Comments on: We made another giant step yesterday http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2007/11/26/we-made-another-giant-step-yesterday/ Everything you ever wanted to know about homesteading. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:58:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: reinkefj http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2007/11/26/we-made-another-giant-step-yesterday/#comment-1450 reinkefj Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:43:27 +0000 http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2007/11/26/we-made-another-giant-step-yesterday/#comment-1450 For all the "wall warts" and "recharging blocks", I put them on a WallMart power strip and turn of the strip when not in use. Some strips even have a lighted switch to tell you when it's on. At night, when I shut off the lights in a room, that tell tale glimmer reminds me not to make the power company rich. Hey, a penny here and a penny there, and first think you know, you have two whole sense (cents) saved. I'm just a city feller who'll never get to the call of the wild, (but I do have my Y2K generator and some "urban youth discouragement devices" to protect it). You might want to steal the idea of the power switches to deal with your "phantom load" problem. It's probably easier enough to "toggle the switch with a toe" than physically unplugging stuff. Besides as an EE, I know that most people tug on the wire, as opposed to grabbing that sturdy plug, which can lead to phantom (i.e., no power to appliance due to broken wire) and not so phantom (i.e., the wire to plug arcs over and the surge KOs the appliance -- like winning the reverse lotto) problems that can cost real money to fix. Thanks for the info-tainment. It makes me think of what could have been. :-) fjohn For all the “wall warts” and “recharging blocks”, I put them on a WallMart power strip and turn of the strip when not in use. Some strips even have a lighted switch to tell you when it’s on. At night, when I shut off the lights in a room, that tell tale glimmer reminds me not to make the power company rich.

Hey, a penny here and a penny there, and first think you know, you have two whole sense (cents) saved.

I’m just a city feller who’ll never get to the call of the wild, (but I do have my Y2K generator and some “urban youth discouragement devices” to protect it). You might want to steal the idea of the power switches to deal with your “phantom load” problem. It’s probably easier enough to “toggle the switch with a toe” than physically unplugging stuff.

Besides as an EE, I know that most people tug on the wire, as opposed to grabbing that sturdy plug, which can lead to phantom (i.e., no power to appliance due to broken wire) and not so phantom (i.e., the wire to plug arcs over and the surge KOs the appliance — like winning the reverse lotto) problems that can cost real money to fix.

Thanks for the info-tainment. It makes me think of what could have been.

:-)
fjohn

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