POWERFUL ELECTRICAL UPGRADES

With the large amount of electrical equipment found in the modern home, it's no wonder that electrical upgrades are becoming more common. Handling the electrical needs of today's homeowner is no small task, and to keep everything running smoothly, new electrical wiring is often a necessity, especially in homes built many decades ago. If you are considering an electrical upgrade for your home, there are a few things you should be aware of; an electrical wiring project is no small task, and the more you know about what's available, the better you'll be able to communicate to your contractor what you expect from the job.

Planning an Electrical Wiring Project. A large electrical wiring project adds a considerable load to your main electrical service. In about 25 percent of all homes, some type of service upgrade is needed before new wiring can be installed. For example, many homeowners will need to replace an older 60-amp electrical service with a new service rated for 100 amps or more. A licensed electrician is needed for a job like this.

Careful planning of a wiring project ensures that you will have plenty of power for present and future needs. Whether you are adding circuits in a room addition, wiring a remodeled kitchen, or adding an outdoor circuit, consider all possible ways the space might be used, and plan for enough electrical service to meet peak needs. One of the worst things you can do as a homeowner is to spring for an electrical upgrade that doesn't upgrade enough. With technology getting bigger and better, it's important to make sure that your electrical wiring isn't simply good enough for now, but good enough for whatever may come in the future.

Electrical Upgrades for Your Circuit Breaker. Electrical wiring is not a job for most homeowners to tackle themselves, but it is a good idea to know a little about what will be required to bring your house up to speed when talking with your contractor.

One way to plan a new wiring project is to look in your main circuit breaker. Though some homeowners might be intimidated by their circuit breaker, most should easily be able to find the size of the service, and read the amp rating printed on it. In most cases, 100-amp service provides enough power to handle most loads. A service rated for 60-amps or less may need to be upgraded.

Look for open circuit breaker slots in the main circuit breaker panel. You will need one open slot for each 120-volt circuit that you may plan to install, and two slots for each 240-volt circuit. If your main circuit-breaker panel has no open breaker slots, you will need to have a sub panel installed.

Electrical Inspectors. Remember, all electrical wiring work requires review by your local electrical inspector to make sure the changes conform to local electrical and building codes. Failure to have proper permits and inspections can cause problems that can cost far more time and money than some homeowners (or unscrupulous contractors) may think they can save by doing work "under the table." You could have trouble reselling your home in the future, or worse, your homeowners insurance could refuse to cover your loss in a house fire because the house was altered illegally!

Exercise 3. Translate the following words and word combinations into Russian

Electrical upgrades, to keep everything running smoothly, to be aware of, to communicate to contractor, a considerable load, a new service rated for 100 amps, careful planning, to meet peak needs, to tackle, to handle loads, open slots, main circuit-breaker panel, to require review, to make sure, proper permits, unscrupulous contractors, doing work "under the table", insurance, to cover loss, to alter illegally.

Exercise 4. Find the English equivalents in the text

Большое количество оборудования, потребность, приниматься за работу, открытый разъём, вводить в курс дела, реконструированная (переделанная) кухня, справляться с потребностями в области электричества, отказываться покрывать ущерб, убедиться, выключатель наружной установки, обыкновенный, усовершенствование электрических устройств, потратиться на что-либо, значительная нагрузка, менять, незаконно, работать подпольно.

Exercise 5. Answer the following questions:

1) What is the reason of the fact that electrical upgrades are becoming more common?

2) Where is it necessary to renew electrical wiring?

3) What things you should be aware of when considering an electrical upgrade for your home?

4)What does a large electrical wiring project add to your main electrical service?

5) What should be done before new wiring installing?

6) Who is needed for replacing of old electrical services?

7) What does careful planning ensure?

8) What should you consider before adding circuits?

9) What is it important to make sure with technology getting bigger and better?

10) What are the ways of planning a new wiring project?

11) What service needs to be upgraded?

12) What can you tell about open circuit breaker slots?

13) How many open slots will you need for each 120-volt and 240-volt circuits?

14) What will you need in case if the main circuit-breaker panel has no open breaker slots?

15) What does all electrical wiring require?

16) What problems can you have in case of failure to have proper permits and inspections?

LESSON 6. CEILING FANS

Exercise 1. Read and learn the following words and word-combinations.

Exercise 2. Read and translate the text.

