BOW    Bullshit of the week - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: bearman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 06:17:03 pm
content: Check out this product for cleaning up your homes dirty electricity to improve your health.Best advice givien was to replace CFL bulbs with incandescent type. LOL!!!!!!!Unbelievable.B

author: Noize
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 06:34:26 pm
content: vote it down

author: Neilm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 06:58:53 pm
content: Quote from: AcHmed99 on May 08, 2012, 06:50:37 pmIt's going up as every one here is looking at it and laughing.Neil

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 07:30:57 pm
content: INteresting how tey have comments disabled. Afraid of being revealed for fraud I guess.

author: elliott
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 07:41:14 pm
content: He was saying the upper and lower socket in the kitchen were separate circuits, I've never seen one like that. Anyone know anything about that meter, like what it actually measures?

author: Ajahn Lambda
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 08:00:09 pm
content: Quote from: elliott on May 08, 2012, 07:41:14 pmI'm guessing it's a B.S. meter (and no, not Bachelor of Science).Sounds like another opportunist/snake oil seller.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 08:15:28 pm
content: Quite easy to have 2 sockets in the same wall box connected to different breakers in the USA, as the house supply is 120V 0 120V, so this reduces the neutral current if 2 high power appliances are plugged in together.I will hazard a guess the meter is a 0.22uF capacitor with an AC milliamp meter in series with it, so you can measure the high order harmonics on the supply. This will show the hash from any non resistive load, and will drop if you connect a PFC capacitor across the supply.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 08:48:21 pm
content: I just Goggled Graham Stetzer and found this linkhttp://www.emfandhealth.com/EHS%20Scams.htmlSeems that apart from your Graham Stetzer meter and filter you will need a xZubi protector. Who is this Graham Stetzer they seem to be selling products with his name on herehttp://www.waterightfilters.com/GrahamStetzer.htmand talking about a non specific theory that is a hundred years old.Some of the claims made by these people remind me of a farmer I made a 20KVA mobile diesel alternator set on a trailer for, he swore blind that it made "better quality electricity than he was getting from the mains" I like a satisfied customer so I did not try to disillusion him.

author: elliott
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 09:09:20 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on May 08, 2012, 08:15:28 pmI'm not saying it is impossible, what I'm saying is I have never seen sockets that allow it.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 09:11:57 pm
content: Quote from: elliott on May 08, 2012, 07:41:14 pmApparently it is quite common for kitchen sockets to be wired like that. It spreads the load as SeanB says. For instance in my kitchen I have a 1500 W kettle and a 1000 W toaster plugged into the same duplex socket on my kitchen worktop. With both sockets on the same circuit that would be 21 amps on the breaker. I quite commonly have the kettle and the toaster running at the same time when I make breakfast.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 09:13:01 pm
content: Quote from: elliott on May 08, 2012, 09:09:20 pmCheck your own kitchen. If your house was built within the last 10-20 years the electrician should have wired at least one of your sockets that way.(To check it, get a good quality multimeter on the AC volts range and measure the voltage between the two live pins on the two outlets. It will measure 240 V if the socket has been wired this way. But only do this if you know how to use a multimeter safely on mains circuits.)See here for an illustration:http://youtu.be/UU-Gykz2ADY

author: elliott
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 09:17:05 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on May 08, 2012, 09:13:01 pmNone of mine are like that, but it was built in 1991.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 09:23:38 pm
content: Quote from: elliott on May 08, 2012, 09:17:05 pmNone of mine were either, but I just recently discovered the wiring available in the receptacle so I rewired the socket in that fashion. Originally the electrician had dedicated one 20 A breaker just for the dishwasher, but I rarely run the dishwasher and the toaster at the same time so I re-purposed the wiring so both share the same circuit.

author: kaptain_zero
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2012, 10:02:21 pm
content: http://www.stetzerelectric.com/RegardsKaptain "My mother said "If I can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" Zero

