Have you been calling for help from an electrician in Los Angeles more often than you’d care to admit? If you have old wiring, whenever you’ve had an electrical service call the electrician should have made you aware of the wiring situation. A knowledgeable Los Angeles electrician will tell you when your electrical wiring needs to be replaced.

Cloth insulated wires may not be grounded properly and are definitely unsafe by today’s standards. The cloth actually falls off, leaving exposed wires in vulnerable areas of your home. If a home’s wiring is aluminum, the wiring shrinks and expands at contact points, causing a potential fire hazard. Neither method is safe. If you think your home may contain either of these types of wiring, The Electric Connection specializes in wiring upgrades for older homes.

The knob and tube wiring that electricians in Los Angeles used before the 1940s employs the use of ceramic knobs and tubing, with wires running through the tubes. It is not a grounded system, so plugging in any modern appliances or electronics is an immediate fire hazard. There are a number of insurance companies that will not offer fire insurance to homes with this type of system. An electrician in Los Angeles from The Electric Connection can upgrade knob and tube for you also.

Homeowners hear the words “electrical upgrade” and immediately start to see dollar signs. With the Electric Connection, the prices are affordable and the work that is recommended is an investment, not an expense. Older wiring systems are not only unsafe; they’re raising the cost of your electricity. More modern systems were developed with efficiency in mind. When a home is upgraded from knob and tube wiring or aluminum wiring, the electric bill immediately goes down, as does the insurance bill and the home repair budget – no more calling a Los Angeles electrician once a month for blown fuses or shorts.

The Electric Connection is the electrician Los Angeles CA homeowners contact most often for electrical upgrades. With over thirty years experience and twenty-five full time employees, all residential and commercial electrical services needs are handled quickly, efficiently, and affordably. Whether it’s a rewiring, an installation, or new construction, the professionals at the Electric Connection can handle it in a timely fashion. If you’re an LA homeowner, your family and your wallet will be happy that you did.

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Electrical repair isn’t a subject most people think of on a regular basis. Unless you’re an electrician, or you know an electrician, you don’t really think about the wiring inside your home and office walls, wiring that makes just about everything in our world possible!

Sometimes, though, an electrical system needs a little help. When it does, you’ll find yourself thinking about electrical repairs more than you ever thought you would. And you’ll need to find a good electrician, too!

But, first, how do you know you might need to make electrical repairs to your home or office?

If these sound familiar, you might be in need of electrical repairs in your home or office:

-> Appliances that switch off, consistently, when another appliance is switched on

-> Power off in just one part of the home

-> Do you consistently replace a certain breaker in your breaker box?

If any of these symptoms sounds familiar to you, you might need to make electrical repairs to your home or office. The best place to start is to find a good electrician. A good electrician can help you to locate the problem, estimate the repair cost, and get the job done right!

There’s no real science to finding a good electrician just like there’s no real science to living life! Ask your friends or neighbors for advice, or do some research online. Whatever your process might be, the following two items are *essential*. Your electrician must be both certified/licensed and insured.

The electrical system in your home is a complex and delicate thing. Don’t neglect it! Fire is a real danger when it comes to ignored electrical problems – in just 2011, alone, 43,700 domestic fires in the United States were linked to electrical problems in the home or office.

So, if you suspect trouble, no matter how small, find yourself a good electrician and find peace of mind!

Older homes generally have a character quality that can’t be seen in newer houses. These homes offer great value, and renovation improvements can bring new life into them. Unfortunately often enough the electrical wiring is never inspected during these updates for years at a time. To ensure that all your hard work is going to be safe, look for these common dangers that could threaten your older home.

From the 50s to 70s many homes were built with aluminum wiring. This was used because it was cheaper and more conductive than copper wiring. Unfortunately many pitfalls were found with aluminum wiring after it was used. Overheating and cracking are common problems with aluminum wiring. If your home was built in this time period, have your wires inspected. There could be a number of hazardous points behind your walls that may cause major issues. For more information and hazard signs of aluminum wiring, read our blog article.

Knob and tube wiring was used in homes in the early 1900s and even as early as 50 years ago. It is possible that these homes still contain knob and tube wiring in them. This wiring can be dangerous as it is more likely to crack and result in electrical fires.

The dangers of these two out-dated wiring systems are that they were installed without worry and the problems were not realized until years later. The electrical wiring systems in these homes were left untouched and so did the problems that came with them. Electrical fires, are especially dangerous as the fire starts and spreads quickly and out of sight. By the time the fire is visible it is too late and the damage can be done.

Over the years homes can see additions: new rooms added onto the home, new electrical lines added, hot tubs, etc. If a licenced electrician did not perform these additions there can be a mess of wire connecting the additions to the original home. This problem comes to a head at the service panel. If it is not properly maintained the breaker will trip constantly and electrical outlets will be overloaded. This is very dangerous as the electrical panel is in charge of keeping your home safe from electrical hazards. It is very important that the electrical panel is upgraded in order to provide the correct control of electricity throughout the entire house, old and new. This also means the panel is properly labelled so it is easy to maintain if further updates are being made.

While there is nothing wrong with purchasing an older home, we recommend that a licenced electrician inspect the electrical system in order to identify potential electrical hazards. One of our expert electricians can provide you with a list of items that should be handled. This will help you have peace of mind that your family is safe in their home.

If you have an electric car, you may have been excited with the idea of saving money on gas while doing something great for the environment. Unfortunately, your car may not be meeting your expectations. What many people don’t know about electric cars is the fact they can only go about 60 miles or so before they need recharged. If the car is out of juice, it will have to rely on gas and still cost you money. An electrician in Santa Monica, like those at The Electric Connection, can help you make your electric car work for you.

The electric cars are often sold with a standard, slow charger that runs on 120-volts. It can take about 24 hours for a car to be fully charged. It isn’t often you can sit at home for a full 24 hours to allow your car to become fully charged. Because of this, your electric car is not saving you as much money on your gas bill that it could be. You can opt to have a fast electric car charger, technically referred to as a Level II charger. You will need a Santa Monica electrician to install the proper outlet for the charger. This faster charger will charge your electric car in about 6 to 8 hours.

The Level II charger will require a 240-volt outlet to be plugged into. This isn’t a standard fixture in a garage. In fact, most homes only have one or two of these outlets and they are dedicated to the dryer and air conditioner. You invested in an electric car in order to decrease your dependency on gas. Make it work for you with the help of an electrician. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your appointment to have a 240-volt outlet installed.