What Are Circuit Breakers?

Circuit breakers are electrical devices which are used in electrical panels. They monitor and control the amount of electricity that goes through the electrical wiring and are important to make sure that the electrical system of a house or any kind of facility is functioning properly. This is why when there is a circuitry problem, it is vital to check if the circuit breakers are causing it and if they need to be replaced.

Although a lot of individuals today today automatically choose to buy new circuit breakers once they find out that the ones they have need to be replaced, more and more are realizing that buying used breakers might be the better option. This is because used breakers are actually just as good as new ones and are priced a lot cheaper. There are also plenty of places where you can buy them. Many online and offline stores have them and you would usually have a lot of options for the types of used breakers that you can purchase.

You need to remember that it is always advisable to have a licensed electrician, regardless of the level of knowledge you have in breakers and electrical systems, to determine which breakers you need for your home or office, but it would also be helpful to have some knowledge on the types of used breakers that you can buy. Here is a simple guide on the different types of used breakers that you can choose from.

The first type would be low voltage circuit breakers. This type of used breakers is the ones which most homeowners use. These breakers are small and can easily be replaced. They are typically installed inside breaker panels to allow easy access. The smallest type of low voltage circuit breakers would be the miniature circuit breakers or MCBs. MCBs can carry electrical currents below 100 amps and can stand a charge of up to 1000 amps. The low voltage breakers which are most commonly used would have been the molded case circuit breakers or MCCBs that can carry 1000 amps and has the ability to withstand currents up to 10000 amps. These used breakers are considered to be magnetic circuit breakers since they make use of a solenoid which is electromagnetically powered in order to break the circuit in the event that too much power is running through it.

There are also the medium voltage circuit breakers. These used breakers are able to withstand about 1000 to 72000 volts, depending on the model. These are often used by large buildings and facilities and are either installed on the roof in switchboxes that are enclosed or indoors inside cabinets. There are also several varieties of medium voltage circuit breakers and these would be: vacuum, SF6 and air circuit breakers. Vacuum circuit breakers work by maintaining a power arc inside a vacuum. This means that air is allowed back into the breaker once the breaker is tripped, which would then stop the arc. SF6 circuit breakers have a power arc which is generated in a chamber that has sulfur hexaflouride gas. This gas reacts with the presence of a higher-than-average voltage through increasing in density, which then stops the arc. As for the air circuit breakers, they have two spring-loaded contacts which are positioned close together within an air-filled environment. The spring-loaded contacts come apart once the breaker is tripped and this would separate the contacts.

The last type of used breakers that you can purchase would be the high voltage circuit breakers. These would be breakers that are capable to handle over 72500 volts of electricity. These are commonly used outdoors and are installed in chain-link enclosures that are along power lines that carry high voltage electric currents. This type of breakers are operated using a solenoid which, once there is too much power running through it, reacts to fill the chamber where power is flower with a kind of inert material. This inert material can be oil, gas or other inert material which stops the electric current from arcing from a contact on to the next until the circuit breaker is reset.

When buying a used breaker, you need to make sure that you are buying the correct type to avoid any type of accidents or problems. Aside from understanding the different types available, it is also advisable to consult an electrician to be sure that you are getting the right one that you need. You should also check if the breaker has been properly reconditioned and verify if it comes with a warranty. If you are buying from an online merchant, you may want to call their customer service or support department first to ask all of the questions you have regarding the used breakers that they are selling. Through doing all these, you should be able to buy a used breaker that would be able to function properly without having to spend too much money.

The Beneficial Roles of the Asbestos Mesothelioma Attorney

If you or a loved one has been damaged by asbestos, you should get in touch with a mesothelioma attorney for more information as soon as possible. A mesothelioma lawyer can evaluate you case to decide if you are entitled to damages in your lawsuit.

Mesothelioma, like other kinds of cancer comes in two types - benign and malignant. By far the majority mesothelioma is the diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma. This type of tumor is all-encompassing and extremely destructive. It extends quickly over the outside of the lungs, abdominal organs and heart.

Getting the right mesothelioma attorney can be complicated, but will often pay off in the end. Asbestos attorneys or mesothelioma lawyers will assist you win asbestos lawsuit. Therefore, it becomes significant to select knowledgeable and qualified lawyer.

There are also a lot of asbestos mesothelioma attorneys who are now assigned to cases of asbestos poisoning who work on behalf of both the affected and the defective as well. There are some class action mesothelioma lawsuits against asbestos reasons exposure due to the unlawful intent of some companies operating in such unsafe situation; as to make their workers in danger of asbestos poising leading up to mesothelioma disorder.