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 09, 2012, 04:42:50 am
content: In Ontario Canada, it is a requirement by electrical code that the wall sockets in a kitchen be wired as duplex sockets. There are also requirements for minimum spacing between sockets and minimum number.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2012, 04:50:06 am
content: Quote from: Lightages on May 09, 2012, 04:42:50 amInteresting. Matthias Wandel is in Canada.I certainly see the point. In my kitchen I have dishwasher, microwave, electric kettle and electric toaster as big loads. I have four 12 awg 20 A circuits supplying the kitchen area, but the allocation of sockets to circuits does not make it easy to give each of those items its own circuit.If my sockets were wired in duplex fashion I would still run the risk of double loading unless I remembered when to use the upper or lower socket in each receptacle. There is really no good solution when homes are wired with separate daisy-chained branch circuits as in America.

author: touchh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2012, 05:47:35 am
content: Ha, I had some touch dimmers that would turn on when CFL bulbs on the same circuit would turn on & only would act up when the CFL had not been on for awhile and the touch dimmer was off. Annoyed the living piss out of me trying to figure out who was leaving the lights on at night, only to find out they were being turned on when the bathroom light turned on when someone went to the bathroom.Burrowed some extra EMI filters from work and stuck them infront of the touch Dimmers... No more random lights on events... Always wondered why the CFLs were causing it, figured they must do something that screws with the capacitive touch sensor IC in the dimmers.

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2012, 01:57:43 pm
content: Quote from: touchh on May 09, 2012, 05:47:35 amHa... High frequency switching hash

author: TheWelly888
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2012, 05:05:04 pm
content: Quote from: G7PSK on May 08, 2012, 08:48:21 pmDoesn't surprise me actually, most farms with electricity supplies are at the end of very long single phase feeders and their neighbouring farms will be at the end of the other two phases - load balancing between them is likely non-existant so the voltage regulation will be poor. That's probably what the farmer meant?

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2012, 05:27:54 pm
content: Quote from: TheWelly888 on May 09, 2012, 05:05:04 pmThe farm just up the road from here has a 500 kilo watt supply to its grain dryers there are others around here like that as well but the one I mentioned was fairly small and only had a single phase supply of about 70 KW I put 3 225 KW units into a carrot washing plant 2 run and 1 in standby. I just liked the idea that he thought of electricity having quality in the same way that cloth for a suit would vary in quality.

author: Sionyn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2012, 05:48:50 pm
content: another candidate for BOWAnti WIFI Wallpaper o0http://www.itproportal.com/2012/05/08/anti-wi-fi-wallpaper-go-sale-2013-costs-tad-more-normal-ones/#ixzz1uHFfOUzq

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2012, 06:23:23 pm
content: Farm supplies are pretty much poor. Generally the farmer has to pay for the wiring on the farm ( poles and the 11kV line on them, the pole pig and the LV cabling, along with the earthing mats and rods) and the long line has a voltage drop. Often the supply is single phase, with loads of up to 60A from motors ( Alsthom makes a special 22kW single phase motor for farms here, to drive pumps. 60A draw, poor regulation and efficiency, but you only need a single phase supply to it, which costs 1/3 the price) and with large voltage swings. Most farmers can tell what is running at night from how the lights dim.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2012, 08:34:41 pm
content: Here in the UK most farms are criss crossed by poles and pylons for power distribution and the farm gets paid per pole per year. And most farms will have 3 phase power laid onto the main yard at least.

author: MikeK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2012, 09:42:30 pm
content: I called the toll-free number on their site and got the answering machine with that "electrician" guy's voice.It's about time Canada started competing with American fraud!

