Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) are common in many homes today. In fact, new homes are required to use GFCIs in certain areas like bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoor areas, and unfinished basements. This is because GFCIs provide a level of protection from electrical shock from things like water, which can cause serious injury or even death.

However, GFCIs do need to be reset from time to time. They are designed to shut off if they detect current flowing through an unintended path. If this happens, the GFCI will interrupt the electrical current, which will depower any devices plugged into it and possibly cause power outages at other outlets on the same circuit.

When this happens, many homeowners call us for GFCI resetting help. But you may be able to fix the issue yourself. Here is what you can try before calling the GFCI experts in Arvada.

Tips to Reset a GFCI

A GFCI can be reset without any technical know-how. There are two rectangular buttons on the face of a GFCI, which are usually One is the “TEST” button, and the other is the “RESET” button. Some GFCIs also have an LED light that may illuminate when the GFCI  trips . When the TEST button is pressed, the RESET button will pop out if it isn’t already. To reset the GFCI, simply push and hold the RESET button until it latches.

GFCI Experts in Arvada

If the GFCI will not reset using the above procedure, you’ll want to call an electrician. There could be a problem with the outlet itself or the wiring in the circuit. There could also be an issue at the breaker box or somewhere else along the line. When working correctly, your GFCIs should be reset without much issue, so, if they aren’t, there may be something else causing the problem.

just 15 years ago. I wonder if any of the attendees at COMDEX thought to themselves “One day, I can cook my steak with the help of a tiny glowing tool that changes colors when my meat is cooked to perfection.” Probably not. Thankfully Sharper Image did, so now you can cook your steak and monitor it from your smart phone.

Today, there are three things that are impacting outdoor lighting trends, taller elevations, the shift from brown-based to grey-based exterior materials and the continued desire for Outdoor Living elements and accessories. Together or separate, these changes are having an impact on outdoor lighting.

Taller

For almost ten years now, the height of interior ceilings has been shifting from a longstanding norm of eight-foot to a minimum of nine-foot tall. Many homes and many geographic areas are seeing minimums of ten and even twelve-foot. Homeowners love the expanse this provides. The unintended result of this growth is taller exterior elevations. Because of these increases in the exterior elevation and the commensurate growth of exterior door size and height, the standard, wall-mounted lighting fixtures that flank the doors and garage of a home had grown. Gone are the 8” porch lights of the past. Consumers must seek out taller exterior lighting to compliment the extended expanses outside.

Occurring almost concurrent with the interior ceiling height increases has been a growth in urban infill architecture. Central city lots are not the same as suburban plots. They often were extremely narrow, but also quite deep. The resultant architecture is significantly narrower and usually over two-stories tall. A three-story or four story façade again warrants a taller lighting fixture, but these must also be substantially narrower. For this type installation, seek out narrow and tall lighting.

From Brown to Gray

The dominant color of residential exterior has been beige/brown/tan for an extremely long period of time. Over the last five years, a larger and larger percentage of new homes have been using grey, slate, black and even white. Stones, siding, roofing, trim and windows are all experiencing this shift. Exterior lighting has primarily been some form of bronze. That is shifting now to colors and finishes that work better with the new material palette. Look for more black, variants of grey and even aluminum, stainless and nickel finishes. Each of these will more effectively compliment the new colors.

Keep in mind that there is a fair amount of regionalism in this particular trend. Housing colors in “dessert” areas (Phoenix, Southern California, Nevada, Florida and parts of Texas) where stucco homes are de rigueur will not see this shift. The stucco is naturally beige and roofing must be terra cotta to withstand the elevated temperatures. It is highly unlikely to see the demand for bronze-based finished altering here. Expect continued demand in these specific locations.

Outdoor Living Continues

The trend toward more and more outdoor use of a home shows no signs of stopping. Homeowners want to maximize their living space and extending to the home’s exterior is a natural reaction. There are typically thousands of square feet of living space outside. Why not use it? That space has been filled with kitchen equipment that rivals the inside and seating and tables that delivers the same type of comfort as interior furnishings. Look for lighting to follow this path. Exterior chandeliers continue to grow in popularity. Pendants and linear lighting have recently appeared. Landscape Lighting provided by LED remains a viable way to add interest to these outdoor spaces. Relatively recent additions are battery-operated LED Portable Lamps than can be positioned around the area to add light where people tend to congregate. All of these forms of light are designed to enhance the already inviting outdoor spaces.

It is interesting to note, this is not a regional trend. People in the north are as likely as southerners to equip their homes with these accessories. It is often said that northerners must pack 12 months of outdoor living into four or five months and they do that with gusto! Every outdoor is primed and ready for these products.

Outdoor Trends

A tertiary trend that is slowing gaining foothold is a more contemporary overall design. Initially this started with architect-driven homes and urban infill architecture, but more contemporary or contemporary-leaning residences are appearing. For that reason, an uptick in the demand for modern designs is becoming evident. While small today, it cannot be ignored. More will inevitably be employed in the future.

Outdoor trends in residential exteriors tend to be slow in coming and they typically hold for a longer period of time than interior trends. These shifts have been accelerating for a while now. When they peak, they will hold for a longer period of time. Our love for the outdoor seems inexhaustible.

If you live in an older home, you may notice your bathroom is missing a bath fan. While it is easy to chalk these things up to nothing more than an inconvenience, it is actually much more serious than that. Those bath fans do more than circulate the air in the small bathroom. They are an important part of your home’s construction according to an electrician. Pasadena homeowners will want to ensure the fan in each of their bathrooms is working properly and if one is not present, it is important to have one installed. The Electric Connection can take care of this for you.

Bath fans should be used anytime somebody is showering. The steam produced during a hot shower can wreak havoc on your walls, flooring and even the fixtures in the bathroom. Moisture can lead to mildew and mold. Warping of the wood in the floors and walls is also possible. A bath fan pulls the steam out of the bathroom and reduces the risk of these problems happening.

If you do not currently have a fan in a bathroom, you have plenty of options when it comes to choosing the right one for you. Of course, there are the old standards that are nothing more than a fan. But nowadays, there are plenty of options. Lights are a common addition to the fans available today along with heaters. If a person hates using the fan during a hot shower because all the warmth is pulled out of the bathroom, the heat provided by the fan will provide a warm, toasty environment when stepping out of the shower. The fan should be installed by an electrician. Pasadena homeowners can call The Electric Connection to have their new bath fan installed. Take a trip to your home improvement store and check out all of the options you have and then give us a call.