Monthly Archives: August 2022

The Secret Of Successful Fiber Optic Cable Management

August 11, 2022   Matt

The Secret Of Successful Fiber Optic Cable Management

Why is proper fiber optic cable management so critical?

Service providers have deployed more and more fiber optic cables for their high bandwidth, low costs, greater reliability and flexibility. But just deploying is not enough; a successful fiber network also requires a solid infrastructure based on a professional fiber optic cable management system.

Fiber optic cable management affects a network’s reliability, performance, cost and maintenance. It provides the ability to reconfigure network, restore service and implement new services quickly.

Four goals to achieve with professional fiber optic cable management

1. Protect fiber optic cable from microbends and macrobends loss

Microbends are small deformities in the optical fiber and macrobends are larger bends of the fiber cable. Fiber bends beyond the specified minimum bending radius can cause signal loss or even break the fiber, causing service disruption.

As a rule of thumb, the minimum bending radius should be bigger than ten times the outer diameter of the fiber cable. Telcordia recommends a minimum 38mm bending radius for 3mm fiber optic patch cords.

Fiber optic cable management system should provide bend radius protection at all points where a fiber optic cable makes a bend. This helps ensure the network’s long-term reliability; thus reduces the network operation cost by reducing network down time.

2. Well defined fiber optic cable management routing paths

The leading cause of fiber optic cable minimum bend radius violation is improper routing of fibers by fiber installation technicians.

In a proper fiber cable management system, routing paths are clearly defined and easy to follow; such that the technician has no other option but to route the cables properly.

Well defined routing paths reduce the training time required for technicians and increase the uniformity of work done. It also makes accessing individual fibers easier, quicker and safer.

3. Easy access to installed optical fibers

Allowing easy access to installed fibers is critical in maintaining proper bend radius protection. The system should be designed to ensure that individual fibers can be installed or removed without inducing a macrobend on an adjacent fiber. Accessibility is critical during network reconfiguration.

4. Physical protection of installed optical fibers

Well defined fiber optic cable management system physically protects the fibers from accidental damage by technicians and equipment throughout the network.

Fiber optic cable management system procurement

When making the decision on purchasing your fiber optic cable management systems, the goal is getting the most cost-effective system that provides the best cable management, flexibility, and growth capabilities.

Going with the cheapest approaches for fiber optic cable management can cost more money in the long run. A strong fiber cable management system will enable you to extract the maximum value from your installed optical fiber networks.

Specifying Fiber Cable Management Systems: Cost and Value

As a means of keeping operational costs down, service providers around the world are increasingly turning to systems integrators to install their networks.

This practice allows the service provider’s technicians to focus on operations and maintenance, rather than network installation. There is, however, an inherent risk in this practice.

As the purchasing decision for the fiber cable management system moves from the service provider’s engineering group to the systems integration prime contractor, the cable management features of the distribution system are generally not specified.

What can happen, then, is the equipment installed may lack key features and functionalities. In light of the importance of proper cable management within the ODF, the service provider needs to specify the basic requirements for the cable management system.

There are several industry-standard specifications that can assist service providers in writing specifications for their cable management systems. Two of these specifications are:

• Telcordia Generic Requirements for Fiber Distribution Frames GR-449-CORE, Issue 2, July 2003

• Network Equipment Building System (NEBS) Generic Equipment Requirements, TR-NWT-000063

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Plumping Help And Tips That Anyone Can Use

August 09, 2022   Matt

Plumping Help And Tips That Anyone Can Use

If you’re a homeowner and have had to call a plumber to fix a problem, you know how expensive and annoying it can be. Wouldn’t it be great if you could fix your plumbing yourself? Well, it might be easier than you think! Read on to find out how.

To check for toilet leaks, especially if it seems like your toilet is chronically running, use a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. If water is leaking into the bowl, you will see color in about a half hour. Replacing tank parts can repair leaks and greatly save on water consumption.

