Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with system and home

Ceiling sprinkler head looks like it keeps getting lower, is it going to go off?

slhpatterson — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:21:02 -0800

My apartment has a ceiling sprinkler system and one of the heads that has descended slightly from the ceiling. Should i worry that the sprinkler head will go off? I recently moved into a new building with a sprinkler system in the ceiling. One of the sprinkler heads has descended from the ceiling about an inch. I can see metal grooves but can't see the actual sprinkler head. My super says not to worry, is there a chance this one sprinkler head can go off by itself? While the sprinkler head is near the kitchen there is another sprinkler head almost above the stove that is flush with the ceiling.

Give my girlfriend peace of mind when sleeping home alone

wordsmith — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:23:55 -0800

I travel frequently, and my girlfriend has an (admittedly) somewhat-irrational fear of someone breaking into our apartment when she's home alone, asleep. What can we do to make her feel more comfortable when she's home alone? Googling things like "home security" or "security alarm" unloads a wrath of bad links filled with questionable, expensive hardware. Are there some decent, quick, effective home alarm systems that can be easily installed by a non-professional?

We live in a loft-style apartment with a front door, back door that leads out onto a deck, and one large window overlooking the deck. Other than that, the floor plan is completely open. Ideally, I'd like to secure both the window and back door that leads to the deck. And by "secure," I mean both physically -- making it tougher to breach -- and audibly, so that it can be immediately obvious if someone tries to break in.

Finally, are there any other products or systems or philosophies that we could use to make her feel more secure? We've read books like Strong on Defense, but simply having a better of idea of what to do if it happens doesn't alleviate her fear of it actually happening. It doesn't give her peace of mind.

The reason I said "somewhat-irrational" is because she knows if someone is going to break in, they're going to break in, and no amount of security alarms or baseball bats is going to keep that from happening. She knows this, but still occasionally has a hard time getting to bed at night.

A big, scary dog would be nice, but not what we're looking for at the moment.

What is a recommended replacement to an existing home security system?

scooterdog — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 04:16:36 -0800

Home Security: What is a recommended alarm panel to replace a 15-year old hardwired alarm system? Just moved to a house built 35 years ago, and this house used to have ADT monitoring with a 15-year old 'Moose' brand 'Z1100 System II'. (Not to get into too much detail, but from what I can tell there are three doors, two motion detectors, and six windows with sensors on them.)

I used to use Brinks and would like to use a low-cost (i.e. $9/month) monitoring system like NextAlarm.com, but they do not support alarm systems as old as the one I have.

Any suggestions on what alarm panel that would use the existing wiring/sensors? I see brands like DSC and Ademco, and want a system that is relatively easy to program. The existing system appears to be very complicated as the manual which I have was printed in 1985, and is not unsimilar to programming an Apple ][+ in assembly language. (Not that there's anything against that but it does stretch my abilities...)

I'm fine (budget-wise) to spend up to $250 on a new panel. Ideas?

Home Cinema System??

spinko — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:12:16 -0800

Home Cinema Question: Im looking to get a HCS for my Sky HD box. I want it to connect to my SKY HD, Xbox360 and Future PS3. Anyone recommend anything? Needs to be based in England for delivery.

Got my eye on
SONY HT-SF1100 Home Cinema System its £259.
This has 2 HTMI inputs and 1 output to TV.

Can you recommend better, budget is £500 max.

Sky HD: HDMI
Xbox 360: Component
PS3: HDMI
DVD Player: Scart

Home theater assistance

Nihility — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 18:14:30 -0800

What sort of speakers/setup should I go with for my home theater? I am looking to purchase a decent audio system for my home. It will be going in a relatively small area but the area is open to the living room below (it is an open upstairs landing above the living room).

I've been looking at some reviews on CNET Reviews and found this set to be highly recommended. I'm trying to keep it under $500.

I will primarily be using this for movie watching, playing video games, listening to music. I'm more than willing to consider a non HTIB set but I feel that it would be less of a hassle to stay with this sort of bundle. I'm certainly not limiting my options to Onkyo either, but I have heard good things about them from multiple sources.

Am I on the right track here or are there better options in my price range? Should I go with an HTIB or buy individual components? Is Onkyo really as good as I've been hearing?

What are my options for installing a home security system?

DCTapeworm — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 07:43:50 -0800

What are my options for installing a home security system? Hi there,

After being a avid watcher of 'It Takes a Thief', I've been moving forward on researching my options for having a home security system installed.

I currently do best practices by locking doors and windows before leaving the house, and also have installed charley bars on the sliding doors on both the upper and lower floors.

What I'm interested in doing is either:

a) Taking the time to buy and install my own system, and finding a service in my area (Woodinville, WA) that can enable fire and police protection should the alarm be triggered... or

b) Go with a ADT or similiar system where I pay an installation and monthly fee charge for home security and fire prevention.

What I'd like to know is:

1. Are there websites online that review different security products, such as motion detectors, safes, or even reviews on ADT-like services and how well they fare?
2. If there are any forums online that are devoted to issues regarding home security and best practices?

Please post if you have any advice or suggestions, or even your own experiences. :)

Thanks in advance.

Where can I find a very accurate water heater?

nickerbocker — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 08:33:47 -0800

Where can I find a very accurate water heater? I'm working on getting an old test system from 1979 up and running and one of the requirements is that it needs a water heater that can keep a water supply at approximately 150 deg F and pressure of 40 psig. I can install a reducing valve to keep the pressure down to what I want.

The main thing is I need to be able to set it to a particular temperature and get little variance from it. Any recommendations? I'm thinking 20 to 50 gallons should be sufficient. I wish I knew more, but I really don't.

The water heater that is suppose to go with the testing system is no longer available. If you want any more information check out the 1241 Adiabatic Oxygen Bomb Calorimeter over on Parr's web site.

Thanks

What sort of receiver/speakers to buy?

weretable and the undead chairs — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 16:49:42 -0800

I have a decent DVD player and television but now I need to get a new receiver and speaker system. The more I look, the more confused I am. Whatever I end up getting will be used for both DVDs and listening to CDs/radio.

I have a stereo system but it is at least 10 years old (maybe more, hard to recall) and takes up too much room, the two front speakers are four feet tall and over one foot deep and wide.

I bought this speaker system for my computer and it sounds tons better than my existing stereo system, but I don’t suppose I can use it for my home theater and computer both. Well, actually I guess since the optical input is not being used a 12 ft optical cable could work... only able to use one at a time of course. It might not be appropriate for a home theater system anyway.

I want to spend as little as possible right now. If that means getting a pretty good receiver and just the front speakers and adding later, or getting a good receiver and some so-so speakers that can be upgraded later, fine. But there are too many choices and I have no idea what to look for.