There are several different types of medium voltage earthing systems. These systems can be differentiated by using the neutral point connection method. They are different in the way that they operate and each of them has its own pros and cons. These earthing systems in medium voltage include the likes of:

The functioning of each differs from the other. They also have various applications. Let’s have a look at each system at a time:

In this one, there is no electrical connection between the earth and the neutral point except for the devices that are used for measurement or protection. There is high impedance inserted between the earth and the neutral point. There is no switching on occurrence of the first insulation fault. It is therefore important to carry out permanent insulation monitoring, show the first insulation fault and locate and clear the first insulation fault.

Pros and cons: The advantage of using this one is that it provides services by tripping only when the second fault occurs which is subject to the capacity of the network not leading to a high earth fault current which would be dangerous for people when the first fault occurs. It has its demerits. There is the risk of high internal over-voltages. Insulation monitoring is also compulsory as well as the presence of maintenance personnel who will be monitoring and locating the first fault during use.

It is also known as direct earthing. It has a connection between the earth and the neutral point. Upon first insulation fault occurrence compulsory switching must be done. It is significantly different from the above mentioned unearthed neutral.

Pros and cons: This system reduces risk of over-voltage occurring and also authorizes the use of equipment with a normal phase to earth insulating level. On the other hand, there is mandatory tripping upon occurrence of the first fault. The touch voltages developed are very high and this poses a high risk for the personnel while the fault lasts. Differential protection devices must be used so that the clearance time of the fault is as short as possible.

This system requires a resistor to be inserted between the neutral point and the earth. It is also known as limiting resistance earthing. Their operating technique is quite straightforward. Switching must be done upon the occurrence of the first fault.

Fun Fact:  “To talk turkey,” means to speak candidly, directly, plainly and/or bluntly. There are several possible explanations to the origin of this phrase.  Some support a link to uncensored familial conversation around the Thanksgiving dinner table; Others say the phrase is linked to the actual sounds a turkey makes, because the male turkey’s “gobble, gobble” is a basic, unadorned, matter-of-fact kind of vocalization.

Wherever your holiday “turkey talk” may lead, Capitol Lighting’s Thanksgiving feast is sure to please everyone with custom designed lighting at unbeatable prices.  The lighting experts at Capitol will help you to illuminate your home for the holidays…elegantly, efficiently and affordably.

A little light goes a long way to bring charm and soothing illumination to the home environment.  Crystal mini chandeliers, mini table lamps, and other mini lighting fixtures create the stylized finish to designer decorated home interiors.  Feast your eyes on Capitol Lighting’s most outstanding selection of the season!

Add to your Thanksgiving holiday with the latest lighting designs from American Brass and Crystal Lighting.  Capitol Lighting invites you to take advantage of promotional pricing on ABC’s masterful works of art, including mini table lamps and crystal mini chandeliers available in a myriad of finishes including Antique Pewter, White Nickel and True Brass with crystal options ranging from Golden Teak Strass Teardrops to colorful Strass pendoloques.

Give Thanks for the Little Things

Capitol Lighting Highlights the “Mini Strass”

Warm up the room.  Instantly create elegance. Provide your home with charm! The mini chandelier has become an increasingly popular lighting fixture and accessory in home decorating schemes due to its versatility and small size. With extraordinary styling and imaginative design motifs, mini table lamps, too, are gracing more homes than ever.

Capitol Lighting’s Top 5 “Mini Must-dos” for a Superb Finish

To view the latest in home lighting and accessories and for more designing ways to put the mini on your menu this Thanksgiving, visit with the lighting professionals at Capitol Lighting.

Enjoy designer discounts on the best from American Brass and Crystal Lighting available this week at Capitol.

American Brass & Crystal (ABC Lighting) has built a reputation as one of the premier manufacturers of the finest quality cast brass and crystal mini chandeliers. All crystal chandelier and cast brass frames are molded in Italian casts by some of the finest metal craftsman in Europe and are then adorned with genuine Strass crystal from Swarovski. Each crystal mini chandelier from American Brass & Crystal Lighting is available in any of their 17 custom finishes and a multitude of different crystal grades, shapes and colors.

Visit a Capitol Lighting showroom or shop on-line at 1800lighting.com to custom designs your holiday illumination.  Enjoy promotional values on the latest mini lighting fashions from ABC.  The options abound; with American Brass & Crystal you create a design in a crystal chandelier that is uniquely your own and each one is hand made by American artisans with meticulous care.

It’s full-on spring, and there seems to be a lot of activity in the landscape lighting world. That’s probably because landscape lighting is generally a great and affordable way to significantly improve the curb appeal of your home. Landscape lighting ideas abound on the internet, and, since it’s a popular season for landscape lights, I thought I would curate for you some of the best landscape lighting I have seen out there on the Web.

1. Wall Grazing at Its Finest

Wall grazing is a lighting technique in which light is cast up or down a wall in order to let the light and shadow play off the wall’s texture. Wall grazing works especially well on this wonderfully textured stone wall. Interesting walls like this almost demand uplights to play off their texture.

