tripping (among other things). Your electrician can utilise any one of the following fuse-boards to comply with the regulations: continue reading…
Kelvin Scale Colour Temperature Scale.
This diagram clearly shows how the the colour of the bulb moves from a yellowish light through to white and on to a bluish white light. continue reading…
If you find after a few years that your smoke detector has a nuisance beep, even after you have changed your back-up battery, carefully run the soft brush or narrow tool on the vacuum cleaner around the grilles on the side and front of the detector and you will find the beeping stops. The reason is that the build of dust and cobwebs inside the body seems to irritate the sensor.
Most smoke detectors are supplied with a dust cover which is to protect the unit during construction, so make sure its left on until the room is ready for use.
Other possible reasons for nuisance beeping on smoke detectors:
If you’ve removed the power and taken the battery out and the detector is still beeping, then the capacitors still have charge stored in them. They can usually be drained by pressing and holding the testing button until the noise stops.
Latching RCD (Sometimes called Passive) – When the power is lost due to an earth fault, the RCD trips out and isolates the circuit it is protecting. Latching RCD’s do not trip during power cuts so they are great for fridges and freezers and also for protecting remote/unmanned areas.
Non-Latching RCD (Sometimes called Active) – When the power is lost due to earth fault or power cut, the RCD isolates the circuit that it is protecting and remains off until it is manually reset. A must for protecting circuits supplying rotating machinery or heating apparatus for example.
The Mitsubishi Jet Towel hand dryer is creating quite a stir at the moment, mainly in the “Is it or isn’t it better than the Dyson Airblade and who had the idea first?” area.
It would appear that Mitsubishi first commissioned research into a new type of hand drying system back in 1991 and came up with a working prototype in the following year. Mitsubishi went to market with their first “Jet Towel” hand dryer, the JT-16A in 1993. Since then, the Jet Towel handryer has been subject to upgrades and refinements almost on a bi-annual basis. This being the case, we would expect the unit to be as efficient as is possible with any glitches in the system to have been totally ironed out. continue reading…
Whats the Difference?
This is one of those questions that comes up with sufficiently little frequency that you have always forgotten the explanation each time it is newly asked. So, if only for my own sanity, here is the difference: continue reading…
What are they?
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL)as they are known, utilise the established, efficient, fluorescent tube technology which has been in operation in kitchens and workspaces for approximately 30 years. The normally bulky ‘control gear’ involved in starting and operating fluorescent tubes has been greatly reduced allowing the production of lamps which fit into a space previously only serviced by Incandescent and Halogen lamps. continue reading…
