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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

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WINERIES   Rodney Strong Vineyards

Shortly after Jim Magness came aboard as the facility manager at Rodney Strong Vineyards in 1995 he called Knights' Electric to do some electrical service work at the winery. Knights' Electric did a number of small jobs over the next few years. He was happy with their work and when it came time to build a new crush pad in 1998 Magness hired Knights' Electric to do all of the electrical work.

Knights' Electric's Vice President, Rob Knight, checks the push button control panel for the bladder press at Rodney Strong Vineyards.

Knights' Electric's Vice President, Rob Knight, checks the push button control panel for the bladder press at Rodney Strong Vineyards.
Knights' Electric's commercial department installed the motor control console for the crush equipment including the rotary fermentors, augers and hoppers. Knights' Electric also installed the push button control panel for the bladder press. HID, high-pressure sodium lighting, was used for the crush area for night work and Knights' Electric installed a number of UL-approved pump stanchions , a product Knights' Electric produces, for the crush pad work area.

To power the crush pad motor control system Knights' Electric trenched in the power lines and installed a 2500 amp transformer. Magness also needed an emergency back-up power system for the entire winery. He purchased a 750 KW generator set from Knights' Electric. Knights' Electric installed the generator set along with a high-capacity switchgear.

From 1998 to 2000 Magness supervised the barrel building and new case goods construction project. Knights' Electric installed the sub panel and completed all the wiring for the refrigeration system in the barrel room. HID lighting was installed in the barrel room and the new case goods room. Knights' Electric also installed electrical outlets and fluorescent lighting in the lab, office and break room in the barrel building.

In 2001-2002 Rodney Strong Vineyards remodeled their tasting room and Knights' Electric was called upon to install the lighting, wiring and floor plugs for the project. Another big project that was taking place at this time involved replacing 42 stainless steel wine tanks that had lost their cooling capacity. Knights' Electric installed the temperature control system for the new tanks.

Most recently Knights' Electric has done some trouble shooting on the bottling line, installing new controls for the labeler and new control panel for the filler. "Since 1998 we have used Knights' Electric exclusively," says Magness.
 

COMMERCIAL  BSF

At BSF the installation of their vacuum film-coating machines was as precise as the work they perform at their Santa Rosa facility. BSF is in the business of producing thin films of oxides that that are used as transparent wires. These films are used in touch screens and the electroluminescent lights that you see as backlights in watches and PDAs. Another of the many film-coating applications BSF performs involves reflective silver polyester film for skylight tubes.

Knights' Electric installed this transformer to carry the 3000 amp, 480-volt service to the high-capacity switchgear and then on to the vacuum film-coating machines at BSF in Santa Rosa.

Knights' Electric installed this transformer to carry the 3000 amp, 480-volt service to the high-capacity switchgear and then on to the vacuum film-coating machines at BSF in Santa Rosa.
Knights' Electric's commercial department helped install two vacuum coating machines at BSF, starting with the ground trenching for the 3000 amp, 480 volt service to the outside transformer. Knights' Electric also installed the high-capacity switchgear. Next was the power run to the coating machines. Eight four-inch pipes were run up through the concrete pit or basement, which serves as a foundation for the coating machines. Heavy gauge copper wiring, that Senior Development Engineer, Paul Diffendaffer, described as the same diameter as his thumb, was used for the power run to the distribution box.

The transformer is located in the rear of the building making the distance as short as possible for the expensive copper lines. Each 4" pipe contained three for power and one for grounding purposes. The ground frame is tied in to the rebar cast into the floor of the pit. The pit has pilings that were drilled twenty feet deep for earthquake safety standards. An enormous amount of concrete was poured to form the pit. BCC General Contractors, Inc. completed the substructure work along with the primary trenching.

Knights' Electric installed power for the HVAC system, the lighting system, which includes battery-powered emergency lights and utility outlets throughout the facility. Knights' Electric wired in the water-cooling system with three pumps, along with air filters and air handlers for the production area. Diffendaffer, who worked closely with Knights' Electric on the project, said he was "very happy with their work."
 

RESIDENTIAL  Exclusively Built by Hadley

Over the past few years Knights' Electric has worked on a number of exclusive homes with Hadley Construction, Inc., the general contractor for these projects. Some of the work has taken place in Sonoma County, but most of the homes have been built in Marin County, with upscale addresses like Kentfield, Stinson Beach, Ross and Belvedere, which is the location of the latest ongoing project.

Knights' Electric is installing these switch leg wires for the HomeWorks lighting system in this Belvedere home built by Hadley Construction, Inc.

Knights' Electric is installing these switch leg wires for the HomeWorks lighting system in this Belvedere home built by Hadley Construction, Inc.
Situated with views of San Francisco, Angel Island and the Bay, this 5500 square foot home, which also has a basement, is described as "an Italian Villa" by Brian Sheets, of Knights' Electric's residential department. It has four levels including the basement, which has large windows facing the water. The basement consists of a living area and wine room with a connected garage.

The home features his-and-her offices, a game room with a pool table and elaborate landscaping that includes a lily pond. The interior of the home is highlighted with extensive wood trim work and the exterior is appointed with stonework and a slate roof. The first level, above the basement, features a living and dining area with a piano room and a large entryway with an open stairway leading to the next floor level. The entryway chandelier is impressive, Sheets estimates that it weighs from three to five hundred pounds. It is the largest of the twelve to fifteen chandeliers that are planned throughout the home.

Knights' Electric is working closely with lighting designer, Craig Roberts Associates, Inc. from Dallas, Texas. Craig Roberts is well known nationally and internationally for artistically conceived lighting designs. The lighting design includes numerous wall sconces and recessed lighting effects throughout the home. Knights' Electric is installing a Lutron HomeWorks lighting control system and assisting the audio/visual company with their system installation.