If you consider you may have rights to such a mesothelioma lawsuit an attorney can assist decide if you qualify, and help you in getting the process started. They are a good resource when you become conscious that you have been affected by asbestos in your life.

If you get the right attorney to deal with your case, the results can be very beneficial for both you and your family.

Asbestos mesothelioma attorney can help victims in finding compensation for asbestos-related mesothelioma. A lot of mesothelioma attorneys with knowledge in this subject have effectively attained compensation from asbestos manufacturers.

Mesothelioma attorneys can recover medical expenses, lost wages, and punitive charges for sufferers and their family. A mesothelioma attorney can be familiarized to the victims to talk about legal responsibility in mesothelioma cases.

The Basics and Tips of Direct Marketing

Direct marketing is an approach to product marketing communications that does not employ contemporary marketing channels. This absolutely means that deals are done directly between the manufacturers and customers without involving channel intermediaries such as distributors, retailers and wholesalers. It is a strategy commonly employed by electronic manufacturers and banks in dealing with their clients directly. Brands that employ distribution channels target marketing communications towards distributors, retailers and consumers, while directly market brands communicate directly with clients. Direct marketing may employ tools such as direct mail, mobile telemarketing services, and voicemail marketing among others.

Marketing directly has been found to be the most cost effective avenue and form of marketing. By the use of direct mail, telemarketing services, email marketing and leaflets drops, the system allows you to focus on customers with utmost accuracy unlike the majority of marketing techniques. It is distinguished in a number of ways. Firstly, direct mails are sent to clients. This comes in an array of ways including email addresses, web browser cookies and mobile messaging. Secondly, marketing directly aspires to drive a precise call to action. In this case advertisements may give free call lines to clients for information. Careful preparation prior to the approach is however necessary to achieve utmost investment, achieve adequate response rates and to avoid contacting individuals who do not desire receiving a direct mail in direct marketing.

The process of marketing the things directly presents with an array of different approaches. They consist of traditional methods like telemarketing services, mail shots and modern approaches that include mailing lists, mobile messaging and social media. The most appropriate of these approaches will absolutely depend on the customers targeted, the information to be passed across and the response you wish to generate.

For most companies direct mail has proved to be affordable, manageable and therefore mostly employed. These are companies that lack effective and adequate expertise and capital to utilize electronic direct marketing approaches. Direct mails are cost effective and are likely to generate more client responses unlike majority of direct marketing approaches. Direct mail focuses information directly into the hands of the customers that require it. It is therefore very effective once well planned and coupled with high quality mailing list.

It allows you to aim at a specific group of clients especially with the use of direct marketing leads. The use of these leads ensures that you focus your time and energy on the endeavors that matter to your business. They enable you to communicate adequately with clients, increase your sales and to grow your business. Leads in addition allow you to focus the right amount of resources where they are likely to produce results, gauge the success of advertisements and other campaigns, and most importantly to test your marketing. Direct marketing leads since increases the sales of your business to existing clients, builds client loyalty, reestablishs failed customer associations and generates new business ideas.

Marketing is not always a cheap task, but with direct marketing leads where you focus your campaigns on the precise businesses and people owning them, it will definitely pay off. Once you get your leads, make sure that you reach the right customers. You may get your leads from Bressers who will in addition help you reach prospective customers.

Small Business Loan Update - Stimulus Bill Helps Bailout Businesses If They Can not Pay Loans

As we continue to sift dutifully through the over 1,000 pages of the stimulus bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009), there is one provision that is not getting much attention, but could be very helpful to small businesses. If you are a small business and have received an SBA loan from your local banker, but are having trouble making payments, you can get a "stabilization loan". That's right; finally some bailout money goes into the hands of the small business owner, instead of going down the proverbial deep hole of the stock market or large banks. But do not get too excited. It is limited to very specific instances and is not available for vast majority of business owners.

There are some news articles that boldly claim the SBA will now provide relief if you have an existing business loan and are having trouble making the payments. This is not a true statement and needs to be clarified. As seen in more detail in this article, this is wrong because it applies to troubled loans made in the future, not existing ones.

Here is how it works. Assume you were one of the lucky few that find a bank to make a SBA loan. You proceed on your merry way but run into tough economic times and find it hard to repay. Remember these are not conventional loans but loans from an SBA licensed lender that are guaranteed for default by the US government through the SBA (depending upon the loan, between 50% and 90%). Under the new stimulus bill, the SBA may come to your rescue. You will be able to get a new loan which will pay off the existing balance on extremely favorable terms, buying more time to revitalize your business and get back in the saddle. Sound too good to be true? Well, you be the judge. Here are some of the features:

1. Does not apply to SBA loans taken out before the stimulus bill. As to non-SBA loans, they can be before or after the bill's enactment.

