Dec 03, 2020
Many of the terms used in wastewater overwhelm the novice operator, and at times, it is the fault of the trainer. Instructors often assume that we are explaining the terms when we fail to realize that our nomenclature is not the native language of the trainee. Simple but relentless explanation of these terms and how they relate to water treatment is necessary.
Dec 03, 2020
Refrigerants do an efficient job at cooling air inside an HVAC system that is then distributed throughout a home or building. But refrigerants can also do a number on the climate by releasing pollutants and contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer.
Dec 02, 2020
Intrusion alarms offer crime prevention and emergency notification in the event of a break in, but they are also a source of nuisance alarms. Have nuisance alarms caused police officers to become complacent? Years ago, I was a police officer in a major metropolitan city. My district alone (1 of 12) received over 40 alarms in an 8 hour shift, every day. Triple that number if a thunderstorm came through the city. Not one officer ran emergency traffic to an intrusion alarm, unless there was a call from the homeowner in despair, a 911 hang-up, or some other verification confirmed the need. Alarm calls would sit in queue for at least 15 minutes and then officers had 45 minutes to arrive onsite.
Dec 02, 2020
Chapter 7 of the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC), also known as NFPA 70, covers special conditions and their specific requirements. These requirements modify the general requirements found in Chapters 1-4. Article 700 covers emergency systems, such as hospitals or similar settings where a power outage would put lives in jeopardy. Article 701 covers legally required standby systems and Article 702 covers optional standby systems.
Dec 02, 2020
The 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) has ushered in a brand-new method for determining the number of receptacle outlets required to serve island countertops; peninsular countertops; and work surfaces located in kitchens, pantries, breakfast rooms, dining rooms, and similar areas of a dwelling unit.
Nov 04, 2020
Thermostats have changed a whole lot in the last 20 years. Gone are the mercury bulbs and long levers. Even first-generation programmable thermostats are second class to the newest variety. Thermostats such as Google Nest, Honeywell T9, and Ecobee lead the way with the latest features for home comfort and energy savings. Smart thermostats make it easy to get comfortable. These devices can be controlled remotely with a phone, tablet, or computer, and even utilize their own intelligence to keep a home’s temperature right where the owner wants it. How about a thermostat that you can talk to? It’s available with some of the smart thermostats. Because these thermostats are WIFI enabled, programming them to work with the different “talking” services can be easy. You can tell the thermostat you are leaving, which would reduce the system run time while you were away. You could tell the thermostat you were going on a vacation. This command indicates the home is unoccupied and will not need the same comfort conditions, thereby saving energy. Or, you could just say “Alexa, set the temperature to 77 degrees.”
Nov 04, 2020
From entry level to consummate professional, how does someone become an alarm technician? As many of us have found, the good alarm technician (both fire and intrusion) is a highly sought after asset that can make the difference for a company and their clients. For the technician entering the field, there are some up-front decisions that need to be made. Alarm Installer or Alarm Technician? First, a question; what is the difference between an alarm installer and an alarm technician? Answer: The alarm installer sees a problem, takes the defective product down, and puts a new product up, without finding out why the defective product became defective. They take that defective product down and replace it with a non-defective item until the problem is solved or they run out of non-defective products. The alarm technician finds the defective product and before installing a new product, problem-solves the defective product. They fix the issue, and then they install the new product. The following steps are a process to becoming an alarm technician for a company in the security or fire alarm industry.
Nov 03, 2020
Operator certification levels are governed by general statutes in each state. These general statutes specify what is required to be eligible for a specific certification. Most certifications follow a similar path, so we will illustrate one example in this article. Biological Water Pollution Control System Operator Certification. There are 4 levels of operator certification, from Grade I through IV. Grade I is the entry level certification that does not require wastewater experience. Grade IV requires years of experience and education to obtain. These grades are based in conjunction with plant level ratings. Plants are rated based on design flow and type of processes involved.
