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It's About Time Clocks
Daylight Doesn't Respond to Daylight Savings Time.
 


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It's About Time Clocks . . .

            With the recent incarnation of the national madness known as 'Daylight Savings Time' finally behind us, it is time to pause and reflect upon time clocks. (I'm not sure why industrial timers are referrred to as 'time clocks'. The name seems redundant, but it is commonly used.)

            Todd, the Hotel's General Manager stopped me in the hallway.

           "Doc", he said, "Be sure all the timers are set ahead to Daylight Savings Time - - Especially the ones that control the lights in the parking lot!"

            I smiled, "The timers that control lights are the least of your problems. They don't need to be reset. The sun does not care whether it is Standard or Daylight Savings Time. The sun rises and sets according to its own schedule."

            The statement seemed to confuse Todd. He looked at me quizzically and did not reply. Instead, he abruptly turned and walked away.

            Only timeclocks that control equipment directly affecting people need to be reset for Daylight Savings Time. Naturally, you need to reset the displays on TVs and telephones and the like, because people depend those displays for their personal schedules. But, other time clocks like the ones that control lighting circuits and refrigeration defrost cycles can be safely skipped during the switch to Daylight Savings Time.

            I once had the pleasure of working in a hotel where the French Chef would call me several times each month with the same complaint about his freezer. I swear, the dialogue was something straight out of a Marx Brothers movie:

            French Chef: "Doc, zee freezaire! She ees not working again! No fans do they run! No cold does it make! It makes zee popping gurgling noises! You come quickly!"

            Doc: "Don't worry. It's OK. It's defrosting . . ."

            French Chef: "No! I do not freeze zee frosting. I keep zee frosting in zee bakery refrigerator!"

            Hoo Boy . . .

            In the interest of my sanity, I put an end to the French Chef's phone calls by setting the defrost cycle to acutate when the he would not notice it. I learned to keep the French Chef off my tail by setting one defrost cycle in the morning before the kitchen opened and another late at night after the Chef had gone home.

           Daylight Savings Time or Standard Time - I always made sure that the French Chef's freezer was always set to the correct time.

Doc

2006.04.04








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