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Master? Or Servant - Electrical appliances are so much ¤ part of the American household scene today that most people- take them for granted. Refrigerators, freezers, mixers, irons, air conditioners, clothes and dish washers, ventilating fans, broilers, vacuum cleaners, heaters, etc., all contribute to our comfort, convenience and health.

01. Two-Way Light - End mishaps in the dark; with switches at both ends of a hall,  lights are controlled as desired.

The secret of two-way control lies in the three-wire connecting cable and three-terminal switches, as shown.

IN MANY houses, the switch controlling an important light in a long hallway or over the cellar stairs is in the right location only if approached from one direction.

02. Power You Want It - Flexible extension cords with rugged plugs and receptacles of armored type will last for years. Two most useful lengths are 10 feet and 25 feet To keep fiber center piece of plug (left) from falling out. apply narrow strips of adhesive tape between and around prongs.

03. Power System - You can identify its type by the number of wires entering the main switch box
 
Most people take the power system of their homes for granted. They know that all they have to do is flip a switch, and a mysterious, magical force provides light when it's dark, heat when it's cold, and cold when it's hot.

04. Buy Power - Volts, watts, amps and ohms are Man's method of measuring quantities of electrical power; to work with wiring, you should have a good understanding of these terms.   In this chapter we've printed all you'll need to know—
 
Volts, amperes, ohms and watts are technical terms that add up to one important thing: your monthly electric bill from the local utility company.

05. Wiring Adequate? - Ask your utility company to inspect it.  Insufficient wiring  causes faulty operation of appliances, reduced voltage and wasted power

Thousands of new homes and apartments built each year are found to be electrically obsolete after only a couple of years of occupancy. When new appliances are acquired, the owners must spend large sums on additional wiring, and in some cases they are forced virtually to rip the old wiring out and to replace it with adequate lines.

06. Testers + Tools - The Clicktester, Handitester and Lightester are simple projects to make; you'll find them invaluable for trouble-shooting appliances

Here is the "Clicktester" wired but not assembled; the parts have been separated to show connections. The earphones, the single flashlight cell and the flexible test prods are connected in simple series.
 
All electrical appliances contain wire of L one sort or another, through which current flows to perform a variety of tasks. In the case of heating devices, such as ordinary lamps, irons, grills, coffee makers, etc., the wire is purposely designed to resist or impede the movement of electrons.

07. Wire Joints - Splicing wires is a simple chore

Have you observed that the cords furnished with many appliances seem to be just a trifle too short to reach the nearest outlet? An extension cord is a help, but the real cure is to add a permanent length of wire to the existing one.

08. Cable + Conduit - Loom, BX and thin-wall are the most popular types for home power circuits

Some representative conductors of electricity: 1— Two-wire armored cable, or "BX." with extra grounding wire in the center. 2—Three-wire BX. 3—A two-wire nonmetallic sheath cable, with bare ground wire. 4—Three-wire, nonmetallic sheath. 5—Single insulated wires, colored black, white or red. These are used in thin-wall conduit.

09. Play It Safe - Caution, common sense and proper grounding technique will prevent   needless   accidents

Opening the main switch kills current in all of the house wiring; however, this also means it will affect the refrigerator, furnace, etc. In many cases opening only a branch circuit is sufficient A posted warning sign on an open circuit is helpful.
 
The following item appeared recently in a New York newspaper. (Only the names of people  and places have  been changed.

10. Third Wire - nstall grounding cords on motor-operated and "wet" appliances for safety
 
To take the shock hazard out of any metal-body electrical appliance, you have to do only two simple revamping jobs: 1) Add a grounding wire to the present cord and replace the present two-prong non-polarized plug by a three-prong polarized plug; 2) Replace existing two-prong outlets by three-prong receptacles to take the new plug, or use polarized adapters.

11. Lights Go Out - —the fuses or circuit breakers have been overloaded. The only cure is  to  lighten  the  load,  not to  invest in  larger  protective  devices

Standard "plug" fuses have bases like lamps, and screw into receptacles in "cut-out" box. Keep a record on cover of latter of house circuits controlled  by particular fuses  to ease  replacement.

12. Bell Doesn't Ring - —corroded button contacts or loose connections are usually at fault
 
You're finishing your morning coffee, and are disturbed by a loud pounding noise from the vicinity of the front door. You rush to open it and find the postman with a package in his hand.

"Whassamatter, Bill?" you ask. "Why didn't you ring the bell?"

13. Coffee Maker - A coffee maker, like a toaster, is used only intermittently, and therefore enjoys long life. What usually requires replacement, during normal kitchen service, is the little light that comes on when the brewing process is completed. In most pots this is single-contact, miniature base lamp of the kind widely used as pilots in radio and television equipment. The method of getting at this light in a typical coffee maker is illustrated herewith.

14. Cord Into Knots - A mistreated connecting cord is often the cause of an appliance's breakdown.  See that wires are well-insulated and don't abuse them
 
Many common household appliances stop working unexpectedly not because of any internal breakdown but only because their connecting cords are stepped on, crushed, broken, cut, chewed by animals or otherwise mistreated. It seems rather obvious to say so, but an appliance can't operate if it doesn't receive power from the wall outlet.

15. Re-cording Lamp - The extent of the damage to your present cord will determine whether or not i† needs replacement; with luck all you may need to repair it is a piece of electrician's tape back into place. If the rest of the cord is also damaged in any way, it's better sense in most cases to take out the old cord and put in a completely new one. A typical job on a table lamp is shown in detail in the photo sequence.  ·

16. Bowl Heaters - Make a habit of testing your beater often to   prevent   accidents.

Check for "grounding" by connecting Handitester to frame, each attachment plug in turn.

To get at connections to heating element, remove screw through the cap on back of heater's frame.

