In this article, we''ll show you some basics--how to position outlet and switch boxes and run electrical cable between them. We won''t cover many other details. For information about how to connect the outlets, switches and light fixtures, see "For More Information" on p. 68. For help with circuit design and making connections to your main electrical panel, we recommend you consult a licensed electrician. Bringing more power to the upper floor of a house--for outlets, lights or a bath fan--usually means first running cable into the attic. The main plumbing vent stack often provides the easiest path. Usually, there are gaps around the stack where it passes through ceilings and floors, so you can drop a plumb bob from the attic to the basement or crawlspace. To get past ceilings and floors, you may have to bounce the plumb bob until it finds the gap. When the plumb bob reaches the basement, tie cable to the chain and pull it up to the attic. Quick and simple. But this trick won''t work all the time: Unlike cast-iron stacks, which have to run straight up to support their own weight, lighter plastic stacks sometimes include short horizontal sections. And in recent years, builders have begun sealing the gaps around stacks to keep fire from spreading and to prevent heat loss. For this article, I tested ten professional-grade tools from nine different manufacturers: Bosch, DeWalt, Hilti, Hitachi, Makita, Metabo, Milwaukee, Panasonic, and Porter-Cable. I chose to focus on the 14.4-volt tools because they''re a reasonable compromise between the lighter 12-volt and the heavier 18- and 24-volt models. Tradespeople seem to agree, because they buy more 14.4-volt drill-drivers than any other cordless tool.

Required dutyThe first light towers built were installed on rescue trucks and have evolved into being used on pumper and aerial trucks. Light towers are available from 3kw to 9kw using halogen or metal halide lights. Proper lighting is essential for emergency scene safety, where being seen is just as critical as being able to see. Lighting often is taken for granted because most training is done during daytime hours. Lighting should be put in to service automatically.

"The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other environmental agencies have determined that land spreading of contaminated soil is more acceptable," says Bob Broz, water quality specialist at the University of Missouri."Previously, farmers might have had to have soil from these sites transported to a hazardous waste incinerator. In most cases, they now can dig out petroleum-stained soil and spread it thinly across their fields, where natural biological activity breaks contaminants down," he says.

©2003 www.pallet-truck.net All rights reserved.