DIY Home & Garden

By John J. Richmond

Electricity outages have been increasingly frequent in recent times and they usually occur during the night time when your in the middle of your favorite TV show. They could drag on for a few hours or many days dependant upon what triggered it. Once this happens, your gas powered generator immediately turns into your most treasured posession because after it gets up and running the lighting goes back on, you don’t have to worry about all your groceries spoiling and life begins to come back to normal once more. But what about people who do not own one? You can wager that a lot of those will be looking to get one quickly if they have the funds to do so.

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By Primoz J. Borovnik

With a little hard work and a few hours off your Saturday morning to dedicate on the project, creating a renewable energy source for your household through solar panels is easy. To make this, the only things you need are a good plan and some materials from your own garage or local hardware shop.

Working Knowledge

The first thing that you need to know in order to make your own homemade solar panels is a working knowledge of how energy and electricity can be harnessed from the sun. Solar panels work by concentrating light from the sun into a generator. This can be done in several ways. The easiest is through the use of photovoltaic cells, which are the same things that you find on calculators. This is the direct conversion process that will immediately transform light into energy. With enough solar cells on a solar panel, an entire household’s electricity needs can actually be met.

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An overview of home wind turbines.

Video by http://2windturbine.blogspot.com

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By Goldome

Wind power and the use of wind power turbines for is one of the fastest growing areas of renewable, home energy systems in the United States today. This easy to install, cost effective home wind system uses a small wind power turbine to convert the energy in wind into usable electricity. Basically, wind is a form of solar energy.

As the sun heats the earth’s surface, hot air rises and cooler air moves in to fill the gap. This movement of the cold air is wind. Installing a windmill like turbine for your home harnesses the power of this wind and turns a small generator to produce electricity.

Wind power turbines can easily be added to almost any home without the need or expense of professional installation and without having to change any wiring or add any expensive devices. In most cases, Federal regulations require utilities to connect with and purchase excess power from small wind energy systems. To accomplish this, the utility will install a second utility meter to measure how much surplus electricity it is purchasing from the homeowner.

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By Michael Del Greco

Use of Portable Generators

Some people use emergency generators to provide back-up power. While generators can be used in a safe manner, improper use of a generator can pose significant hazards to you and your family. Hazards include electric shock, carbon monoxide poisoning, explosion and fire.

Prevention of Electrical Shock

• It is extremely important to insure that your generator does not feed electricity back into the power distribution system. You should consult with a qualified electrician to insure that your generator installation is safe.
• Since the generator must be operated outside your home, it is important for it to be equipped with a ground fault interrupter.
• Only use grounded type extension cords that have the rated capacity to handle the given electrical load.
• Inspect all extension cords prior to use and never use a damaged cord.
• Do not run extension cords through water or across wet surfaces.

Prevention of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

You cannot see, smell or taste carbon monoxide (CO), but at high levels it can kill a person within minutes. Carbon monoxide is produced whenever any fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal is burned. Know the symptoms of CO poisoning. At moderate levels you or your family can get severe headaches, become dizzy, mentally confused, nauseated, or faint. Low levels can cause shortness of breath, mild nausea, and mild headaches. Since many of these symptoms are similar to those of the flu, food poisoning, or other illnesses, you may not think that CO poisoning could be the cause. Never operate a generator in an enclosed place including your garage or near an open door or window.

Gasoline safety tips

• Always store gasoline in containers approved for the storage of gasoline.
• Never store gasoline in your home. Keep it in a detached garage or tool shed.
• Never fill your generator when it is running or when it is hot. Wait until it is cool before filling.
• Always refuel your generator outside away from any source of ignition.
• When refilling gasoline cans, always place the cans on the ground. Never fill a can that is in the bed of a truck or in a vehicle.
• Never transport gasoline in the trunk of your car.
• Only store a reasonable amount of gasoline. The maximum quantity of gasoline stored should not exceed (10) gallons.

Hazards of Gasoline

• Gasoline vapors burn not the liquid.
• Gasoline will produce sufficient vapors to burn at any temperature above -44 Fahrenheit.
• The vapors are heavier than air and can travel a considerable distance before finding an ignition source.
• Static electricity will ignite gasoline vapors.
• Gasoline is lighter than water. Using water on a gasoline fire will spread the fire.
• Gasoline is poisonous and can be fatal if swallowed.

Michael Del Greco – New Jersey Home Inspector Lic GI 0121, President of Accurate Inspections, Inc, a New Jersey home inspection company.

Buying a home in New Jersey? www.NewJerseyHomeInspection.com has a listing of home inspectors in all counties of new Jersey. New Jersey Home Inspections are performed by the author of this artical Michael Del Greco in Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic Counties.

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