Posts Tagged ‘electrical items’

Are Domestic Appliances Affected By A Hard Water Supply?

July 16th, 2010

The domestic water supply to the majority of homes is “hard water”. Hard water is simply a definition used to describe water which has a fairly high concentration of minerals dissolved in it. Calcium and magnesium are the two most important minerals. There is, according to the World Health Organisation, absolutely no health risk associated with hard water. However, it can have an effect on the operating efficiency and useful lifetime of a number of different household appliances.

Hard water supply can lead to a build up of mineral deposits, sometimes known as “scale”, in heating systems, water pipes and a variety of small household appliances. Household equipment which uses hot or boiling water, steam irons, kettles, washing machines, coffee makers, dishwashers, etc. – are especially prone to this. This is a result of the fact that heating hard water releases many of the minerals which then reform as scale. Central heating systems and hot water boilers may also be affected.

There are a number of different variables which influence how much scale is generated. The temperature of the water is one of the strongest influencing factors on this process. More scale is produced at higher temperatures. Running dishwashers and washing machines at a lower temperature setting will reduce the amount of scale produced and help to ensure that these appliances continue to operate efficiently and have an extended working life. Using soaps and detergents which have an anti-scaling agent included will also help.

Using a lower water temperature with appliances such as steam irons, kettles and coffee makers isn’t very practical. Some kettles come with filters built in these days, which can prevent or reduce the incursion of harmful minerals (as well as improving the taste of hot drinks). Some modern irons incorporate specially designed, removable scale traps which make it easy to wash away any scale under a running tap. Other alternatives include periodically cleaning your appliances with special anti-scale chemicals.

There may be no health problems as a result of a hard water supply, but some people will dislike the flavour of hot drinks and food prepared using this. In this case, a water filter could be used. Various types exist, ranging from simple jug type filters to on tap, under sink and even whole house filters. They are all effective, cheaper than you might imagine and relatively quick to install.

Whilst it may seem like a bit of an inconvenience, it’s well worth taking a little effort to combat the effects of a hard water supply. Apart from improved efficiency of domestic appliances, using the right detergents, operating at a lower water temperature and occasional cleaning will save you money and extend the life of your household goods.

Check out our Tefal steam generator iron buyer’s guide and learn how you can snap up a bargain and halve the amount of time you spend ironing.

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How To Choose A Steam Generator Iron

July 12th, 2010

At first glance, a steam generator iron looks very similar to a conventional steam iron – especially the iron itself. However, it has a significantly different construction and mode of operation. Steam generator irons have a separate base unit which acts as both a water reservoir and boiler. There is no water in the body of the iron itself. The steam is passed from the water reservoir to the iron along a hollow connecting tube.

As a rule, steam generator irons cost a little bit more than conventional steam irons – but they offer the user a number of advantages. It’s worth taking a few moments to review the important points before you decide which iron is right for you. The main items to consider when making a comparison of different steam generator irons are the steam pressure, the water reservoir capacity, the soleplate, ease of cleaning and overall usability.

PRESSURE OF STEAM: The steam drives moisture and heat into the fabric of the garment being ironed. This makes it easier to remove wrinkles and creases as it causes the fabric to become more flexible. The higher the steam pressure is, the deeper it is driven into the fabric and the better the finished results are.

As a rule, steam generator irons will have their output capacity noted in terms of grams of steam per minute (g/min). The higher this number is, the more steam is produced and the easier (and faster) it will be to use the iron. Typical values will range from 70 to 140 grams per minute.

You will also see some irons with their steam pressure quoted in bar. Again, the higher this number is, the more steam that will be produced and the better the finished results will be.

WATER RESERVOIR CAPACITY: Steam generator irons usually have a generously sized water reservoir. This means that you can iron for quite a while before you need to top up the reservoir. The precise time will depend upon the type of fabric that you’re ironing and the temperature you which have your iron set at – but a 1.4 litre reservoir should be good for at least a couple of hours of ironing.

If you do a lot of ironing then you might like to consider getting one of the bigger tanks available. If your ironing board is one of the smaller ones, then you may wish to ensure that the connecting tube between the iron and the reservoir is of a length which allows the base unit to be located on the floor instead of at the end of the ironing board.

It’s also worth considering how easy it is to fill the reservoir. Many of the better steam generator irons have removable reservoirs to make filling easier. It’s a lot better than messing around with jugs of water. Some also have the facility to top up the reservoir even when the iron is in use – which avoids you having to disconnect it and then wait for it to heat up again after filling.

