Electricians provide a wide variety of services from tracking down the rogue outlet that keeps tripping the breaker to installing ceiling fans or lighting. Additionally, an electrician can install new home wiring or repair problems that already exist and need to be addressed. Sometimes you inherit electrical problems when you move into a pre-existing home that need to be resolved. Here are some signs that you may need to hire an electrician to upgrade the wiring in your home.

Unlike many other appliances or home features, age isn’t always the best indicator for when wiring needs to be updated. That being said, having an electrician come out to inspect the entire electrical system and having that information on hand is important. If you suspect that something may be wrong, don’t know when the last time an inspection was done, or your home was built in a year that used suspect electrical systems, call your Top Rated Local® electrician today.

The next time you get the chance, take a good, long look at your home’s outlets. What do they look like? Do they have three-prongs or only two? If you have a variety of two-pronged outlets it’s time to give an electrician a call. Two-prong outlets are ungrounded, unlike three-prong, which means that they can be a fire hazard. The outlets either need to be changed to three-prong and attached with a grounding wire or they need to be replaced by GFCI outlets in order to protect homeowners. An electrician is best to evaluate your specific home’s needs.

Above we mentioned homes being built during years that have suspect electrical elements. Aluminum wiring is the perfect example of this. During the 1960s and 70s, many homes were constructed utilizing aluminum wiring instead of copper. Over time, aluminum wiring will loosen, making it easier for fires to start when the outlet is in use. An electrician can let you know if your home is at risk and what to do about it.

Contact the Electrical Gurus if you think your home may need a wiring upgrade!

If you’re dying to install your new instructions for how to install a light bar. These instructions include options for installations with or without a wire harness and for connecting to existing LED lights. Installation will vary based on the type of vehicle, existing lighting setup, and chosen wiring method, but these instructions can serve to give you a general idea of the process. Light bar mounting instructions are also available and are listed by WH-DTS10, WWH-DTD30; (ATP) WH-ATPD20, sdoptional mounting brackets; be sure not to overtighten the hardware (you will need to adjust it in step 7).

3. Route the lighting side of the wiring harness from the battery to the light in a safe, secure manner. Connect the harness to the light. Be sure to avoid heat sources and any moving parts while running your wires. Prolonged chafing of the wires may lead to a short in the circuit. Typically, following the vehicle manufacturer’s wiring harness is a safe path to follow. Some lights may not have DT or ATP connections on them, but the connectors can be added from the harness kit or purchased separately (ATP-FPT).

4. Continue to route the switch portion of the harness to the desired location of the switch. The switch may need to be unplugged from the harness to make routing of the harness easier. An optional remote-controlled switch (RS-x) are also available with different legends.

5. Connect the black (ground) wire with the large ring terminal from the harness to the negative battery terminal. Connect the red (power) wire with the large ring terminal from the harness to the positive battery terminal.

6. Secure the relay to a suitable location, and test the light to make sure the circuit works.

7. Finally, aim the light in the desired direction, and tighten all mounting hardware.

3. Connect the black ground wire of the new light to the ground wire of the old light with solder and heat shrink tubing (PSC-x). Connect the red power wire of the new light to the power wire of the old light.

4. If the new LED work light or off-road light bar has an ATP or DT connector that you wish to utilize, corresponding ATP (DT-MPT) pigtails are available.

5. Finally, aim the lights in the proper direction, and tighten all mounting hardware.

1. Find a suitable mounting location that will allow for running wires and mounting the LED light bar. Mark where your holes will be for the light bar brackets or mounting feet. Check behind drilling locations to ensure nothing will be damaged. Drill appropriate-sized holes.

2. Mount the lights with the provided hardware or with DT-MPT or RRS-SP, RRS-SPx, or RCS-RF25A) under your hood to speed up install time and avoid routing wires through your vehicle’s firewall. Route another run of red wire from the pigtail adapter (connected to the light) to the output terminal of the switch. Be sure to avoid heat sources and any moving parts while running your wires. Prolonged chafing of the wires may lead to a short in the circuit. Typically, following the vehicle manufacturer’s wire harness is a safe path to follow.