CEILING FANS

Ceiling fans are one of the most sensible solutions when it comes to achieving a comfortable, energy efficient home. In fact, ceiling fans have been helping to heat and cool residences for more than a hundred years. By stirring up breezes in the summer, and circulating warm air in the winter, ceiling fans effectively reduce the demand on conventional heating and cooling systems. And to top it all off, they do it with undeniable charm.

Ceilings Fans and Energy Efficiency. Ceiling fans increase the energy efficiency of your home in two ways. In the summer a fan makes a room more comfortable at higher temperatures thanks to the slight breeze it creates. That simple fact makes it possible to set the A/C five to seven degrees higher than if fans weren't installed.

In the winter, on the other hand, your fan serves another purpose altogether. Warm air from your furnace rises and collects at the ceiling, where it doesn't do you much good. By flipping the switch on your ceiling fan so it turns the other direction, you eliminate the stiff breeze it creates, but still benefit from the air circulation it provides. All that warm air up at the ceiling is conveniently recirculated throughout your home.

Ceiling Fan 101. The amount of air a fan moves depends on its construction and placement. The number, length and pitch of the blades are important, as is the fan's distance from the ceiling and the revolutions per minute delivered by the fan's motor. More blades, bigger blades, steeper fan blade pitch, and more powerful motors provide you with the biggest returns. From a design perspective, most fans have three to five blades made from solid wood, plywood, or composite wood materials. The blades can be painted or veneered, and come in so many styles that there's sure to be a ceiling fan out there to catch your fancy.

Ceiling Fans and Placement. First of all, a fan should be installed in the center of a room, where it can provide the widest area of circulation, though be careful that blade tips are at least two feet from walls or sloped ceilings. You can mount your fan flush or suspended from a drop rod, depending on how high your ceilings are. In order to avoid injury, however, you're well advised not to mount your fan lower than seven feet from the floor. Any lower than that and you could lose a finger or two stretching when you stand up from the couch.

Ceiling Fans: Installation. Fans can be installed by a do-it-yourselfer, though since installation involves working with electricity it's important that you understand basic electrical work and safety before you tackle this job. If you have any doubts about your ability to get it done safely, you can hire just about any handyman or small contractor to come in and install your new fans for you. If you do install fans yourself, be sure to cut all power at the breaker box before you begin, and remember that ceiling fans require solid support. Their heavy weight and centrifugal motion strains hangers, so they should never be mounted to conventional ceiling fixture boxes. Other than that there's not much to it. Some basic wiring, attaching the fan to the box, and you're in business. All you'll have to do is balance the blades, so that your ceiling fan runs smoothly, and provides with the comfort and improved energy efficiency

you expect.

Exercise 3. Translate the following words and word combinations into Russian

Sensible solutions, to achieve energy, energy efficiency, ceiling fans, to stir up, to heat and cool residence, to reduce demand on, at higher temperatures, on the other hand, thanks to, furnace, to flip the switch on, to eliminate the stiff breeze, recirculated throughout the home, to depend on replacement, revolutions per minute, steeper fan blade pitch, to provide biggest returns, plywood, veneered, to catch one's imagination, solid wood, flush, drop rod, to mount a fan, to cut power, solid support, to strain hangers, fixture box, to attach.

Exercise 4. Find the English equivalents in the text

Потолочные вентиляторы, лопасти, устанавливать вентилятор, вентилятор с большим наклоном лопастей, печь, включить, с другой стороны, зависеть от размещения, благодаря, легкий бриз, снижать спрос на что-либо, фанера, прочное дерево, облицовывать шпоном, деформировать крючки, система кондиционирования воздуха, эффективность использования энергии, устранять, потолок наклоном, арматура, прочная опора, прикреплять, обычные системы обогрева и охлаждения.

Exercise 5. Answer the following questions:

1) What functions do ceiling fans perform?

2) Why do ceiling fans reduce the demand on conventional heating and cooling systems?

3) How do ceiling fans increase the energy efficiency in summer?

4) How do ceiling fans increase the energy efficiency in winter?

5) On what does the amount of air depend?

6) What can provide you with the biggest returns?

7) What blades do the fans have from a design perspective?

8) Where the fan should be installed?

9) Depending on what you can mount your fan flush or suspended from a drop rod?

10) How should you mount your fan to avoid injury?

11) What should you understand in case of do-it-yourself installation of fans?

12) What actions should you take before fan mounting?

13) What do ceiling fans require?

14) Why fans should never be mounted to conventional ceiling fixture boxes?

15) Why is it necessary to balance the blades?