Sunday, January 31, 2010

When You Buy Condo Insurance There Is One Big Question To Ask?

By Ken Henry

If you have recently purchased a condo, your next step is to look at getting condo insurance. This is fairly straightforward, but you may want to keep a few things in mind that can help you get the best rates, while enjoying the most comprehensive coverage possible.

The first question that you need to ask is what is covered under the condominium corporation insurance policy, and what will need to be covered under your personal policy. Generally, only items owned by the condominium corporation will be covered by their insurance policy. This includes stairwells, elevators, items in the lobby, hallways and external fixtures such as roofing.

Another thing to ask is what your condominium insurance covers. You need to know that upgrades to your unit, such as improved flooring, are not normally covered by the corporation policy. Like a homeowners policy, you may also need to make special arrangements to include luxury vehicles or items stored off the premises.

You will need to ask your corporation some questions as well, in order to find out what your unit holder responsibilities are. This will enable you to select a condo insurance policy that will mesh well and allow you to meet your responsibilities should your unit or building become damaged. You will also need to ask the corporation what the minimum amount of coverage required is. This is part of your obligations as a unit holder, as some buildings may require you to have higher coverage than others. Because a condo corporation has the right to pass by-laws that govern its unit holders, you are forced to abide by any decisions regarding your insurance policy and coverage that the corporation has set out.

There are many different areas where condo insurance may be more affordable, and there should be some wiggle room as far as pricing. One thing to ask about is the distance at which personal injury claims are covered under your insurance policy. A good range is one hundred and fifty feet. If the injury happens farther away than that it should be covered by the corporation policy. Since personal injury claims can be expensive, this may help you to lower your insurance costs.

Who is covering your condominium corporation? You may find that you can save money if you use the same company to insure your individual unit. Because insurance can be quite expensive in general, you may find that it is helpful to be able to find ways to save money wherever possible.

Condo insurance is different than homeowner insurance, but there are still ways to save money. This could include a higher deductible. The deductible is the amount of money you are required to pay out of pocket on an insurance claim. The higher the deductible is, the lower your premiums will be.

By shopping smart when you purchase condo insurance, you can find a great deal that makes sure that you and your belongings are covered in the event of a fire or other damage.

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Understanding The Operation Of Your Vehicle's Torque Converter

By Eric Driver

having driven a vehicle with a manual transmission, you know that the clutch is an essential part of the vehicle's operation. It decouples the engine from the transmission, allowing the engine to move independently.

Cars with automatic transmissions lack a clutch that would otherwise disconnect the engine from the tranny. They use a torque converter (TC) instead. It is a donut-shaped component that is located directly between your car's engine and transmission. It transfers torque to the wheels of your vehicle. The faster your engine spins, the more torque the TC sends.

To illustrate, suppose that you were stopped at a red traffic light. While your engine idles, it moves slowly and sends a small bit of fluid to the torque converter. Even though the TC uses that fluid to send torque to your wheels, the small amount requires only light pressure on your brake pedal to prevent moving forward. If you were to accelerate, your engine would spin faster and send more fluid to the TC. In turn, the torque converter would send more torque to the wheels. You would need to apply more braking power in order to stop your car.

A Look Inside The Torque Converter

The TC is comprised of three main parts: the pump, turbine, and stator. The pump is made up of fins. Fluid enters the TC through the component's middle and is flung outward by the pump's fins as it spins. As the fluid exits, it creates a vacuum that draws more fluid into the torque converter.

The turbine, made up of blades, is attached to your vehicle's transmission. As the turbine spins, it spins the tranny. The spinning activity is created by the fluid which enters the turbine from the outer perimeter and exits near the middle. However, before it exits, the fluid needs to change the direction in which it is flowing. That causes the turbine to spin.

Between the pump and the turbine lies the stator. It is responsible for changing the direction of the fluid (again) as it leaves the turbine on it way back toward the pump. The manner in which it accomplishes this is abrupt. The stator uses a clutch to connect to your transmission. As a result, it can only rotate in one direction. As fluid comes into the stator from the turbine, its direction is brusquely changed.

The activity taking place within the torque converter plays a dual role while you're driving. First, it decouples the engine from the transmission, which allows you to bring your vehicle to a stop without letting the engine die. Second, it transmits torque to the wheels as you press down on your accelerator. That allows you to gain speed.

Late-model vehicles have an additional component on the torque converter called a lockup clutch. This allows the left and right sides to lock together, effectively rotating at the same rate. The result is better fuel efficiency and less slippage.

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