Knowing when to install a new circuit in your home or business may seem like a daunting task. After all, you’re no electrician, and figuring out the details seems stressful! To which we at Kolb say, “No Problem!” There are specific cases and situations where installing a new circuit is really necessary, and all said it’s pretty clear when you need one. That is, if you know what you’re looking for.

Need a new circuit installation for your home or business? Contact our specialists today!

We’ll skip the science lesson and spare you the details of Ohm’s Law (though it’s fairly interesting reading), and other laws that apply to circuits. What you need to know is that a circuit is a dedicated device that houses electricity reserved for a specific task. Like a circuit for running your fridge, or to plug in your dryer.

A circuit operates in a loop, delivering electricity to the object in need of power, and then returning the electricity to the source (your electrical panel) when on or off. So, why would you need a new circuit? There are two primary cases:

If your circuit is not operating properly, it’s obviously time to seek a replacement. Not doing so can create some serious issues, the least of which is your appliances not running. A busted circuit can present serious dangers to your home, and should be addressed immediately. You can spot one by:

The other common time to get a new circuit installed is when you plan to add new, improved or newly existing appliances to your home. Many common use electrical machines require a lot of power, and plugging them into an existing circuit shared with other items will likely result in breaker flips.

Why? because a circuit is designed to supply a very specific amount of power, via your breaker. If you exceed the limit the breaker places on your circuit, the breaker will flip and refuse to allow the supply. This is why refrigerators, air conditioning, washing and drying machines and microwaves are often given a dedicated circuit.

Kolb has proudly served our area for years, and brings the best service and experience in the industry available. Our certified electricians can offer all of the skill, knowledge and tech needed to get your electrical project done right. At Kolb, your needs are our number one priority. Contact us today to learn more about circuits, and whether or not you may need a new one!

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Strips with more LEDs per foot will consume more power.

In short, if maximum energy efficiency is what’s most important to you, choose a light strip with smaller LEDs and fewer LEDs.

In order to ensure your LED power supply doesn’t overheat and fail prematurely, we use this general rule of thumb:

Make sure the total wattage of your LED strip lighting is at least 20 percent less than the power supply’s rated wattage.

For example, if you have an LED strip light that requires 80 watts of power to run, you’ll need a power supply that’s rated for at least 96 watts.

The vast majority of our strips include wattage per foot right on their product pages.

power supplies range from six watts to 1,500 watts for compatibility with a wide variety of LED strip lights.

Let’s take a look at an example:

It’s important to verify that the voltage of the power supply you choose is compatible with the voltage of your LED strip lighting. Also, be sure that the power supply’s input voltage matches that of the location it will be installed in. If you have an LED strip with 12-volt DC operation that you wish to use in a 120-volt AC home wiring system, you’ll need a power supply that includes 120 volts in its input range and has 12-volt DC output.

Another factor to take into account for longer runs is voltage drop. A significant voltage drop is present after a certain distance of LED strip. After this distance, there will not be enough voltage present to light the next length of strip. This varies depending on the type of strip and length being used. Usually, a single-density strip (nine or less LEDs per foot) will need to run back to a power source every 32 13/16 feet (10 meters). A high-density strip (18 or more LEDs per foot) will need to run back to a power source every 16 3/8 feet (5 meters). Please refer to “Max Run” in the specifications table of the strip light to determine how many can be run continuously without a parallel run back to power.

3) the 4) if you want your strip to be dimmable

power supply calculator on the product pages of all of our LED strip lights!

There are a few steps involved:

Step 1: Select your strip and the length you need.

Step 3: Click the green “Power Supply Calculator” tab, and select your product by choosing it from the list OR by pasting the exact part number in the search bar.

Step 4: Enter the number of strips at the desired length you’ve selected and voila! You’ll see a list of all compatible power supplies with the best match at the top of the list!

When dealing with electronics, safety is paramount, and you want everything to work like it’s supposed to. So if you’re still not sure which power supply to use for your LED strip lighting project, just reach out to our technical support team or customer service department at 866-590-3533. Our teams are available from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT on Friday.

Does it feel like there’s never enough outlets in your home? If your guests always ask where they can charge their phones or your family has hardly enough space to charge all your smartphones, tablets, and laptops, you’re not alone. This is a problem many homeowners face as they rely on technology more and more to keep up with work, in case of emergencies, and to look up recipes, directions, and more.

Fortunately there’s a simple solution: installing a USB port hub. Electrical outlet ports, or USB hubs, can be installed in convenient parts of your home, like your kitchen, as an easy way to keep all your devices plugged in, close by, and all in the same place.

The USB port hub allows you to keep pace with the ever-growing demand for access to technology; your cables can be plugged directly into the port without the need for an extension cord. They are ideal in key areas of your home that are used often or where you require access to multiple technologies at once.

We recommend installing your USB port hub in your:

Installing a USB port hub in your DC-area home allows for smarter electrical outlet placement. Consider the many benefits:

If you need help making smarter decisions about electrical outlet placement or installing outlets in a USB port hub, call Kolb Electric. We have a full staff of licensed electricians with experience in a variety of home wiring projects throughout the Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC areas, including installing USB port hubs. In fact, we’ve been helping area homeowners with their electrical outlet placement needs since 1925.

Call us at 877 287-1179 or click here to schedule an appointment today!