2. Cinematic Pond Beacon Situation

Very bright light on this structure in the middle of a pond creates a dramatic, almost cinematic effect. Bright uplights on the trees give some context to the attractive structure.

3. Variations on a Path

Using different styles of path light can make the walk to the house much more interesting. Never assume it’s law that all your path lights match. Mixing it up a little gives the eye a lot more to look at, and the outdoor lighting design looks more calculated, in a good way. Instead of the string of path lights that come in a pack, this is conscious design that makes every trip to the front door pleasant.

4. Variation on Variations on a Path

Another way you can break the monotony of path lighting is to place your path lights according to the visual features along the path, like plants or garden ornaments. Setting up the path lights to be spaced a little farther apart and placing them in different proximity to the path – now directly on the path, now set back near some interesting plants – leads the eye farther down the path, which creates a spectacle and gives the eye much more to admire.

5. Path Lighting without all the Path Lights

Landscape lighting doesn’t always have to include path lights. Here, adequate illumination and very attractive lighting design is achieved by uplighting trees and using downlights mounted on the house.

6. Moon Lighting: A Supernatural Experience?

Moonlighting is a technique in which lights are hidden higher up in trees to create an ambient effect. Pretty cool!

7. Under Counter Lights

One really cool outdoor lighting effect is under counter lighting. Led rope, tape, or LED tape rope hybrid can be run under the edge of counter, stone wall ledge, bar, island, or bridge to create a wonderful lighting effect. This is one application in which LED landscape lighting works really well.

8. Water + Lighting =  Awesome

What’s cooler than light fixtures giving an almost otherworldly beauty to outdoor water features? This is my personal favorite kind of landscape lighting. It just provides such a reliably relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. If your home is your sanctuary, you might want to consider this one-two-three punch of water, sound, and light.

9. Shadowy Magic

Moonlighting can also be used to create cool shadows on the path. See that light mounted up in that tree? It mimics the light of the moon, creating interesting shadows on the ground and enough ambient light to see where you’re walking. Great lighting design.

10. Lit Up Night Time Oasis

There are a lot of interesting things going on here. The space feels large and luxurious, in part because that uplight at the back draws the eye directly to the back edge of the space, making the whole spread look larger. The path lights around the perimeter draw attention to the landscaping. Of course, the star of this show is the cove lighting used around the bridge, making it look almost as if it is floating on light. Yes to this.

11. Epic Landscape Lighting in a Park

I mean, this pretty much speaks for itself. The high powered uplights illuminating the tall canopy creates an amazing effect. Not only is it beautiful, but it also represents the dual purpose of landscape lighting: To beautify and to make safer. Urban parks can be dangerous, but this one looks even more welcoming at night.

relatively high ceilings. Drive by any industrial park, warehouse, or factory, and walk inside and what you will see is a high bay light.

But walk into any factory or warehouse and you will see different styles and options, wattage’s and configurations. Traditional high bay fixtures that were once common place were Mercury Vapor, which were then replaced with High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide bulbs. As new technologies were introduced, and old technologies became more common, the old HID bulbs were replaced with Induction and Fluorescent light sources. And more recently with the more wide spread approval and popularity of LED, we started to see conversions from these older technologies to the latest energy saving LED High Bays.

A High Bay Fixture, depending on the light source, can take on many forms and shapes. If you consider a Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium fixture, they typically consist of a large heat sink block at the top of the fixture that typically houses the fixtures ballast. Below is an aluminum or acrylic dome and at the top of the dome is the HID bulb. These bulbs typically come in two wattage’s, 400 and 1000. 400 Watt Fixtures tend to be installed in ceiling heights no higher than 30 feet, 1000 watt fixtures are typically 40 feet or higher. Interestingly enough, spacing of lights is similar to the height they are located off the floor. A fixture installed at 20 feet from the floor is installed in a 20X20 pattern, 30 feet in a 30X30 pattern, 40 feet in a 40X40 pattern. Of the 3 type of HID bulbs, Metal Halide tends to be the best option. High Pressure Sodium Bulbs are very low on the temperature color and have the warehouse aisles have the ability to focus the light where it is needed. A light designed for a warehouse aisle is a lot different than a light designed for a gymnasium or a factory floor. In these spaces, a light that can flood the area evenly is important, in a warehouse aisle, a light that can light up the face of the shelves and the floor below is important. And when selecting energy efficient options, its just as important to understand the technology and what it is capable of doing. Adding controls to a T5 fluorescent fixture is a good idea only if the ballast is designed to handle that requirement and not lower the life expectancy of the bulbs. Motions sensors and daylight controls that dim the light output based on occupants and the amount of daylight available in the space. Technologies such as metal halide and high pressure sodium are not a good choice as these technologies are not good at dimming or turn on or off quickly. Fluorescent can dim, but you need special ballasts for them. So knowing what you want to do and may want to do is important at time of purchase, because not having the proper equipment or options could mean a costly lighting warehouses, factories, gyms and readily available through the utility companies, and mass adoption means the technology of LED had matured to the point where the questions and disbelief of past years have gone away.