2. Does it apply to SBA guaranteed loans or non-SBA conventional loans as well? We do not know for sure. This statement simply says it applies to a "small business concern that meets the eligibility standards and section 7 (a) of the Small Business Act" (Section 506 (c) of the new Act). That contains pages and pages of requirements which could apply to both types of loans. Based on some of the preliminary reports from the SBA, it appears to apply to both SBA and non-SBA loans.

3. These monies are subject to availability in the funding of Congress. Some think the way we are going with our Federal bailout, we are going to be out of money before the economy we are trying to save.

4. You do not get these monies unless you are a viable business. Boy, you can drive a truck through that phrase. Our friends at the SBA will determine if you are "viable" (imagine how inferior you will be when you have to tell your friends your business was determined by the Federal government to be "non-viable" and on life support).

5. You have to be suffering "immediate financial hardship". So much for holding out making payments because you'd rather use the money for other expansion needs. How many months you have to be delinquent, or how close your foot is to the banana peel of complete business failure, is anyone's guess.

6. It is not certain, and commentators disagree, as to whether the Federal government through the SBA will make the loan from taxpayers' dollars or by private SBA licensed banks. In my opinion it is the latter. It carries a 100% SBA guarantee and I would make no sense if the government itself was making the loan.

7. The loan can not exceed $ 35,000. Presumably the new loan will be "taking out" or refinancing the entire balance on the old one. So if you had a $ 100,000 loan that you have been paying on time for several years but now have a balance of $ 35,000 and are in trouble, boy do we have a program for you. Or you might have a smaller $ 15,000 loan and after a short time need help. The law does not say you have to wait any particular period of time so I guess you could be in default after the first couple of months.

8. You can use it to make up no more than six months of monthly delinquencies.

9. The loan will be for a maximum term of five years.

10. The borrower will pay absolutely no interest for the duration of the loan. Interest can be charged, but it will be subsidized by the Federal government.

11. Here's the great part. If you get one of these loans, you do not have to make any payments for the first year.

12. There are absolutely no upfront fees allowed. Getting such a loan is 100% free (of course you have to pay principal and interest after the one year moratorium).

13. The SBA will decide whether or not collateral is required. In other words, if you have to put liens on your property or residence. My guess is they will lax as to this requirement.

14. You can get these loans until September 30, 2010.

15. Because this is emergency legislation, within 15 days after signing the bill, the SBA has come up with regulations.

Here is a summary of the actual legislative language if you are having trouble getting to sleep:

SEC. 506. BUSINESS STABILIZATION PROGRAM. (a) IN GENERAL- Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall carry out a program to provide loans on a deferred basis to viable (as such term is determined pursuant to regulation by the Administrator of the Small Business Administration) small business concerns that have a qualifying small business loan and are experiencing immediate financial hardship.

(b) ELIGIBLE BORROWER- A small business concern as defined under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 USC 632).

(c) QUALIFYING SMALL BUSINESS LOAN- A loan made to a small business concern that meets the eligibility standards in section 7 (a) of the Small Business Act (15 USC 636 (a)) but shall not include loans guarantees (or loan guarantee) commitments made) by the Administrator prior to the date of enactment of this Act.

(d) LOAN SIZE- Loans guaranteed under this section may not exceed $ 35,000.

(e) PURPOSE- Loans guaranteed under this program will be used to make periodic payment of principal and interest, either in full or in part, on an existing qualifying small business loan for a period of time not to exceed 6 months.

(f) LOAN TERMS- Loans made under this section shall:

(1) carry a 100 percent guaranty; and

(2) have interest fully subsidized for the period of repayment.

(g) REPAYMENT- Repayment for loans made under this section shall--

(1) be amortized over a period of time not to exceed 5 years; and

(2) not begin until 12 months after the final disbursement of funds is made.

(h) COLLATERAL- The Administrator of the Small Business Administration may accept any available collateral, including subordinated liens, to secure loans made under this section.

(i) FEES- The Administrator of the Small Business Administration is prohibited from charging any processing fees, origination fees, application fees, points, brokerage fees, bonus points, prepayment penalties, and other fees that could be charged to a loan applicable for loans under this section.

(j) SUNSET- The Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall not issue loan guarantees under this section after September 30, 2010.