author: codeboy2k
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2012, 01:27:55 am
content: In the kitchen of my previous home, the microwave, fridge and dishwasher was each on it's own 120V / 20A circuit.The kitchen counter-top outlets ( and there was 6 of those) were all wired from a single 20 amp circuit daisy chained together. I thought the builder was cheap or the electrician was lazy, or cheap or something. I would have liked to have at least 2 circuits on either side of the sink, as a delineation point. The 4-outlets on the kitchen island were on a separate "island" circuit from the breaker, so I guess that was a saving grace.My current kitchen is smaller, only has 4 outlets , again , they are all on one circuit.

author: Kremmen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2012, 05:58:31 am
content: The way it's done here is that 3 phase power is brought to the distribution panel. In the kitchen things like cooking tops and ovens are wired with a semi-permanent connections directly from the 3 phase separately fused. A dedicated 1 phase wire is usually provided (at least in my case) for fridge, freezer, dishwasher, microwave and then a few wires to normal wall outlets. Everything else except fridge and freezer is RCD protected. The only time anything has blown is when an electrician! pugged in his extension cord reel and tripped the RCD. Turned out the reel was wet and leaked just that bit too much...

author: Architect_1077
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2012, 02:05:11 pm
content: Darn those electrons, always getting dirty...

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2012, 06:47:36 pm
content: Dirty electricity is caused by the birds! Check it out:Love the power washer...Cheers,Rafael

author: updatelee
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2012, 06:56:53 pm
content: Quote from: elliott on May 08, 2012, 07:41:14 pmThats common here in Canada.you would use 14/3 and alternate the circuit. so outlet 1 top would be circuit 1 and bottom circuit 2. outlet 2 top would be circuit 2 and bottom circuit 1, etc etc

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2012, 07:13:01 am
content: Quote from: rsjsouza on May 10, 2012, 06:47:36 pmNoticed that although the Voice over was British and the union jack flag on the video the Helicopter pilot and linesman were American or Canadian and the vehicles were American, I dont think the pylon configuration was British either In the UK the insulators would only be in that formation where the line changed direction.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2012, 07:29:52 am
content: Quote from: G7PSK on May 11, 2012, 07:13:01 amThat 500 kV power line is in America indeed. I think it was described as the "West Memphis" line.

author: Neilm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2012, 03:40:50 pm
content: Quote from: G7PSK on May 11, 2012, 07:13:01 amIt is quite common that programs are re-voiced in the local accent.If you want more information on pylons in the UK, check out the Pylon Appreciation Society athttp://www.pylons.org/Neil

author: bearman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2012, 11:22:06 am
content: Interesting about the insulator cleaning. I live right accross the street from the high voltage lines in my area. I have been here 24 years. I have seen the helicopter come out to change insulators or some other electrical work and harmonic dampeners but never seen them come out to wash the insulators. Maybe since the ones here hang vertical bird poop is a non issue.See attached

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2012, 01:15:22 pm
content: Those particular insulators with a diagonal are the only problematic ones. Here they have a plywood platform attached across the top so that it forms a solid platform, which becomes a nesting site for fish eagles and vultures ( both a protected species) and thus serves 2 purposes. Most of the lines use a vertical insulator to keep the dirt off, and rely on thunderstorms to wash them clean.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2012, 04:53:36 pm
content: In Portugal (Algarve) they have whirly gigs things on some of the pylon tops to stop storks from nesting I found a photograph of a stork nest that I took in 2009 on top of a pole but the only images of the whirly gigs is in some video so I will have to dig that out and extract a still. What is really fascinating is the nests become colony's for a whole bunch of other birds as well.

author: kaptain_zero
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2012, 05:39:10 pm
content: I wonder if they still use this on insulators?http://www.collinite.com/automotive-wax/insulator-wax/Having read the history of that product, it was indeed meant for use on insulators, but today... it goes on your car and it happens to be a favorite of mine... It lasts a long time and water just beads up and runs off the car.RegardsChristian

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2012, 06:53:52 pm
content: Quote from: G7PSK on May 13, 2012, 04:53:36 pmI am not sure if it was in the US, but I seem to remember to have seen a fix for a similar problem with some birds there. The fix was going in the totally opposite direction. Instead of trying to repulse the birds they added platforms on top of the poles to provide the birds a safe way for nesting and shielding the insulators from bird drops.