When you are working with plumbing, you also need to have some basic skills in other areas. This is especially true of electrical problems, as the two systems often overlap. This doesn’t mean that you need to solve the problems, but that you understand what the problems could be.

You don’t need to add anything to a correctly installed septic system to ensure it’s working properly! In fact, chemicals being dumped down the drain can cause more problems by killing off the good bacteria needed to digest the waste. The best treatment for your system is to have it pumped at regular intervals.

Do not put stringy or fibrous items into your garbage disposal. Substances like banana peels, gristle, or celery may not completely break down in the disposal, and may clog your pipes instead of flowing out of the waste lines as they are supposed to. When in doubt, do not try to dispose of something that may not break down completely.

If you’re planning to leave on vacation then it’s key to make sure you turn off the main shut off valve to your plumbing. This will ensure that nothing floods or breaks while you’re gone, leaving you with a horrendous mess to return to and headaches you don’t want to deal with.

If you go to flush the toilet and nothing happens, do not be afraid to open up the lid and take a peek. The mechanism inside the toilet is not overly complex, and with some time and thought you can nearly always pinpoint the problem and then find the tools and parts to fix it.

Do not pour grease or oil down any of your household drains. Put them in containers and place in the fridge until they are solid, then throw them away. If you pour them down the drain, they can solidify in cold pipes. These solid masses will clog your pipes and are very difficult to remove.

While it is possible to do plumbing activities yourself, it is generally not recommended. If you are not sure of what you are doing, then you must hire a professional. This will help to insure you don’t make a bigger mess of the small problem that your plumbing previously had.

As you can see, solving your plumbing problems yourself can be a satisfying way to save money and take care of your house independently. Next time you have a plumbing problem, you’ll be ready to tackle the issue yourself with the tips you’ve taken from this article.

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Quick Advice For Being Your Own Handyman

August 07, 2022   Matt

Quick Advice For Being Your Own Handyman

When it comes to home improvement, many homeowners believe in an all-or-nothing approach. They prefer to wait for a total remodel rather than tackling a series of smaller, more manageable projects. Choosing the latter can save money and make your home a more attractive and enjoyable place to live. Here are some tips and tricks to get you started.

When you first discover leaks on your ceiling, it is probably time for a new roof. Letting it go could lead to disastrous consequences. Find a trustworthy roof specialist in your area and ask them to come take a look at your roof. Make sure the specialist is skilled and experienced.

If you are lucky enough to have a deck on your home, then you probably do routine cleaning such as sweeping and general removal of outdoor debris. You should also do a deep cleaning of your deck surface at least once a year. Remove everything from your deck to give yourself plenty of room to work.

If it is at all practical, do repair-type home improvement projects as soon as you notice a problem. Much of the damage that occurs to your home is the sort that you can live with and soon forget. You must resist this impulse! The different systems of your home are closely connected and damage can spread with shocking speed. A small problem can become a big one faster than you can imagine.

If you don’t want to have a toilet that won’t stop running, try checking the flapper valve. Flapper valves act as rubber seals for the tank and allow water in and out. Pull the siphon from the tank and examine the valve. If it’s dirty, clean it. If its broken, replace the valve with a new one.

If you cannot afford to hire a designer, start researching. Check out books, websites, magazines and books for inspiration and information. One layout in a magazine can be your inspiration for what you want your home to look like. These resources can also provide information for less expensive projects that you can do on your own.

Try a mural painted on the wall to resemble a window in order to open up a room without the costs and work of taking out a wall or adding a window. If you get a high quality mural painted on the wall to resemble a window, you will find that it opens the room up quite well without causing you to go through the costs, effort, and stress of actually putting in a window.

Securely screw your bookcases and other tall furniture to your walls! Not only is this step an important safety precaution in fortifying your home for a potential earthquake, doing so might actually prevent a child or elderly person from knocking these tall items over on themselves and sustaining serious injuries.

