1. Do I need a surge protector for my computer?
Most neighborhoods can still have relatively frequent power surges. Most people are well acquainted with the normal surges that cause permanent damage to appliances in a blink of an eye. But few people are aware of the smaller surges that are going on all the time. Unlike the larger surges that wreck havoc all at once, these smaller surges can slowly wear out the wiring insulation and electronic circuitry in your appliances, causing them to operate improperly and wear out prematurely. A good quality surge protector can do a lot to protect your computer as well as other appliances. I personally recommend buying a UPS for your computer. They may be slightly more expensive, but afford your computer much more protection.
2. I have many appliances with two prong plugs, and my outlets are made to accept three prong plugs. Is using 2 prong plugs in the 3 prong outlets dangerous?
Most appliances that are bought in the store with a two prong plug are either made of plastic and do not need a ground wire, or are double insulated, in which case it would actually be dangerous to have it grounded.
If the plug was installed by someone other than the factory or a reliable electrician, then it should be inspected by someone trustworthy.
3. Sometimes the main breaker trips but none of the smaller ones do. Why does that happen?
A basic, standard electrical panel found in many homes includes, in addition to other parts, a main breaker, and other “line” breakers. The main breaker supplies electricity to the line breakers, and is rated at a higher current rating (usually 25 or 40 amps in a standard one phase system). The other breakers supply electricity to the various lines around your home (usually rated between 10–20 amps).
Let’s assume, that your main breaker is rated at 25 amps, and you have 5 other breakers rated at 10 amps each. Now let us suppose that you are using on each line (each 10 amp breaker) only 8 amps. Each 10 amp breaker, having only 8 amps going through it, would be fine. They would have no reason to trip. But if you add up what each breaker is using, you get 40 amps. This is way over the amount that your main breaker is rated for, and will therefore cause it to trip.
4. Can I simply upgrade my breaker to one with a higher rating, so to keep it from jumping all the time?
Definitely not! Each breaker in your panel is there for the sole purpose of protecting the wires that run through that particular line. If, for example, the wires are a size that need a 10A breaker to protect them, and you were to switch the breaker to a 20A, you would be causing a potentially dangerous situation. There would be nothing to protect the wires from burning up and taking the whole house with them.
5. Why does my florescent fixture make a humming sound?
The ballast in florescent fixtures often causes a humming sound while the fixture is on. There are a number of possible causes for this. One cause could possibly be loose laminations in the core. However, manufacturers claim that this is not common.
Another, more likely cause, can be magnetostriction. Magnetostriction is the deformation of a ferromagnetic material subjected to a magnetic field. In other words, when the magnetic field produced by the ballast slightly changes the positions of the molecules in the metal, this creates a constant cycle of shrinkage and expansion that produces an audible hum.
Another possible cause, (or at least may contribute to the cause) is the way the ballast is mounted onto the surface. A simple fix is to install vibration-isolation pads between the ballast and its mounting surface to dampen the noise.