(k) EMERGENCY RULEMAKING AUTHORITY- The Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall issue regulations under this section within 15 days after the date of enactment of this section. The notice requirements of section 553 (b) of title 5, United States Code shall not apply to the promulgation of such regulations.

The real question is whether a private bank will loan under this program. Unfortunately, few will do so because the statute very clearly states that no fees whatever can be charged, and how can a bank make any money if they loan under those circumstances. Sure, they might make money in the secondary market, but that is discharged up, so they basically are asked to make a loan out of the goodness of their heart. On a other hand, it carries a first ever 100% government guarantee so the bank's know they will be receiving interest and will have no possibility of losing a single dime. Maybe this will work after all.

But there is something else that would be of interest to a bank. In a way, this is a form of Federal bailout going directly to small community banks. They have on their books loans that are in default and they could easily jump at the chance of being able to bail them out with this program. Especially if they had not been the participants of the first TARP monies. Contrary to public sentiment, most of them did not receive any money. But again, this might not apply to that community bank. Since they typically package and sell their loans within three to six months, it probably would not even be in default at that point. It would be in the hands of the secondary market investor.

So is this good or bad for small businesses? Frankly, it's good to see that some bailout money is working its way toward small businesses, but most of them would rather have a loan in the first place, as opposed help when in default. Unfortunately, this will have a limited application.

Would not it be better if we simply expanded our small business programs so more businesses could get loans? How about the SBA creating a secondary market for small business loans? I have a novel idea: for the moment forget about defaults, and concentrate on making business loans available to start-ups or existing businesses wanting to expand.

How about having a program that can pay off high interest credit card balances? There is hardly a business out there that has not been financing themselves lately through credit cards, simply because banks are not making loans. It is not unusual for people to have $ 50,000 plus on their credit cards, just to stay afloat. Talk about saving high interest. You can imagine how much cash flow this would give a small business.

We should applaud Congress for doing their best under short notice to come up with this plan. Sure this is a form of welcome bailout for small businesses, but I believe it misses the mark as to the majority of the 27 million business owners that are simply looking for a loan they can repay, as opposed to a handout.

Reliable Carpet Cleaning Services - What Does It Involve

Owing to the woolen material used to make it, carpets are great magnets for dust and dirt. If there are kids and pets around the house, the need to clean your carpet is higher and more frequent. The collection of pet fur and food and color stains give the impression of poor cleanliness and hygiene habits. Not only this, a dirty carpet can be a source of serious allergies.

Regular vacuuming does help to keep your carpet clean; however, you will also need a professional clean up once a while. Here's what professional carpet cleaning services involve.

There are many types of carpet cleaning. All the methods start with a thorough vacuuming. It is to extract the dust from your carpet or rug so as to make the other methods more effective. This method is called the dry cleaning method. The dry cleaning method also makes use of special cleaning powders. They are designed to attract the dirt almost as soon as they are applied. After the powder is applied and allowed to do its work, the carpet is thoroughly vacuumed.

Shampooing is the second method. Like dry cleaning, it is a kind of pretreatment. The carpet is sprayed with a cleaning solution or a shampoo. It is worked into the carpet with a machine and then extracted by vacuuming. These solutions are formulated with cleaning agents that remove dirt and stains from carpet fibers. They also contain deodorizes and brighteners that improve the look and smell of your carpet. Although effective, shampooing does not do a full-proof job as some dirt and microbes still remain behind.

The steam cleaning process is a hot water extraction process. It is considered the most effective of all carpet cleaning methods. The process employs heavy duty equipment to inject a solution of hot water and detergent into the rug or carpet. The dirt mixes up with the chemicals and is then extracted using high pressure machines. In case of steam cleaning for carpets it is important to make sure that all the moisture is removed. If moisture is left behind, it will lead to mold growth. Mold will not only destroy your carpet, but also emanates a foul odor and could give rise to allergies. Depending on how dirty your carpet is, the professional might also use the foam cleaning method; it's a blend of dry cleaning and shampooing.

Besides these carpet cleaning solutions, there are other add-one services you can opt for by paying an extra charge. The first is applying deodorizers for that fresh clean smell. You can also use a carpet sealant. This solution seals the top layer of the carpet and prevents straining. It also preserves the colors of the fabric and keeps it from fading.

Thus, there are different methods of cleaning a carpet and a professional carpet cleaning service will offer most of them. You should choose a method that is designed for your carpet material. If you are not familiar what to use, speak to professional carpet cleaners. The cost of cleaning depends on the type of carpet cleaning service you opt for.