Rather than wait decades to save up the money for a total remodel, why not look for home improvement projects of all sizes and scales? By following the advice in this article, you can discover the joys of making occasional enhancements and upgrades to your home without waiting for a day that may never come.

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Cold Weather and Frozen Pipes

August 06, 2022   Matt

Cold Weather and Frozen Pipes

Cold weather is a big problem for home and property owners- especially if you’ve moved and your home is setting empty. Why? PLUMBING!
If your home gets too cold, the water in your pipes can freeze overnight and then burst in the day when it warms back up. This leaves the potential for extensive flooding and water damage to your home. The pipes you need to be most concerned about are those that have the most exposure to the cold — outdoor hose faucets, swimming pool supply lines, underground sprinkler systems, and plumbing in unheated basements, crawl spaces, attics and garages. Pipes that run against exterior walls are also at risk.
What to do…
When it’s cold outside, you should periodically check all the faucets in your home. If it doesn’t work or water is just a trickle you may have frozen water in your pipes. Attempt to locate the frozen area by looking in the area most likely to freeze- i.e. the coldest. Use a heat lamp, space heater, hair dryer or electrical heat pad to begin to thaw out the pipes. Remember to keep the faucet open as you work. That’s because running water will help melt the ice faster. Apply heat until full water pressure is restored, then consider going to your neighborhood hardware store to purchase insulation for the areas of the pipe that froze (to help prevent it from happening again).
DO NOT use any sort of blow torch or open flame to warm the pipes. I can not stress this enough, so let me say it again. DO NOT use an open flame. First off, an open flame is a fire hazard and if you are working in a confined area there is a threat of carbon monoxide poisoning. Every year there is a story in the news of some person burning down their home or suffocating themselves to death while working on frozen pipes.
The second reason not to use an open flame is if it gets too hot you can melt your pipes (especially PVC plastic pipes). Third, too much heat too quickly creates the potential for an explosion. That’s because water expands as it gets hot. A blow torch or other device will cause the water to boil, and boiling water trapped in the middle of a frozen pipe has no place to expand- so it explodes.
The last piece of advice is always the best… If you fail to unthaw the pipe, call a licensed plumber before the pipe breaks.
How to keep it from happening…
– Your home should have inside valves on your outdoor water supply lines. Close them, then open the outside faucet and let the water drain. Leave the outside faucet open all winter.
– Drain and store outside garden hoses.
– If you haven’t already done so, drain the water from your swimming pool and lawn sprinkler system. As mentioned above, insulate plumbing that’s most susceptible to freezing. You can find supplies at your local hardware store, Home Depot, or Lowes.
– During severe cold weather, let the faucets drip. Although it’s no guarantee, even a trickle of water can help prevent pipes from freezing and an open faucet gives the water someplace to run once it starts to warm up.
– Keep the home temperature set to no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit. I know it’s tempting to turn the thermostat down when you leave town for a few weeks or if you have an unsold home that is setting empty, but the higher heat bill is quickly offset by the cost of repairing a pipe and cleaning up water damage.
– Lastly, if you experience flooding or water damage from a broken pipe, be sure to watch the home for mold or mildew. Black mold can be a serious after effect to a flooded home that’s far worse to deal with than the actual water damage.

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Plumbing 101: Tips And Tricks For Your Pipes

August 04, 2022   Matt

Plumbing 101: Tips And Tricks For Your Pipes

This article has some of the best tips and tricks available to you concerning plumbing. You can check elsewhere if you want; however, in order to make the most out of your time, we suggest that you take a few minutes to check out the expert advice provided here.

Regular maintenance of your plumbing lines is a great idea. Your options are getting your lines snaked or jetted. Jetted is a technology that is proven more effective than snaking is. It gets deeper and cleans harder. So jetting is a good idea next time you are having maintenance performed on your lines.

When replacing any PVC type pipes in your home, make sure you buy the correct PVC for the job. PVC comes in several different sizes and grades as well as for different temperature applications. If the water going through the pipes is headed for the kitchen or bathroom, or is for laundry or gardening usage, it must be labeled as “Potable.”

