Contested Consumption

Updating the lighting in your home is a wonderful way to add a fresh look.
When deciding to take on a lighting project, keep in mind that it does not start by simply picking out a light fixture. You should take the time to first ask yourself the following questions:

(1) What kind of lighting do I want?
(2) How do I want the space to look?
(3) Are there any special requirements that need to be addressed?
(4) What is the current level of lighting in the area? Is there daylight available?
(5) What mood am I trying to achieve?

Some places require a bright light that does not cast shadows like a closet, laundry room, or a workbench. Other areas such as living, dining and bedrooms should offer a little more drama and pizzazz. Keep these functional differences in mind when you go through the motions of determining what style of lighting will be required.

When you think about the lighting effect you are looking for, you should always consider how the various light sources will be layered. For instance, you’ll typically want to have ambient lighting such as a ceiling light or floor lamp for general lighting while offering accent lighting on paintings, sculptures, etc. and finally focused lighting such as a table lamp. You don’t want to leave one area of the room under illuminated, while another area blinds you. This can lead to eye strain, headaches, and undo tiredness.

Once you’ve thought through the above mentioned issues and determined how you want the layering to work, the next step is choosing the fixtures and bulbs that fulfill your requirements. Every room should have a general or ambient light source. If you don’t want to have a ceiling fixture, then a floor lamp that directs a wide angle of light up on your ceiling can provide a good source of general lighting. Keep in mind that the lighter the color of your ceiling, the more illumination you will get from this style of lighting. There is not rule that says you cannot have two floor lamps, however keep in mind the balance of the lighting in the room.

If you are working on a room that requires specialized areas for tasks such as reading a book, you will want to add a portable or table lamp. This will provide good lighting to a specific area while not overwhelming any other areas of the room. You may want to consider a 3-way lamp that allows you to vary the level of illumination. In this fashion, the lamp can double as accent lighting when on lower settings.

If you want to add accent lighting for specific areas of the room, then you will probably want to consider spot lights, shelf lighting, or even smaller table lamps and decor lamps.

There are some other points that you may want to keep in mind before making the final decision on your lighting fixtures:

(1) Is the fixture energy efficient?
(2) How durable is the fixture and what will the maintenance costs be?
(3) What is the availability of the fixture? Can you easily find it in stores and expect to have them available in the future?

To some, water is water. However, it is important you realize there are different levels of pH for different uses in life. The Kangen water unit can help you separate water into alkaline and acidic through electrolysis so you can make the most of all of your daily uses. Here are five kinds of water this unit can produce and the ways you will use the water.

1. Strong Kangen
The first kind of water is strong Kangen, which will help preserve hygiene because of the strong cleaning effect it has. It contains absorbing, dissolving and heat conducting benefits. You will want to use this kind of water for removing stains like coffee or oil, cleaning cutting boards and dishcloths, and preparing foods likes green onions, bamboo, and wasabi.

2. Kangen water
Kangen water has a pH level of 8-10 which is ideal for drinking. When compared to tap water, this kind of water has no unpleasant odor, it tastes lighter, and has a pleasant and sweet flavor. Drinking at least 2 liters of this water per day may deliver tremendous health benefits to your body. You can also use it for your pets, plants, coffee and tea, rice and food preparation.

3. Clean water
The third kind of water this unit will produce is clean water, which contains a pH level of 7. It is free of chlorine, rust and cloudiness and is delicious for drinking. This is the kind of water you will want to use to prepare baby food and should also be used to drink any medicine you may be taking.

4. Acidic water
Next on the list is acidic water with a pH level of 4-6. This is known for its astringent effect and comes with numerous ways you can use it. First, it is the ideal water to use for face wash as the astringent properties are extremely effective with toning and firming your skin. It can also reduce tangling and bring out a radiant shine to your hair. Other uses for acidic water include pet care, washing fruits and vegetables, removing dirt from hardwood floors and counters, and cleaning dishes.

5. Strong acidic
The final kind of water a Kangen water unit can produce is strong acidic water, which contains a pH level of 2.7 and below. This water has an amazingly strong disinfecting power as it can kill all known germs and bacteria. Because of this, you will want to use this water for cleaning and sanitizing various items like cutting boards, knives, and different parts of the kitchen. You can also use this water to disinfect your hands, toothbrush, or to brush your teeth with.

Outdoor lighting provides several advantages, which can be narrowed down into two, namely, security, and adding beauty to outdoor surroundings. In installing the outdoor light system, its actual design is characterized by the site conditions, the landscape effect and your standards.

