June 5th, 2010 by Walt
The Climate Prediction Center has determined that El Niño dissipated during May, so we are looking at cooler Pacific waters now. This could be the beginnings of a La Niña which could mean the Atlantic hurricane season could be more severe.
Whichever way the hurricane season turns out, spring and summer are times of high risk for severe storms. As I post this, NOAA‘s NWS has severe thunderstorm warnings out for several states and several tornado warnings active, so hurricanes are not the only reason people should stay prepared.
For flashlights, I recommend the new LED style lights. They are so much easier on batteries, and the LEDs don’t burn out like the older incandescent bulbs. They come in varieties from similar to “regular” flashlights to lanterns to light entire rooms. I also recommend getting the ones that take regular flashlight type batteries (AAA, AA, C, or D). Remember that you will need electricity to recharge rechargeable batteries (duh) so for long term use, replaceable batteries are the best. The rechargeable ones are OK if the power is out for a few to several hours, but you will be running out of power after a few days if you cannot recharge the batteries.
Don’t forget battery operated radios (with fresh and replacement batteries) as well as fresh water and food that stores well for long periods of time and does not require cooking (be sure the food is something you can open without electricity!).
If you live in a mobile home, a low spot, or any other high risk area, be prepared to leave right away if told to do so.
Follow directions about staying away from windows and finding a safe place to stay while severe weather is nearby.
Here is the link from the NWS site to get your information about what you need and what to do. Following the directions could save your life or the life of a loved one.
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May 17th, 2010 by Walt
Sunday, I was prepared to replace the switch that controlled my front outdoor light. It had stuck in the “on” position and having a couple fail in the same way, I pulled the three-gang switch plate off and found a mess. Rather a mess that made my heart miss a few beats. I forgot to take pictures of the burned wiring inside the box, but saved the switch to photograph.
Looks like a catastrophic failure to me; at first I had blamed it on a poor connection until I saw the flash marks.
The fracture was not caused by removing the switch, it was already there. You can also see remnants of melted insulation on the back of the switch.
I an sure it ejected some flame here when it happened. I was unable to get a good inside picture of the backside of the handle. I’ll update later if I do get one. The screw looks corroded, but I found no sign of water having been anywhere near the switch.
From what I can tell, the flash incident went unnoticed. We rarely switched the automatic outdoor light off. One night I noticed that the light was staying on (it is a motion light), so I went to turn it off and found the switch stuck “on”. I did not notice the melted plastic for several days until after I went to replace the switch. It seems that the line from the breaker entered the quick connect hole (I hate those things!) and the rest daisy chained off the screw terminal to the other two switches in the box, and the rest of the circuit and overheated, melting the insulation. The melted insulation pattern was not consistent with a single flash incident. I have seen insulation blown off of wires and stuck to other objects inside the box, where the bulk of the missing insulation here was obviously split away from the conductor.
The frightening thing is that we have a coat rack right next to the switch box that could have easily caught fire if a coat was covering the switch. Any guesses as to my next project? Hint: The coats are moving to a different location!
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