diy Top @Kew Drive

[Ks Toh 74]

Although too much usage of such multi-socket adapters and extension cords is discouraged, it is generally safe for electrical appliances in the living room and study, provided of course you use properly tested and approved equipment. Common audio visual electrical appliances consume very little power.

The following are some of the electrical appliances in my living room / bedroom:

My Philips 46" TV in the hall consumes only 75 to 150W. Using the formula I = P/V, this works out to less than 1A.

My older LG 32" TV in my room is stated to be only 1.1A.

My LG DVD recorder is stated to be 30W. This works out to less than 1A.

Your iPhone charger is 1A. Your iPad charger is 2.1A.

Basically, you can plug many of these appliances into a single 13A socket and there is still spare capacity. Not that I advise you to!

Edited November 12, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

However, it is a totally different story when it comes to the kitchen or yard.

My built-in convection oven has a rated power of 2,635W. This means it requires a current of 11.5A, which means if it is plugged into a 13A power point, there is not much current left for another appliance.

The induction cooker hob is even worse. According to the specifications, its power rating is 7,200W and it requires a dedicated 32A power point. I noticed there are some 2 zone induction hobs that require a 16A power point. Maybe a 15A power point will suffice for these.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Luxexplorer 2]

KSToh, I have seen those sockets over extensions and extensions to extensions and it looks scary to me. Maybe I am just paranoid with all these and recently I decided to invest in the Eubiq. Thought it is a pretty good idea to minimise the powerpoint shortage and can just add on whenever required. What are you thoughts on them?

As for peep hole camera, I am also considering it but my concern is more that someone breaks in when I am not in and I want to catch that bugger should that happen.. LOL.

[Ks Toh 74]

In case you think you should be fine because you do not have an induction cooker hob or built-in oven, think again. I have an ordinary 7 kg Electrolux washer and a dryer. The washer is rated at 2,000W, 10A. The dryer is rated at 2,250W so it should be around 11.25A. Obviously, you should not plug both washer and dryer into the same 13A power point but I am sure some people do.

[Ks Toh 74]

Size is misleading. My 640L side by side refrigerator requires only 2.4A (185 to 615W of power), if you believe the specifications.

My chest freezer apparently consumes only 1.1A.

On the other hand, my ordinary Philips iron apparently consumes up to 2,800W, which works out to around 12A. If you have been plugging your iron to a socket that is already used by your washer, please stop doing it. Or use only one appliance at one time.

Sometimes, you may not be aware that you are overloading the circuit. I heard of someone whose washing machine somehow caught fire and the entire brand new condominium unit was gutted. The actual cause of fire is unknown. But it is reported that due to lack of space in the kitchen (or perhaps because he really likes coffee), he put his Nespresso machine on top of his washing machine and both washer and Nespresso were plugged into the same 13A power point using a multi-socket adapter.

The other day, I checked the power rating of my Nespresso.

At 1,710W, this works out to around 7.5A. Add this to the 10A for my washer, and the 13A for the power point would have been exceeded.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

KSToh, I have seen those sockets over extensions and extensions to extensions and it looks scary to me. Maybe I am just paranoid with all these and recently I decided to invest in the Eubiq. Thought it is a pretty good idea to minimise the powerpoint shortage and can just add on whenever required. What are you thoughts on them?

I am not familiar with the Eubiq but I read up a little on it. The specifications state that the track is rated at 40A and each plug or adapter is 13A. You can have as many plugs or adapter on the track as you want (subject to physical limitation) but at any one moment, you should not draw more than 40A from the track. So, taking as an example my appliances:

Eubiq Track: 40A

Oven: 11.5A

Washer: 10A

Dryer: 11.25A

Iron: 12A

Nespresso: 7.5A

Others: ???

It seems like at any one point in time, whichever combination you choose, you should try not to exceed 40A. It's funny, it seems like a puzzle you need to solve every time.

If you are using the track for small counter top appliances like rice cooker, kettle, toaster, juicer etc., you probably need to check the power consumption of those devices. I think they should not be too high in power consumption.

I did not consider using Eubiq because I think it is not cheap. I just made sure that I had more than sufficient power points.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

Ants, Ants and More Ants

I have a problem which I think most of you (especially those with new homes) would not have. I can spill a few drops of juice on the table, and within 20 mins, there will be a swarm of ants, ants and more ants. To get an idea of the amount of ants, just look at the videos below. The last time I had a durian party, I left some durians (some were ripe and therefore slightly open) on a table at the roof terrace. 20 mins later, the fruits were full of crawling durians. It was so frustrating.

I used many of those "advance" ant baits purchased from the supermarket. But after using them for some time, I conclude that they are quite useless. After a while, the ants all go around it. Actually, I have never seen any ant go in.

But eventually, I found a solution which I would like to share. If you are unfortunate enough to have an ant problem, you can consider this solution.

[Ks Toh 74]

My colleague recommended me this shop at Ubi Ave 2 which is basically a DIY Pest Control Shop. Very interesting shop. Sells all kinds of DIY pest control stuff. Website: http://www.enta.com.sg

I was recommended this ant killer gel. Cost $25.

Instructions say results will be seen after one week but by the next day, most of the ants had disappeared!

[Ks Toh 74]

The following are videos taken after I placed a few drops of the ant killer gel along the ant trail. The ant trails disappeared the next day.

Ants in Dining Area (on top of door frame)

Ants at the corner of my Kitchen (notice they totally ignore my Combat bait)

Edited November 19, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

Ants on my Roof Terrace

[bykaraanne 30]

Woah!! So powerful!

combat has worked in my home BUT only the first time. Meaning once the ant infestation gets noticed, you use combat, then once they disappear u have to be careful not to allow the infestation to occur again and you'll never ever get it again. Hahaha! My place la.

Yours probably too big to ensure that!! Thanks for the recommendation!

[Ks Toh 74]

My sister told me this bottle from FairPrice supermarket works just as well.

[Ks Toh 74]

For those interested in repelling pests altogether, the shop sells a $197 device. I did not buy because I was told I needed one device per floor. And I was not sure if it really works. Anyway, the literature claims that "Electro-Motive Force Pest Repeller is very effective in controlling rats, mice, cockroaches, centipede, ants, termites, lizards and most other common pests."

[Ks Toh 74]

Thanks for explanation and advice. Will wait out and as timing should coincide with my renovation completion

Dont need a tilt and rotate as want to face it directly at the main door incase of any break in i can get a good clean shot of the person.. haha.. this is the best i can do since without a gate and much prep talk from people around me, i am feeling a little paranoid

For those of you who are interested in IP Home Cameras, SITEX is now on till Sunday at the Singapore EXPO. The price of the D-Link DCS-942L has dropped to $99.

I bought one more DCS-5222L ($159). Also bought one DNR-322L ($239) and one Western Digital 3TB Purple 3.5" SATA3 HDD (for the DNR-322L).

[Luxexplorer 2]

Good pricing at the SITEX i've heard but unfortunately not in town so will have to wait out for the next one

Edited November 27, 2015 by Luxexplorer