  Credit Points 2 Give your appliances and lights a square mealWould you say that having enough to eat was pretty important in the home that you know? The "food" for your appliances and lights is electricity, and like you they must be "fed" enough. What to Do1. List the appliances and lights in your home. 2. See if any of them are "starving" for the electricity they need. 3. Learn how the electricity gets to where it's used. 4. Make a chart of the electrical circuits in your home. 5. Make sure that each circuit is protected with the right fuse or circuit breaker. Count Your Electrical BlessingsMany people in much of the rest of the world wish that they could trade places with us, because we have so many electrical appliances in our homes. Of course, we have not always had as many appliances as there are today. When electricity first came along, people used it only for lights. Then, they began to add flatirons, washing machines, refrigerators, coffee percolators, and radios. Then more and more electrical things were made for people to use and enjoy. Now we have dozens and dozens of uses for electricity in our homes. How many different uses for electricity are there in your home today? Ask your parents how many there were when your home was built or first wired. How many were common when your parents began to keep house? Some Homes Are Behind TimesMany older homes were built before electricity was available, and were wired later. And like them, some older homes that were wired as they were built had only enough wiring for lights and a few other appliances, because those were the only uses that were known at that time. But people kept on living in these homes, and kept adding to the uses they made of electricity without adding to their wiring. What has this meant? Well, if electricity were like cars and trucks, you could say that some people are trying to put turnpike traffic through a back-country dirt road! Watch for Signs of StarvationOf course, as your state has done with its highways, some people have expanded and modernized their wiring. But many others have not yet seen this need, or if they have, they may have to do it again. Here's why: Your power supplier delivers current to you at the right voltage or electrical pressure. If the wires in your house are large enough, they will pass this full voltage on to the appliances. But if your wiring is too small, the electricity arrives at the appliances so weak that they can't work properly, and much of what you pay for is wasted. Here are some things you can watch for in your own home. They will tell you whether your appliances are getting enough electrical "food" or not. 1. A shrinking TV picture—If it draws in from the sides of the screen, fades, loses contrast, or if the sound becomes distorted, you may have low voltage. 2. Too much fuse blowing or circuit breaker tripping. 3. Heating appliances are slow to do their jobs. 4. Lights dimming, when motors or other appliances are turned on. There Should Be Enough Ways to Get "Appliance-Food" Around If appliances in your home show these starvation signs, then you may not have enough ways for the electricity to get to where it's used. There are three kinds of these electrical highways or circuits, and your home should have enough of each: 1. General purpose circuits—These serve lights all over the house, and convenience outlets everywhere except in the kitchen, laundry, and dining areas. A rule-of-thumb is: There should be at least one general purpose circuit for each 500 sq. ft. of floor space. 2. Small appliance circuits—These are not used for lights, but instead they supply convenience outlets in the kitchen, laundry, and dining areas where portable appliances are most used. Every home should have at least two small-appliance circuits. 3. Individual or special-purpose circuits—One of these is needed for each: electric range, dishwasher, water heater, freezer, automatic washer, clothes dryer, air conditioner, pump, and house heating equipment. Wire sizes commonly used in homes Each Circuit Big EnoughThe capacity of each circuit is limited by the size of its wires. The chart above shows you the actual sizes of wires commonly used in permanent home wiring, and what each will carry. Notice that each size is given a number, and the smaller the number, the bigger the wire. Also notice that a given size of wire will carry twice as many watts at 230 volts as it will at 115 volts. (Watts are figured by multiplying amps times volts.) General purpose circuits usually are either Number 14 or Number 12 wire, at 115 volts. What is the capacity of each, in watts? (Number 12 wire is recommended for all new general purpose circuits.) Small appliance circuits are required to be at least Number 12 wire. Individual circuits are always sized according to the appliance they serve. Find the size wire that should be used for a 10, 000-watt, 230-volt range; a 1500-watt, 115-volt dishwasher; a 4500-watt, 230-volt clothes dryer. ________ ________ ________ Only One Fuse Size RightA fuse in an electrical circuit is like an alert traffic policeman—stopping everything if there's danger. A circuit breaker serves the same purpose, and the right size is installed when the wiring is done. A policeman uses his brain to tell him when to blow his whistle, but a fuse depends on the size of the little fusible (meltable) metal link that you see under the glass. If too great an electrical load is added to a circuit, this link will melt and prevent a dangerous overload. If you put in a fuse with too heavy a link, it will not melt in time, and the wiring and equipment may be damaged. Therefore the right size of fuse is very important, and is something that you should check in your own home. See the chart above for the right fuse for each size wire. Make a Circuit ChartAt one or more places in your home there is a box or panel containing the fuses or breakers for the various circuits. Attached to the inside of the door of each such panel should be a chart something like this: Notice that in our chart we have made columns for a description of what each circuit serves, its number or position in the panel, and the proper size fuse for it. Because most such charts leave out this last very important bit of information, you should make a complete new chart, like the one shown. Provide as many lines as there are fuse positions. Paste or tape it to the inside of the panel door. Then, ask permission of your parents to disconnect all the circuits by unscrewing the fuses or flipping the circuit breakers. Do not touch anything but the fuse rim. Then reconnect them, one at a time, to find out what each circuit serves. Turn on as many lights as you can, to help you in your detective work. Use a test lamp at those outlets that do not have a light connected to them. Write two or three words describing each circuit on the proper line on your chart. On a separate sheet, keep track of the appliances and lights that are on each circuit, and add up the watts. (If the name-plate of any appliance gives "amperes", "amps", or "A" instead of watts, just remember that amps times volts equals watts.) This will tell you if any of them are overloaded. Show this sheet to your parents. Check the Wire SizesDisconnect the main switch, and determine the size of the wires in each circuit. Don't include the insulation in your measurement.
Write in the proper size fuse for each circuit on your chart. Replace Any Wrong-Size FusesDo the fuse sizes you have written on your chart agree with the ones that are in place in the panel? Get the right size fuses and replace any that are wrong. Make sure that you have a reserve supply of the right sizes, and that they are handy for future use. Talk it Over With Your ParentsDo you think that your home has enough of the proper size circuits? If not, talk it over with your parents. They may want to ask an electrician to go over the wiring and make the necessary changes. What Did You Learn?(Underline the right answer.) 1. A (television set, radio) is very sensitive to changes in voltage. 2. Dimming lights mean (static in the wires, an electrical overload). 3. Wires that become warm from overload make it (more expensive, cheaper) to operate the equipment. 4. A home of 2,000 sq. ft. should have at least (three, four) general purpose circuits. 5. One solution to low voltage symptoms is (heavier fuses, more circuits). 6. Full capacity for a Number 14 wire circuit at 115 volts is (1725 watts, 3000 watts). 7. A room air conditioner should be on (a general purpose, an individual) circuit. 8. The purpose of a fuse is to (let you disconnect the circuit, automatically prevent overloading the circuit). 9. The right size fuse is determined by (wire size, the store where you buy it). 10. A circuit chart should give (circuit description and fuse size, the maker's name). Demonstrations You Can GiveAsk your leader to help you plan a demonstration. You can show how lights dim when too many other appliances are connected, how a fuse protects against overloading, and the danger of using too large a fuse. For More InformationAsk your Extension agent, power supplier, or electrician for additional help. |
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