Planning Your In-Wall Speaker System
So you’ve finally decided to get your favorite music throughout your house. What’s next? Where do you go from here? That depends upon your requirements and weather this will be an installation in an existing home or a music system in a new construction home.
First, you need to decide which rooms you would like to install your speakers. The installation will obviously be much easier during construction than in an existing home. Once you make the decision on which rooms to include, you have two choices; in-wall or in-ceiling.
In-ceiling speakers tend to draw less attention to themselves. In all but basic background music applications, in-wall speakers usually sound better, everything else being equal. In-wall speakers have other problems, however. They are usually harder to integrate aesthetically in the room. They also take up valuable wall space that can be used for art or furniture.
Typically, round speakers are used for in-ceiling installations and rectangular speakers are used when installing in the wall. Round speakers integrate better with other ceiling fixtures, such as smoke detectors and recessed light cans, which tend to be round as well. In addition, because most round speakers have coaxially located drivers, you are the same distance from both no matter where you are in the room. This leads to more even frequency response throughout the room. Rectangular speakers tend be better suited to in-wall, rather than in-ceiling, applications.
It is best to keep the speakers two feet or so from adjacent walls or other boundaries that can cause response problems. Optimally, in wall speakers should be at, or close to, ear level. Place in-ceiling speakers so they are symmetrical with ceiling fixtures and the room.
Usually stereo pairs of speakers are used in each room. Another approach that works well is to sum the some signals into mono. You can then run the system in mono for most areas that use in-ceiling speakers. The mono approach allows you to get more uniform coverage, rather than standing under a speaker that is only playing the left channel for example.
You can also use one speaker for areas like small bathrooms and still get both channels of the music. There are speakers with dual voice coils and inputs for both the left and right channels on a single speaker that are also used for this type of application. It can be demonstrated that the summed mono approach using a single, standard voice coil speaker usually sounds better, however.
Multi-room speaker systems can be set up as single zone or multiple zone systems. In a single zone system, all the speakers play the same source. With a multi-zone audio system, the system is divided into two or more areas that can play different sources. This flexibility is really nice when different occupants want to listen to different music at the same time. For example, with a three zone system, you could listen to three different sources simultaneously in three different areas of your house.
With a single zone system, it is still desirable to have independent volume control over each pair of speakers or to turn off any pair completely. This is accomplished by using a speaker level volume control for each room. These are usually a just round knob, although other styles, such as sliders, are used as well.
Multi zone systems are usually controlled by some type of keypad, system remote control, or wall mounted touchscreen. Typically, there is one of these control interfaces for each zone. There is an old saying in racing “Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?” So it is with multi zone music system controls. Control costs money. How much do you want?
A standard knob style volume control is under $100. Step up to a keypad for more control and you are looking at $250 to $500. Touch screen controls offer the ultimate in simplicity and flexibility. In addition, touch screens allow feedback, such as volume, radio station, and music server information, to be displayed on the touch screen. Touch screen controls begin at about $500 and can go to $20,000 each, depending upon size and options. The more sophisticated controls allow you to turn on your music and choose sources from each room. It’s as easy as turning on a light.
Some of the more advanced controls can operate independently,while some require a central processor. If you are installing a multi zone system, you will need a multi room controller and amplifier. These can be integrated into one component or they can be separate pieces. Prices on these vary widely. It is better for most people to contact a professional custom installer for installation of these type of components.
There are a number of decisions to make when planning your in-wall speaker system. Do you want single or multi zone? In-wall or in-ceiling? Both? What type of controls would you like? You can research these questions on your own or consult a qualified professional for assistance. With careful planning you will have a music system you can enjoy for years to come.
Commercial Concrete Floor Sealers
A commercial concrete floor sealer, also known as concrete floor finisher, is a resin-based, water emulsion sealing compound applied on concrete floors to protect them from corrosion and other harmful elements. It boasts a glossy hard finish and excellent adhesion properties. Commercial concrete floor sealers are most commonly used to seal the floors of commercial areas like offices, factories, and stores. The main purpose of a commercial concrete floor sealer is to deliver an economic, long lasting, and serviceable finish to commercial concrete floors.
