Prose from the writing room: Morning coffee: check Crack open the blinds in my office: check Turn on fish tank light: check Music: check (I felt Pink Floyd Live in Pompeii was a good choice) With everything heavy, I need to sit down and breathe. I know I say this often, but I am no different from anyone. We’re all similar animals in the fact that we breathe, we eat, and we grow. The process of emotion, however, and our response to stimuli is what separate us. I get that…. At work, I sometimes have to lay my tools down and take a step back. I have to look at the job and focus because it’s easy to lose my focus when there are wires dangling from an electrical panel. But let’s keep it simple…. I work on air-conditioning units. I have power coming into the unit; let’s say 208 volts. Three lines come into a terminal; from there, power is distributed to different contactors that say, turn on the fan and the compressor, which is what cools the air. (This is not a lesson in refrigeration so I’ll keep it as simple as possible.) Now, from the power coming in, one line goes to a transformer, which steps the voltage down to 24 volts. This is the low voltage circuit. This consists of your thermostat and the basic safeties that protect the air conditioning unit. There’s a low pressure and high pressure switch in the refrigerant circuit. Then you have a thermal overload, and that protects the compressor from overheating. Now... This low voltage circuit is wired in series and that means everything needs to be satisfied for the machine to run properly. The thermostat has to call for the fan to come on. The low pressure switch, the high, and the thermal overload need to clear in order for the machine to cool. If all checks out, 24 volts flow to the coil, which in turn, pulls in the contactor, allowing the flow of 208 volts, and the machine turns on. However, if there is a break in the 24 volt circuit and one of the safeties is not met, the coil will not energize, and the contactor will not pull in. There is a wiring diagram behind the electric panel of most units, and I’ll admit, some of them are hard to read. Some of them are ripped off, and some of the diagrams are old, and the components have changed over the years. But when that happens, I have to trace out the wires. That means I have to see what wire comes from where, and wherever it comes from, I have to see what it does. But again, let’s keep it simple… My life in comparison is no different from the electric in a refrigerant circuit. I have my own safeties, which protect me. I have a low pressure switch and a high pressure switch. Low pressure in an air-conditioning cycle means the unit is low on refrigerant Low pressure in life means I’m low on fuel. The body needs fuel to operate and just like the three lines of 208 volts at the air-conditioning unit, I need three lines to power the mind, body, and spirit Now for the high pressure switch… Cooling consists of taking heat from the air and removing it to someplace unobjectionable. In this case, high pressure is when the compressor runs too hot and the heat is not properly removed. I am no different. In order for me to live, or if I’m comparing myself to the electric in a refrigerant circuit, in order for me to be energized, I need all of my low voltage circuits to be satisfied. And when they’re not; I will not run properly. Life gets complicated. I get that. Life doesn’t come with a wiring diagram. I get that too. But when all else fails, I have to keep to the simple math and trace out my circuits. Am I getting enough food: i.e. nourishment, attention, love, and so on Am I removing my heat: i.e. am I processing? Are my mind, body, and soul healthy? And, am I removing the waste that leads to high pressure situations? As for the thermal overload; this protects the motor at the compressor from overheating. If the temperature inside the motor winding gets too hot, the motor will burn out. So to protect itself, the motor shuts off and will not go on until it reaches below a safe temperature. People are no different. Our brain protects itself by shutting down. Again, comparing life to a refrigeration cycle, if the high pressure switch fails, or if I fail to pay attention to high pressure situations, my motor burns out. Except with me, my parts are not as interchangeable as an air-conditioning unit. The theory is simple; in order for my brain to work, I need certain things I need food, water, and love I need to remove waste I need a pen. I need an empty page and I need you trust me on this
Posted on: Sat, 03 Aug 2013 13:21:57 +0000