Kelly's Korner - Thoughts and Notifications

Hey, All,

Today will be my last post until after Christmas.  I will be on vacation from December 14-27th doing my usual holiday/birthday stuff.  Making miniature Almond Joys and my special Chex mix, cleaning and rearranging and just taking some time to relax.  That is, of course, if the whole of Portland doesn't float away in this rainstorm we are having!

This is the street in front of
my girlfriend's house - you
can't even see the sidewalk or
curbs!

According to the weather people, we are supposed to be getting about 4" of rain in the next few days and we have lakes where there should be streets and sidewalks.  No matter what the weather is where you are - please be careful driving.  Better to be late than not there at all.  Take the time to appreciate your friends and family and what you have.  Lots of people have way less.

Told you it was raining lots!

If you are having adverse weather in your area, it pays to be prepared.  Make sure you have flashlights, candles, maybe an alternate heat source, and food that doesn't require cooking - break out the camping gear! If your power goes out, shut down all electronics - flipping breakers will work because you have all your's marked, right?  Power outages and surges can fry the electronics in your appliances, too - not just the TV and computers.  Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed - it will help keep food cold longer.  If your gutters are overflowing, you may get wet, but get all the debris out.  Get out and clean the leaves out of the streets and unstop the stormdrains.  Stay away from downed power lines.  Most of all, use common sense and stay SAFE!

We will be celebrating Christmas in the new home of my newlywed nephew and his beautiful wife.  We've had a few new additions to the family this year and we love them all.  I'm looking forward to some nice down time.

Have a very safe and Merry Christmas!







Please note that W L May will be closed December 24-27th and December 31-January 3rd.  Nice long holiday weekends for us!

Kelly's Korner - In the Dark

Hey, All,

Creative Commons license on image.

We here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest just experienced our first storm of the fall season.  Thunder, lightning, wind, rain - we had it all.  And with all that, there were also power outages.  Luckily, I wasn't one of the powerless ones, but there were quite a few without for most of Saturday and into Sunday.


Now what does this have to do with appliances?  Well, let me enlighten you.  With all the electronics in today's appliances, power surges and outages can blow those boards faster than heck.  You may have your computer and TV on a power strip/surge protector, but is your microwave, refrigerator, stove, washer/dryer and dishwasher surge protected?

Creative Commons license on image.

For appliances that run on 110 volts (everything but your stove and dryer)  it is easy enough to plug these into a regular power strip/surge protector.  It gets a bit stickier with the 220 volt appliances - stove/oven and dryer.  For these I would recommend contacting a qualified electrician and seeing what he would recommend - do not try doing this yourself.  It could be a whole house surge protector, new breakers in your breaker box or something else.  The age and situation of your wiring will dictate what can be used, hence the certified licensed electrician.  When you compare the cost of the electrician and equipment installed versus the cost of repairing or replacing your appliances and other electronics, you will find that it is a very inexpensive investment.

Of course, there is the common sense way of shutting down electronics when there is a storm blowing through, but not very convenient for everyday life.  So add to your Fall to-do list a call into your favorite electrical company to come and have your home checked out.  You will definately save some bucks in the long run.

Have a great week!

PS:  Thanks to all the electricians that worked overtime and in rough conditions to get power restored to everyone!