In planning the exterior lights, choose the type of outdoor light system that you will install. There are five types to choose from. You can choose up-lights for ground level illumination as the lights are pointed up. It is best for landscape lighting and to highlight features, such as trees and architectural designs. Up-light fixtures can be spot light or flood light.

You can also choose backlights for your outdoor lighting, and create a dramatic effect. The problem with this type of lighting system is when it is overly designed it can look like Halloween lighting. Its basic concept is to place outdoor lighting fixtures behind an object like small plant or statue.

You can also choose path lights which can serve as your guide on a path or driveway. It is best as decorative lighting while providing security on the pathway. Its location should be above the ground to scatter its illumination with gentle glowing effect. Make sure you don’t over light the area to make it look like an airport runway.

The Down-lights are best for spotlight and floodlights. They illuminate an entry like the rear door, an entrance to a gazebo or bordered garden. In contrast to path light, a down light should not be visible to achieve natural lighting. The goal of this type of outdoor lighting is to create a magical and inviting mood to the location such as rock or fountain garden.

When you have chosen your lighting system, it is time to measure its wattage. This can be done by getting the sum of the wattage of all outdoor lighting fixtures that you will use. Choose the transformers that are compatible to the total wattage. Ensure that the wattage capacity of your transformers is more than the total wattage used.

Determine the length of cable that you need based on the location of your outdoor lighting. If your system is less than 200 watts, use a 14-gauge cable. If it more than 200 watts, use 12-gauge.

Decide the control options for your lights. You can choose timers, lights controlled by the amount of natural lights or a simple on and off switch.

Install the transformer one foot off the ground. Run the cable to the transformer, stripping half an inch of insulation from its end with a knife or stripping tool. Connect the stripped wires based on the instructions on the transformer.
Prepare your outdoor lighting fixtures and its corresponding cable. Ensure that there is a small loop of slack cable at each fixture for its attachment. Cover your outdoor lighting cable with decorative stones or hide it under foliage. You can also bury the cable with its loop kept above the ground.

Connect the cable to the fixtures by slipping the connector halves over the cable loop. If the transformer has been connected, this should make the fixture to light up. If not remove the connectors and try again. Continue to install the remaining fixtures for your outdoor lighting.

The role of electrical transformers is to switch voltage from one value to another; normally from higher to lower voltage or vice versa. They consist of two sets of coils or windings that are connected to a ferromagnetic core. There are two types of coils—the primary and secondary conductors.

A changing current in the primary conductor produces alternating magnetic fields in the core, which in turn multiples the fields and couples most of the flux with the secondary conductor. This incites the alternating voltage or EMF in each of the secondary conductor.

The cores can be customized as toroidal or laminated. The toroidal has several advantages such as producing low magnetic leakage, close flux path, low noise and smaller core size, lighter and more efficient. They have copper wires wrapped around a cylindrical core preventing leakage of magnetic flux. The magnetic flux is not very influential on other components.

On the other hand, the laminated core is composed of sheets of magnetic material that is insulated from one another with a non-conducting material such as varnish, producing a core that decreases electrical losses.

Electrical transformers can be configured in two ways. You can choose single-phase or three-phase. In switching the voltage level, the principle of magnetic induction between coils is to transfer voltage between coils from the electricity that flows through them. The transformers are passive devices that initiates the transformation of alternating current or AC electrical energy from one circuit into another through electromagnetic induction.

Many homes and businesses have transformers to transfer electricity from power plants. The voltage of the transformers at the power plants is normally high. As they reached the substation, the voltage is lowered. When they reached smaller transformer, the voltage is lowered again. The adjustment in voltage is a continuous process, which only stops when the power reaches the useable level.

The inward voltage of electrical transformers is very crucial. There are three general frequencies that are easy to obtain. These are the 50 Hertz, 60 hertz, and 400 hertz. If you are in Europe, the standard power is 50 hertz. In North America, the average power is 60 hertz. The 400 hertz is set aside for high-capacity purposes like aerospace technologies.

In estimating transformers, it is important to consider power specifications such as highest ratings of the next current, the secondary current ratings, highest power rating, the voltage rating, output type and output choices, such as AC or DC.

Transformers come in several types. There are power transformers, current transformers, step down transformers, low voltage transformers, distribution transformer, instrument transformers, general purpose transformers and automatic transformers.

The power transformers have several configurations based on segments and links. The distribution transformer decrease the primary voltage of the electric distribution system so that it can be used by customer. Auto electrical transformers are smaller in size, weigh less and have better voltage stability as well as overload tolerance.

The manner by which the electrical transformers function has changed. They made life easier for people as they transfer power efficient and more economical. The electricity that is available in your house passes through many different transformers before it is usable as a low voltage.