Rubes Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 I've been thinking about delving into this, mostly for controlling lights and things. But I've always been hampered by this (probably irrational) fear of using light controllers and the risk of fire. Is this fear real or completely outdated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 I've been thinking about delving into this, mostly for controlling lights and things. But I've always been hampered by this (probably irrational) fear of using light controllers and the risk of fire. Is this fear real or completely outdated? 228634[/snapback] I wouldn't worry much. Assuming your basic electrics are good (main panel, breakers, ground fault devices, wall switches, and receptacles) are in good shape, it's pretty much the same as manually turning on a light. I'd be more concerned about the state of plug receptacles - they fatigue over time (and you can buy retention tension devices for 60 bucks or more to check them), and when they fatigue and lose holding tension, arcing can occur - it's a significant cause of home fires. Whenever you have to squeeze a plug to get it to make contact, that's a good time to replace the receptacle. Better yet, replace them all, today, if they have been in use for several years. Same for wall switches - it's a very minor household expense... It's also a good idea to replace old overhead, wall-switched or string-switched incandesecent light fixtures - years of heat generated by the light bulb(s) contained within a glass globe or shallow cylinder turns the wire insulation to dust. Go back a bit into the wires, splice and replace and wire nut and tape the patch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted February 4, 2005 Author Share Posted February 4, 2005 I wouldn't worry much. Assuming your basic electrics are good (main panel, breakers, ground fault devices, wall switches, and receptacles) are in good shape, it's pretty much the same as manually turning on a light. Yeah, my main concern is that my house was built in 1921. Used to have all knob-and-tube wiring, but the majority of it has been replaced. That should be good news, since most of the wiring is relatively new, but it still gives me the heebie-jeebies. retension tension devices 228688[/snapback] Is that in any way related to a conjunction junction device? Thanks for the advice...I'll always be worried about the wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Yeah, my main concern is that my house was built in 1921. Used to have all knob-and-tube wiring, but the majority of it has been replaced. That should be good news, since most of the wiring is relatively new, but it still gives me the heebie-jeebies.Is that in any way related to a conjunction junction device? Thanks for the advice...I'll always be worried about the wiring. 228692[/snapback] 1921? I would worry, too. Buy the 240 - rated fire extinguishers, and give' em a shake every few months to combat impaction. I assume you have smoke detectors everywhere - BTW - replace them every 3 or so years. Wasn't "Conjunction Junction" a PBS skit that taught kids about "and, but, if" parts of speech to properly connect phrases and clauses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac17 Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 LABillzfan can probably answer this, and he'll probably tell you the same thing I will: In the grand scheme of things, X10 is junk. Sometimes it will work like a charm and maybe it will for you. Some people are stuck with their lights going on in the middle of the night when the refrigerator kicks in.... having said that, it isn't terribly expensive compared to the alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 I use some minor X10 at my house - basically just the lights in my livingroom and a light in my wife's office. I mainly use them to automatically turn on/off when we're on vacation to give the house a "lived in" look (and because I got htem for about $5 during a special that x10.com was having). I also have it hooked up to my webserver so I can connect to a password protected page on my server and turn the lights on/off by clicking some buttons on the website. Alternatively, I have an RF remote control that turns them on/off as well.... There's LOTS of stuff you can do with X10, but I havn't delved that far into it myself. I wouldn't worry about the fire risk that much though. No more so than with normal things you plugin anyway... CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 LABillzfan can probably answer this, and he'll probably tell you the same thing I will: In the grand scheme of things, X10 is junk. 228738[/snapback] Exactly. If there were even a remotely close alternative, pricewise, X10 would be dead. Don't waste your time. Save your money and buy up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted February 5, 2005 Author Share Posted February 5, 2005 Exactly. If there were even a remotely close alternative, pricewise, X10 would be dead. Don't waste your time. Save your money and buy up. 228803[/snapback] Buy up to what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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