Commercial concrete floor sealers shield the floors against dust and moisture damage. Additionally, they protect floors from the harmful effects of weak acids, salts and stains. Sealers comprising epoxies, linseed oil and various urethane based materials are used for commercial concrete floors. Commercial concrete sealers containing siloxane water repellent help to avoid spalling and the premature deterioration of floors. Likewise, for a chemical resistant surface, penetrating concrete sealers are an ideal option.
Sealing the commercial concrete floor not only protects it from everyday wear but also enhances the color of the acid stained floor. Usually, concrete floor sealers are easy to apply and quick-drying. A brush, roller or commercial spray equipment can be used for applying the sealer. A recommended first step in the application of sealers is to clean the floor with some cleaning solution. Commercial concrete floor sealers can also be used on old floors, which are affected by white stains and adhesion problems.
Concrete floor sealers like Chem-calk
Concrete Pumps Used For Various Construction Projects
A concrete pump is used for transferring liquid concrete by pumping. They come in a variety of sizes, but are generally large, industrial machines used on construction sites to pour concrete in difficult to access areas where concrete mixers can’t reach, such as on the tops of buildings. They are designed to feed concrete to these areas from a great distance as quickly and effectively as possible.
There are typically two types of pumps; a boom concrete pump and a line pump. Boom pumps are large machines with a boom arm that holds the length of rubberized tubing through which the cement flows to where required on the construction site. Boom concrete pumps can pump concrete at a vertical reach of up to 65 meters and a horizontal reach of around 300 meters. The length of the boom determines how far away the truck will be placed from where the concrete is to be pumped. This makes them particularly useful for pouring concrete in multi-storey buildings and other high-rise construction jobs.
A trailer-mounted boom concrete pump uses an articulating arm, or placing boom to pour concrete exactly where it is required. The Chimera Trailer Boom Pump has a 14m 3-section fold boom, which, if additional pipeline is added, can pump concrete at a vertical reach of 65m and a horizontal reach of 300m at rates of 46m3 per hour. These boom pumps offer a value for money alternative to traditional truck-mounted pumps, which are more costly to run and can encounter problems on jobs where there are access or weight restrictions. Boom pumps are used on most of the larger construction projects, as they are capable of pumping at very high volumes and because of the labour saving nature of the placing boom. They are a revolutionary alternative to truck-mounted concrete pumps.
Truck-mounted concrete pumps are also available in a wide range of sizes with boom lengths ranging from 21- 66 metres and concrete outputs of up to 185m3/hour at pressures of up to 80 bars. They have either a 3, 4 or 5 section placing boom with the option of ‘z’ fold, ‘roll’ fold or ‘multi-z’ fold opening, making them easy to manoeuvre and suited to all types of concrete placing work, even where space is restricted. Telescopic booms can be added to concrete pumps to reach the most isolated spaces. Most pumps on the larger concrete pump trucks are operated by the truck’s engine in a power-takeoff (PTO) configuration. Some pumps, however, especially on smaller concrete pump trucks, are powered with their own engine. Diesel engines are used for this type of heavy-duty work because of their economical, yet powerful mechanical dynamics.
Concrete line pumps are used for smaller construction projects than boom pumps. They are versatile, portable units used to pump not only structural concrete, but also grout, wet screeds, mortar, foamed concrete, and sludge. Line pumps typically use a ball-valve-type pumping system. They are used for structural concrete and shotcreting (concrete placed via a high pressure hose and compacted at the same time) where low-volume output is suitable. Some hydraulically driven models can pump structural concrete at outputs exceeding 137 m3 per hour.
Line pumps normally pump concrete at lower volumes than boom pumps and are used for smaller volume concrete placing projects such as swimming pools, sidewalks, and single family home concrete slabs and ground slabs.