NEWSLETTER
January 2005
 

INSIDE

TEGG SERVICES
TEGG Safety

INDUSTRIAL
Seismic Safety For Sonoma County Water Agency

RESIDENTIAL
Meeting Deadlines

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KNIGHTS' MESSAGE

We hope you enjoy our monthly newsletter as much as we enjoy making it available to you.  We look forward to sharing stories and ideas that promote our customers, their businesses and how we all work together to come up with solutions to the challenges we face together.  We also look forward to hearing from you with your comments, feedback or story ideas to make our newsletter more valuable to you.

Barbara Ragsdale
CFO & Editor

CREDITS

Contributors to Stories:

Knights' Electric
Barbara Ragsdale
Art Knight
Rob Knight
Michael Ragsdale
Matt Sweeney
Richard Freitas

Jim Murphy & Associates
Mike McNeil,
  Project Manager
Marty Costa,
  Superintendent

Writer:
Mark Dommer
Dommer & Associates

Editor:
Barbara Ragsdale
Knights' Electric

Knights' Electric, Inc.
11410 Old Redwood Hwy.
Windsor, CA  95492
TEL (707) 433-6931
FAX (707) 431-2342
Lic. #432135
info@knightselectric.com
www.knightselectric.com

Copyright 2005
Knights' Electric, Inc.

  TEGG SERVICES
  TEGG Safety

Knights' Electric's TEGG technician wearing protective safety suit while working at Chateau Souverain Winery. (click photo to enlarge)	Knights' Electric's certified technicians use insulated tools rated to 1,000 volts. (click photo to enlarge)

Knights' Electric is proud to utilize some of the highest safety standards in the industry. Our TEGG Service Department follows the safety standards as put forth by the NFPA 70B and 70E. 70B is a recommended practice for electrical equipment maintenance and 70E is a standard for electrical safety in the work place, both of which will soon be adopted as OSHA standards. Our safety protocols are designed to protect not only our certified technicians but also our customers. Therefore, all of our technicians are CPR and first aid certified and participate in weekly field staff safety meetings to keep them up to date.

Our certified technicians also go through extensive training programs taught by Industrial Safety supervisors from the Cornerstone Safety Group at TEGG headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In these training programs they are taught proper safety techniques as well as how to use the necessary safety equipment. One example of our job safety standards is the safety equipment worn by our certified technicians, which includes blast suits, high voltage testers, hard hats, full face shields, rubber gloves and mats with voltage rating or class, 4-way ground cables, insulated tools, high voltage sticks, barriers and warning signs. Knights' Electric understands the importance of job safety and demonstrates this point on the job with the highest safety standards available for our certified technicians and our valued customers.

  INDUSTRIAL
  Seismic Safety For Sonoma County
  Water Agency

The seismic sensor is connected to the charger unit with inverter and controller above the storage batteries, which are used when electrical power is lost. (click photo to enlarge)	Close-up of seismic sensor control built by Knights' Electric for Sonoma County Water Agency's 13 million gallon water tank in Cotati. (click photo to enlarge)

Earthquake safety has been a focal point for the communities and the construction industry of Northern California for many years, especially since the1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Aside from the buildings, homes, and bridges in the area, utilities are also a concern for seismic safety. The Sonoma County Water Agency recently completed a seismic control system project in Cotati involving a 13 million gallon water tank, the largest in a group of three tanks, situated in the hills above the city of Cotati. Knights' Electric was contracted to build the panel for the seismic sensor and wire the entire system that would automatically trigger the closing of the inlet and outlet valves, which are 36 inches in diameter.

The immense size of the 13 million gallon water tank is evident in this photo. (click photo to enlarge)

"The objective of this project is to have the water tank valve close when the sensor sends the signal even if the electrical power has been lost," says Richard Freitas, Project Manager for Knights' Electric. The seismic sensor triggers the system to close the valve if a seismic disturbance of 4.3 or greater on the Richter scale occurs. The entire system is electrically powered, but in the event of electrical power loss, the batteries within the waterproof charger-inverter cabinet will supply the power to close or open the tank valve up to four times. The inverters are 4.5 kW each and convert the battery voltage of 24vDC to 240vAC. Knights' Electric worked with Kinemetrics, Inc., the manufacturer of the seismic sensor. Knights' Electric constructed the seismic sensor panel that contains the controls, logic relays, and UPS power distribution unit. The Sonoma County Water Agency can monitor any activity from the seismic sensor system detected through an electronic wireless monitoring system that sends the data to their monitoring station. Freitas found this project to be complicated but satisfying in its closure when it was completed, "When it's finally done it's really great to see a worthwhile, working product that your company has produced". With earthquake safety as the ultimate goal of this project there are probably many other people who feel the same way.

  RESIDENTIAL
  Meeting Deadlines

Work is being completed on the great room ceiling lighting including recessed lighting, pendants, and chandeliers. (click photo to enlarge)

Construction of exclusive one-of-a-kind custom homes is time consuming. In some cases it can take more than a year to complete a custom home due to its complexity, changes in plans, and special building applications. In the end a deadline looms. Eventually the owners of a dream home must move in.

Jim Murphy & Associates specialize in construction of these exclusive custom homes, as does Knights' Electric. They have worked together on many of these projects over the years. Currently they are completing a custom home in the gated community of Mayacamas, which is home to the Mayacamas Golf and Country Club. Jack Nicholas designed the course, which has the highest slope rating for difficulty in California.

Exterior wall sconces light the back veranda area. (click photo to enlarge)

The landscape lighting conduits are being set up for lighting of plants and trees. (click photo to enlarge)

Construction of the 3,800 square foot home began in September of '03 and is due to be completed next month. An incredible amount of detailed work has gone into the home including stone work, plaster walls, distressed wood cabinets, tile flooring, beamed ceilings, a climate controlled wine cellar, and a spectacular lighting plan that includes chandeliers, pendants, wall sconces, and over 200 recessed lights.

With the deadline nearing, Rob Knight, Vice President of Knights' Electric is working closely with JMA Superintendent, Marty Costa, to complete the homes electrical and lighting plan. "We sent two electricians out there on Thursday, four on Friday and six on Saturday to trim out the lighting and the devices", said Knight, "we also had perimeter and landscape lighting to finish."

From the back veranda the Mayacamas Golf Course can be seen below. (click photo to enlarge)

Both companies are very busy in residential and commercial work at this time and keeping clients happy means keeping up with the job schedules. "We like to keep the same people on the same job until completion and use the people who are best for a certain type of job," says Knight, "We do whatever is best for our clients." Meeting deadlines makes everyone happy.

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