author: Kremmen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2012, 07:58:41 pm
content: Here they have started to install extension perches on top of the 20 kV and 110 kV power line poles. Used to be the fishing eagles and kites would rest on the pylon tops and get electrocuted when their wings hit the wires on the downstroke. No so much anymore after there is a horzontal perch extending 1-2 meters above the actual top.

author: gregc22
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 05, 2013, 02:32:26 pm
content: Quote from: elliott on May 08, 2012, 09:09:20 pmI don't know where you live, but any duplex outlet made in the US in at least the last 50 years allows it. Look at the dual screws on the sides of any duplex outlet. There is a small bar of metal that connects the upper and lower screws. The bar will have a slot in it. Stick a screwdriver in that slot and rock it back and forth a few times and the bar will snap off. Do that on just the hot side(for a shared neutral setup) or on both sides to completely isolate the upper socket from the lower socket.

author: gregc22
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 05, 2013, 02:58:39 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on May 08, 2012, 09:23:38 pmAnd you have probably violated code. You may not run the dishwasher and the toaster at the same time, but if you do(or a family member or guest who doesn't know about your modification and "just gotta know" restriction to only run one of the appliances at any given time) the circuit will likely be overloaded. Popped breaker or fuse at least, fire at worst.The NEC says that if the manufacturer requires that the dishwasher(or the disposer) be on it's own dedicated circuit, then it has to be on it's own circuit. And putting it on a circuit that a toaster uses is the worse possible choice. Most toasters are going to use at least 10amps, but likely more. Combine that with the typical 9 to 10amp draw from a dishwasher, and you're flirting with the limits of a 20a circuit. And remember that a circuit's known anticipated loads should only be 80% of the max, so 16a in this case.

author: deth502
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2013, 05:57:04 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on May 08, 2012, 09:11:57 pmyou can break a jumper on a receptacle to split the top and bottom halves and put them on different circuits. being a residential electrician since around 94, i can say that i have NEVER seen or even heard of it once until i watched this video. frankly, id have to check into it, but id be shocked as shit if it was not illegal according to ucc/boca.

author: ConKbot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2013, 05:57:57 pm
content: Quote from: elliott on May 08, 2012, 09:09:20 pmLook at your standard duplex receptacle, there is a brass/copper tab connecting the screws on each side (silver for neutral, brass/black for hot) grab that tab with some needle nose pliers and wiggle a bunch and it breaks off, splitting the outlet. This lets you wire it for the split supply, or make one outlet constant, and one switched for room lamps etc.And yeah for kitchens a lot of places require a lot of breakers for it now. My friends kitchen has a separate breaker for each appliance dedicated outlet. Fridge outlet? own 15A circuit. Exhaust fan? 15A circuit (this makes sense though as its a microwave/exhaust fan) Dishwasher? garbage disposal? Gas oven/range? each has its own 15A circuit, and 2 20's for general use. I put a GFI breaker on the garbage disposal one as something doesnt rub me right about not having GFI on that.

author: deth502
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2013, 06:08:11 pm
content: The Graham-Stetzer microsurge meter, as seen in the video, can be had for $115. tempted to get one just to tear it apart.

author: M0BSW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2013, 06:23:07 pm
content: I thought it was the cheap beans my wife bought, that was making me fart, maybe it's the electric, I'd better get them in

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 05, 2013, 08:25:16 pm
content: My washing machine is not far from the breaker box. Maybe I should hire an electrician to come and route the mains wiring through the washing machine to clean up the dirty electricity. We have a high efficiency washer so it shouldn't affect our electric bill too much.Tom, NW0LF

author: SLJ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2013, 10:09:15 pm
content: I don't know how I've survived all these years without a Graham Stetzer BS meter on my bench...