4. Be sure to double-check for all obstructions and proper clearance. Drill an appropriate sized hole for the switch, and mount it.

5. Connect your black wire to the negative battery terminal. Connect your red wire to the switch input terminal and to the positive battery terminal with an appropriate-sized fuse holder (MAF-x) installed within 18 inches of the battery. You will have to cut your section of red wire to allow for the fuse holder to be installed between the switch and battery. Connect your other run of red wire to the switch output terminal.

6. Finally, aim the lights in the proper direction and tighten all mounting hardware.

Question: A contractor wants me to sign a Partial Release form on a job he hasn’t paid me for yet. Doesn’t that put me at risk of not collecting the money if I’m not really paid after I sign the release form? – Greg Storn

Answer: The good news here is that there is an easy solution to this issue. There are four different legal documents that apply to contracted work: 4. Unconditional Release Upon Final Payment

The only “condition” of a Conditional Release is that the release is valid only if the money specified on the release is paid to the contractor. In other words, if you are 50% complete with a $10,000 job, you can safely sign a Conditional Release Upon Progress Payment for $5,000. If you aren’t paid the $5,000, the release is not valid and you have not given up any of your lien rights to this money.

On the other hand, if you sign and Unconditional Release, you have just given up your rights to whatever amount of money that was on the Unconditional Release from. So the rule is, don’t sigh an Unconditional Release from until the money you are releasing is in your bank account. I’m not talking about a check in your hand, either. I’m saying that you should never sign an unconditional release until that check has cleared and the funds are literally in your bank account.

Some or my company’s corporate clients always ask for a release before they will pay an invoice. No problem, we just send them a Conditional Release Upon Progress Payment or a Conditional Release Upon Final Payment. Later, after their check has cleared into our bank account, we will (if they ask) follow up with an Unconditional Release.

By the way, Conditional Release forms protect both the client and the contractor. If a client gets a Conditional Release form a contractor, they know that they are protected from getting a lien from that contractor, but only if they actually pay the contractor the money specified on the lien.

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With energy prices on the rise and looking to keep going up, it is time to start considering your future. You can offset the increasing cost of supplying your home with electricity by switching to solar energy. Before you turn up your nose at the thought, you need to understand that solar energy has come a long way in the last ten years. The panels are a lot smaller and aesthetically appealing than they used to be. The solar installation process has been fine-tuned as well. The team at The Electric Connection has the experience you want when you are looking for solar installers.

You don’t have to live in a rural area to take advantage of solar energy. Most home covenants will allow for today’s more modern solar panels. The panels typically mount directly to the home’s roof and do not take up any space in the yard. Many of the panels blend right into the roof and hard to notice unless you look. They are available in a wide range of styles that are sure to fit your home’s design. One of the biggest concerns people have about switching to solar energy is the cost of solar panels. Cost isn’t what it used to be. There are plenty of options available to help make the initial investment a little more affordable and doable for the average family.

Imagine being able to save money every month on your electric bill. If you chose to rely completely on solar energy for your home’s energy needs, you could eliminate that bill from your monthly budget. You wouldn’t have to worry about an unreliable power grid or rapidly increasing rates. You can also take comfort knowing you are doing something great for the environment by switching to a renewable energy source. If you want more information about solar panel installation, give The Electric Connection a call today.

Whether you love the winter season or you aren’t a fan, there’s one thing that can’t be denied—winter is downright expensive. With your heating system roaring, the holidays coming up, and longer nights, you can find yourself neck deep in utility costs in a real hurry. Looking for easy, effective ways to reduce your energy costs this season? If so, the experts at Hoffman Electrical have you covered!

Our certified electricians have been proudly serving Tampa and the surrounding areas for decades. When it comes to quality service and products, we’re just hard to beat! And above all else, our experts are here to help. Sometimes that means electrical repair and installation, and sometimes that means just some good old fashioned useful tips.