Life with 220.

I’m not talking about “life at 220” either.  Although I’ve had occasion to boot it along on the Autobahn at those speeds,  it takes a certain amount of concentration.  I seem to come up short in that department.

 

It’s surprising what you can get used to.  I remember my old man used to say that you could even get used to “shit in your hat”,  and he and some of his Harvest Excursion buddies even did a little experiment once upon a time back in his days as a bachelor.   Something to do putting some smelly substance in the lining of someone’s hat, and the idea that they eventually got used to it.  Bit of a nasty trick I thought. 

Back in August when we were home in Canada,  for some reason that I don’t seem to recall,  I had to iron a couple shirts.  Something to do with not looking like a street person I guess.  So I got the iron all set up and ready to go,  plugged ‘er in,  waited the appropriate length of time (I thought)  and then couldn’t figure out what the heck was wrong with the thing.  It’s a good one.  We don’t cheap out on those types of things,  since that particular one had previously been used by Travelling Companion in her sewing room,  which was now my daughter’s craft room.  I sometimes refer to it as the “crap” room,  but I’m funny that way.   Note how were tying everything in with the “excrement theme”?

I even asked my daughter what the heck I was doing wrong.  I just hadn’t waited long enough.   See,  it was only getting 110 volts.  It takes a while.   The iron that I use here heats up in nothing flat.   Naturally, it runs on 220.  Everything does.  I guess it’s something I’ve gotten used to.

I’d even go so far as to say that, somewhere along the way someone made a bit of a blunder when it came to the voltage that was chosen for the “Americas”.   220 works heaps better.  Trust me. 

(I blame George Westinghouse)

Maybe I’ve been in Europe too long?  I’m not sure,  but this is one little snippet of the “lifestyle”,  if I could call it that,  that for the most part,  while unobtrusive,  whenever called upon,  makes life a whole lot easier.  

Now you might say,  “But,  that’s a lot of voltage!  Isn’t it dangerous?”   Well,  let me tell you,  you can do a good number on yourself with 12 volts if you’re really,  really dumb.   Ever take a spark plug wire off and crank over the engine?  See that spark?   That’s about 40,000 volts going over to the block there.   Come in contact with it,  and you will land on your ass.  The hope is that your heart is still beating.   It’s not the voltage kids,  it’s the amperage that’ll do you in.   (OK,  I know it’s heaps more complicated than that,  but let’s not get too flippin’ carried away here,  shall we?)

So to make things “work”,  with 220,  we don’t need as much amperage as with 110.   The wires for household wiring and extension cords and such seem desperately thin,  since they don’t need to be all that thick in the first place.  

If you go to that link,  and I suggest you do,  and plug in 1500 watts in the first spot, then 220 in the second and hit the “equal” button,  you’ll get roughly 6.8 amps.  If you drop it to 110?  You’ll probably trip a 15 amp circuit breaker.   Too much amperage.   Let’s not forget the 80% rule.

 

Do you have an electric hot water heater?  How does it work?  Why,  we need 220!    What about any half ways decent power tool?  Needs to be wired for 220!  See where I’m going with this?   A lot of extra messing around with wires.  Wouldn’t it be easier to just “plug in” your 220 volt table saw? 

 

And don’t even get me started on how I’m going to “plug in” if I ever had the bright idea of going anywhere other than Europe or North America.  

You can click on that one for study purposes.  Try not to get a headache.

 

*******

 

OK,  enough of that.  Now for some different “fluff”.

 

I had mentioned previously that we went out on Saturday and picked up a (fake) Christmas tree.   We haven’t opened the box yet,  and I might do that today,  just to have a look at the pitiful thing.   They didn’t even have the kind that already comes with lights,  and we weren’t about to either spend that much money,  or go on an extended search.

Typically when I find myself in some sort of home supply type of store such as Bauhaus, Baumax or OBI,  it’s with a specific purpose in mind, and I rarely wander off course,  unless it’s just to browse and see what’s available.   I have enough “stuff”  back home,  and it’s not too often that I buy something that I already have.   Just the same,  and as a rare example,  I had to buy a second hand-cart not long after we moved to Vienna,  since retrieving heavy items from the car in the parking garage around the corner and bringing them up seven flights wasn’t something I was willing to struggle with, without some two-wheeled help.    The other one (the only hand cart I thought I’d ever need) is hanging quietly in my shop back home.  Had no idea we’d be moving to an apartment.  Drat!

So most of the time when I’m in one of these places,  the voices in my head are repeating,  “Already got one”.  “Don’t need it”.  “Maybe,  but not at that price”.   That kind of thing.

Don’t we all have those “voices”?   OK, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

 

HOWEVER,  when I saw these particular Christmas tree stands,  I was quite intrigued.   I haven’t been “intrigued” when shopping in Europe for a while now,  believe me.  There’s a lot of crap in the stores.

First of all,  the fake tree already has it’s own stand.  I don’t need another.  We do have a stand back home that I’ve been using for quite a few years now for our “real” trees.  It’s pretty reliable,   but not entirely user friendly.   It’s probably something like the third generation of Christmas tree stand that we have up to this point,  and I had no intent of ever replacing it.  

 

It became obsolete just as soon as I saw this one:

This is the way it came out of the box.

 

But then it opens up to receive the base of the tree.

The lever on the side is a foot pedal.   By pumping it down,  the cable tightens the supports around the base of the tree.   I have this suspicion that I’m going to be putting up a Christmas tree for many years to come.  Crawling around on my hands and knees (and getting poked and prodded by the low hanging branches)  has never been one of my all time favourite things.

That time has now passed.

Made in Germany!   My kind of souvenir.

 

And it doesn’t run on 220.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

.