While it is possible to do plumbing activities yourself, it is generally not recommended. If you are not sure of what you are doing, then you must hire a professional. This will help to insure you don’t make a bigger mess of the small problem that your plumbing previously had.

Insulating pipes in unheated areas of your house can save you the headache of burst pipes and flooding down the road. If you find that a room with pipes is especially cold, you should also use caulk to seal any holes in the walls, or any cracks around windows to ensure no drafts get in.

Make sure that any exposed pipes in your home are insulated, especially those found in crawl spaces on the outside walls of your home. This will help keep them from freezing and causing you tons of problems. Frozen pipes can often be devastating and leave you with problems that are expensive to fix and no water in the middle of winter.

When you are snaking out your drain, always make sure that you use a mask to cover your face. You will be pulling up all sorts of chemicals that you do not want to inhale or get on your skin. Practice safe plumbing if you desire to optimize your health.

If you have noisy pipes, you can cushion them with a rubber blanket or add additional anchor straps. Banging pipes are usually caused by loose pipes, water hammering to a stop as you turn it off, or hot water pipes shifting in their position. All of these problems can be solved by cushioning and anchoring the pipes.

When leaving on vacation or leaving your vacation home, be sure to turn off the main water before you leave. If something happens while you are gone you can cause some serious damage from a flooded basement or a broken pipe in the wall that leaks for weeks until you return.

In conclusion, not all advice should be taken seriously. Be sure to be careful who you take advice from especially when it is something that could lead to much frustration in the future. This article hopefully provided all of the details that you need to know about plumbing.

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Whiten Your Teeth By Following These Tips

August 02, 2022   Matt

Whiten Your Teeth By Following These Tips

A whiter smile is crucial to an appearance of which you can really be proud. Beyond simply looking good, your teeth can take some serious damage over time. In your later years, this can become something that affects your health and requires extensive medical care. The best solution is to begin taking care of your smile earlier, and you will never need to worry about such issues.

A great teeth whitening tip is to make sure that you visit the dentist on a regular basis to have your teeth professionally cleaned. This will help to reduce the plaque that builds up on your teeth and will also make sure that you do not have any other oral health issues.

You can whiten your teeth at home with some common items. Mix peroxide and baking soda into a paste. Brush your teeth with this paste for several minutes. You can repeat this often as it is safe and non-toxic. Using at home products is cheaper and safer than products with unknown ingredients.

When you decide to do any kind of dental regimen that includes whitening your teeth you should be sure to have the advice of a dental professional. If you try to do things completely on your own you may make amateur mistakes that will set back your progress by several months.

Be sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day. Regular brushing helps to prevent plaque build up, because this can result in permanent discoloration of your teeth. Once it builds up, it is difficult to remove without the assistance of a dentist, so it’s better to avoid the problem in the first place.

One important teeth whitening tip is to make sure that you always drink plenty of water. This will act as a natural way to remove extra food and harmful materials from your teeth, keeping them whiter. Be sure to rinse with water after eating as often as possible.

Beverages that contain acid or carbonation are best drunk with a straw to help keep your teeth white. By using a straw you can divert the beverages past the teeth and prevent some of the staining potential. Try not to fill your mouth with beverage when drinking as this will defeat the purpose of the straw.

Visit your dentist regularly. Sometimes, the regular cleaning a dentist can provide will remove stains from your teeth and you may not need to have them bleached at all. This deep-down cleaning will help get the stains out of micro-cracks in the enamel in your teeth.

Chew parsley leaves. Parsley leaves are known to make your teeth sparkle and help clean them. Chewing the leaves for a few minutes every day will give you teeth whitening results. You can do this a few times a day or once a day. Doing this can also help prevent bad breath.

Through these tips and anything you may learn from your dentist, you can become a more confident you with a mouth full of teeth even in the most senior of years. Not everyone must end up with dentures or only half their teeth remaining. This is the perfect way to avoid such a fate.

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