THE SOLEPLATE: The soleplate of the iron should glide smoothly over the surface of a range of different fabrics – whilst still generating enough friction to remove any wrinkles and creases. It should be durable, tough, scratch resistant and easy to clean. Soleplates with ceramic coatings are widely used these days and are a good option.

EASE OF CLEANING: The majority of modern irons, whether steam generator irons or conventional steam irons, use ordinary tap water. Depending upon where you live, this will typically contain a variety of different minerals – including both calcium and magnesium. This can result in scale deposits as the water is heated and evaporates.

If you live in an area with a hard water supply, then you should definitely look for an iron which has some form of anti-scale system. Some irons loosen the scale using water and then flush it out. Others have removable anti-scale cartridges for easy cleaning.

USABILITY: As already discussed, you may find it preferable for your iron to be positioned on the floor rather than on the board – which needs a long enough hose connection.

A removable water reservoir is also something that most people will find convenient.

Other features, which you may or may not find appealing, include automatically rewinding power cords, fast heat up systems, easy clean soleplates etc.

SUMMARY: Be sure to choose a high enough steam pressure for your requirements. Select a water reservoir which is large enough so that you don’t need to keep stopping in order to top it up. Ensure that the soleplate is of a suitable material and design. If you live in a hard water area, make sure that some anti-scaling system is incorporated.

Discover how you can cut your ironing time by 50% by using a Tefal steam generator iron – it’s a lot faster and the end result is better as well

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Reduced E-Book Reader Prices May Signal The Start Of A New Pricing Policy In The Digital Publishing World

July 10th, 2010

Amazon has been an important, quite possibly the most important, player in the development of digital publishing using both their Kindle reader family and their huge library of Kindle books as development and marketing tools. November 2007 saw the launch of the original Kindle. Amazon followed up with the upgraded Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009, and the large display Kindle DX model launched in the summer of 2009.

The Kindle readers dominated the market with a 60% share of all American e-book reader sales. Sony’s PRS reader – which was actually available in 2006, some time before the Kindle – followed in second place with a 35% market share. Other companies quickly saw the huge potential of the rapidly developing e-book reader market and either launched or updated their own readers in order to get a share of the available sales.

Competitors like Plastic Logic, Sony, Bookeen, iRex and Barnes and Noble fought for their share of the rapidly growing market, but Amazon’s lead position seemed to be almost impregnable. It was only with the launch of the Apple iPad that any credible competition emerged – slightly surprising since the two devices are very different and are, you would suppose, aimed at different market segments.

Nevertheless, since the release of the iPad, e-book reader prices have pretty much gone into free fall. The Kindle 2.0, which retailed for $ 359 at its February 2009 launch is now priced at just $ 189. The Kindle DX, which has just had a mini makeover and now sports a new higher contrast screen, has had its price slashed from $ 489 to $ 379. Still a pricey piece of kit, but a lot cheaper than before and also way cheaper than even the entry level iPad (which also has a monthly connection fee associated with it). The price of the Barnes and Noble Nook reader has also dropped to just $ 199.

Although the iPad seems to have provoked a round of price cuts among the manufacturers of e-books, the same cannot be said about the price of the e-books to read on these devices. Prior to the launch of the iPad, Apple had negotiated a deal with the major publishing houses which let them set the price of their e-book editions at pretty much whatever they wanted – as long as they did not allow the same e-book to be offered cheaper on any other platform. This was seen as good news by the publishers, who had been unhappy with Amazon’s policy of selling all e-books for $ 9.99 or less.

Although Amazon had to modify their approach, it wasn’t all bad news for them – or for Barnes and Noble either. Amazon had always given the impression that they were much more interested in book sales – and e-book sales – than they were in hardware sales. How else to explain the fact that they had bent over backwards to make it possible to read Kindle books on such a wide variety of different devices? It’s possible to read Kindle books on the PC, the Mac, the iPod Touch, the iPhone, the iPad, the Blackberry and any mobile device that runs Android. The latest price movements mean that Amazon, and other companies such as Barnes and Noble – and now Apple – who have a significant stake not just in the sale of hardware but also in the sale of e-books, can adopt a policy of selling the hardware cheap and making their profit in the sale of e-books over the life of the reading device.

Companies which sell books and hardware may have a distinct advantage over hardware manufacturers in the near future. Looking at the huge number of different devices (outlets) that Kindle books can be read on, it seems likely that Amazon are going to have a big say in the future development of digital publishing going forward.

Learn more about the Amazon Kindle reader for yourself and view the broad range of Kindle accessories available to help you personalise your reader.

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