A portable electric heater is often used in a bathroom or bedroom. Because people are likely to brush against it with bare limbs, it should be checked carefully and frequently for a "hot" frame, a condition resulting from accidental contact between the metal body and any part of the power circuit.

17. Light! - Here is a brief description of the operation and care of the two types of lamps used today—incandescent and fluorescent
 
The electric lights commonly used in homes and offices are of two general types: incandescent and fluorescent. The incandescent lamp, invented by Thomas A. Edison in 1879, is a very simple thing. It consists of a wire sealed in a glass lamp, from which the air has been removed or replaced by a mixture of certain inert gases. The wire offers resistance to the flow of electricity.

18. Silent Switch - A mercury-type light switch is easily installed as a replacement for noisy controls—it's  perfect for bedroom or bath
 
The baby has finally fallen asleep, and with an inward sigh of relief you tiptoe out of the nursery. You go into your own bedroom, which is probably adjacent, and turn on the light so that you won't trip over the furniture.   That does it.

19. Extending Outlet - BX clamp was placed in knock-out hole in box through  which   flexible   wire   passed  previously.

Extending a power outlet or replacing an unsatisfactory one is a common electrical job in homes, garages and shops. The accompanying picture sequence shows a typical Sunday-morning operation of this kind on a garage receptacle that was becoming dangerous.

20. Motors - Motors which the layman generally deals with are luckily of simple design and accessible construction—here's what you have to know
 
It is fortunate that motors of rather simple design and accessible construction are used in the labor-saving appliances that get the most service in a home . . . and therefore are most likely to need attention. Vacuum cleaners, portable drills, fans, mixers, juicers, sewing machines, hair driers, etc., generally are powered by "universal" motors that work equally well on AC or DC.

21. Fan - Neglect is an enemy plotting against the life of your fan; lubrication, a few turns of a screw at the proper time, and an automatic timer will increase its life

Keep the (an blade well-tightened on its shaft; continuous operation tends to loosen it.
 
Fans mounted in windows, on floor stands, in attics, etc., for the purpose of keeping air in a house in motion and thus creating a feeling of comfort, must be kept well lubricated and adjusted. Because they turn over at fairly high speeds, sometimes for periods of ten or twelve hours, they must be watched for signs of loosening due to vibration.

22. Projectors - Whisk dust off with a soft brush, polish lenses and remove bits of film.    Little   oiling   is   required

Still projectors contain as many as four ot five concentrating lenses which must be polished very often.
 
Keep 'Em Clean" is the best advice  concerning both still and movie projectors. This applies especially to the reflecting and condensing lenses that concentrate the light on the film. Because of the heat of the latter, they attract a lot of dust. Breathe on the glass lightly, and then polish with a soft, well-washed out rag.

23. Iron Quit Cold? - The cord might be open or the heating element burned out.   Here's how you can spot the offender immediately
 
Because it is used often, and then for periods up to several hours, the common clothes pressing iron is bound to need technical attention fairly early in its life. When an iron quits cold one day, resist the temptation to disassemble it.   Always check the cord first. 

24. What's Cooking - Portable electric stoves or broilers are clean and flameless but potentially dangerous—here's how to avoid the danger—

When the heating element of a common electric stove "burns" out, the wire simply falls apart at one point.
 
The table-top electric "hot plate" has long been popular for the preparation of small meals, a pot of tea or coffee, etc. In the last few years it has grown into a very elaborate piece of machinery, capable of roasting a whole chicken or turkey, a husky piece of roast beef, a couple of pounds of steak, a rack full of hot dogs or 'burgers, etc.

25. Like It Hot - Your winter comfort depends on your furnace; learn what makes it  work  and  keep  it  in  repair
 
It was after six o'clock in the evening, and Joe noticed that snowflakes were blowing against the small window of his washroom as he scrubbed his hands with a stiff brush.

"Good night to be home," he thought to himself, just as the office phone started to ring.

26. Like It Cool - Maintenance of your air conditioner is simple but important—if neglected, it will cost you comfort. Here, also, are tips to increase cooling efficiency
 
An air conditioner is an overgrown  refrigerator, designed to cool a big box containing people instead of a small box containing food. Except for size, the mechanisms are pretty much identical, and both have achieved an extraordinarily high degree of reliability. Because an air conditioner is used only a few months out of the year, and then only intermittently rather than steadily, it can be expected to last a long time. It needs only minor maintenance attention.

27. Batteries + Chargers - You'll not get caught with your charge down if you give your car battery reasonable care

Here a hydrometer is measuring the specific gravity of the battery acid; the higher the float rides, the better the condition of the charge. This battery is pretty well up to lull. Return acid to each cell after taking reading, and rinse   hydrometer  in  clear  water  before  storing.

When using an external charger, it is not necessary to disconnect the present wires to the terminals of the battery. Merely connect the charger leads, by their spring clips, directly to the battery posts. Charger plus goes to battery plus, minus to minus.

28. Electricity Outdoors - The current interest in outdoor living brings up the matter of extension of lines from the nearest source, with correct wiring

Typical outdoor wiring installation: 1—Junction box, with upper cable picking up power from basement meter. 2—Waterproof duplex outlet on outside of house. 3—Underground cable through hole in foundation.   4—Utility   outlet   on   post   set   into   ground.   5—Pathway   lantern.   6—Utility   outlet   on   garage.
 
Most small houses are built without any provision for the use outdoors of many useful electrical appliances and devices.

29. Clocks - Keep them running indefinitely by following these simple instructions
 
The operation of toy electric trains depends primarily on a transformer that steps down the 115-volt AC line to voltages not exceeding about 15. These are perfectly harmless. The transformer voltage is usually adjustable by means of a lever that moves against a series of contacts.

THE END