As a Top Plano Electrician, I know better than anyone how powerful and useful electricity is. It also makes me more aware of what most people tend to ignore or forget: electricity is dangerous. Electricians are required by law to carry insurance, and for good reasons. Electric current is capable of starting fires and destroying your property and equipment in a matter of moments. The proper safety precautions really can save lives, and there‘s always something we can do to improve home safety.

One of the most important precautions is located in your electrical panel: the circuit breaker. It is designed to keep you from using more electricity than the wiring or receptacle can handle at one time, what we refer to as overcurrent protection. This protects your wiring from taking on too much current, which can cause the coating around your wiring to melt, the leading cause of electrical fires. Circuit breakers serve another purpose as well; not only to protect from surges coming from outside your home, but from potential hazards within it as well. Current flowing through a failed piece of equipment or appliance can cause sparks, which have the potential to start fires or damage other electrical devices. A properly functioning circuit breaker can shut off the power to this device. It’s very important, however, that you use a circuit breaker of the proper size for the circuit to ensure that your wiring is properly protected.

Circuit breakers come in specialty varieties as well; the most important are ground fault circuit breakers (GFCI), for wet locations, and arc fault circuit breakers (AFCI). AFCI’s, in particular, can help prevent some of the most common dangerous situations in your home.

I’ve dealt with plenty of cases where electrical fires have started because people ran an extension cord under the carpet, so that they can power the lamp in the center of the room. Over time, people walking over the cord stretches out the wiring, making it so thin that the current overloads the thinly stretched wire, creating an arc fault; the electricity “jumps” the wire, completing the circuit in a way the cord can’t handle and generating heat that starts a fire. Arc fault circuit breakers prevent this by shutting the circuit down when the arc fault occurs.

So what do you need to know about arc fault circuit breakers? To start with, by code AFCI’s should be installed on any circuit that isn’t protected by a GFCI or directly wired into an appliance. It’s in your best interest to have your safety devices routinely inspected to maintain their optimum performance and capabilities; in particular, your circuit breakers should be inspected at least once a year. The inspection process is quick and relatively inexpensive, and something that simple really can save the lives of you and your family.

Solar power is something any home can take advantage of. You don’t have to live in the boonies to use solar power to offset your electric bill. The process of installing solar panels is relatively easy and can be taken care of by a Pasadena electrician like those at The Electric Connection. Solar energy is free and is most certainly the way of the future. Imagine cutting your electric bill in half or more by relying on the sun.

The panels are typically installed on the roof of your home. The initial cost of the solar panels will vary depending on how many you choose to have and the various sizes. There are lease options that have proven to be very good options for homeowners who are not quite ready to make the rather sizable initial investment to buy their own solar power equipment. Call it a test run of sorts as you learn to rely on solar energy.

Many people don’t realize that they can use solar power to run their homes even if they live in the suburbs. Most covenants will allow for the panels to be installed. Your home will stay connected to the main power grid so there is no fear of “running out of power.” In fact, if your solar power system happens to generate more electricity than you can use, you can sell it back to your electric company in most cases. How many people can say their power company pays them a monthly fee?

Because the solar panels will need to be connected to your home’s electric panel, you will need to hire an electrician. Pasadena homeowners will see the cost-savings of using solar power within the first month. As you grow more accustomed to maximizing the solar energy, those savings will increase over time. If you would like to learn more about adding solar panels to your home, give The Electric Connection a call today.

We’ve added linkable linear LED light fixtures to our home, commercial, and industrial product lines. The 5-foot fixtures can be used for anything from parking garage, warehouse, and tunnel lighting to supermarket, workbench, or home garage lighting. These LED fixtures can be easily connected with compatible Super Bright LEDs accessories to create a powerful, energy-efficient light series.

Using no more than 50 watts of power, the 4- and 5-foot linear LED lights emit 5,500 or 6,500 lumens, respectively, of bright natural white illumination. They’re designed to replace 250- or 320-watt fluorescent tube light fixtures but will last five times longer. These LED fixtures illuminate instantly and don’t emit the yellow-green hue that is typical of fluorescent lights.

The weatherproof linkable lights have sturdy aluminum housings and shatterproof polycarbonate lenses. They’re dust tight as well as water and impact resistant. Twenty 5-foot fixtures can be connected in a series, and up to 25 4-foot fixtures can be linked. Mounting brackets are included for wall or ceiling installation, and a suspension kit is also available.

Home rewiring is a topic that many people are not familiar with. Besides the value of correcting any electrical safety issues, a new electrical rewire has many other advantages to offer. For example, having upgraded wiring can determine when and how you can use your electrical outlets, if you can accommodate air conditioning, and/or if your home or business can handle the load of today’s heavy duty appliances, multiple computers and more.

Here are some good indicators that a home rewire is in order from a Glendale electrician:

Instead of worrying over the state of your home or business electrical system, why not have an electrician Glendale residents recommend take a look at your home? After all, your home is much more likely to maintain its value over time if it meets both legal and common use electrical standards. Since most homes or businesses today create a high electrical demand, it is a good idea to make sure you have the best and most upgraded electrical system possible.

Finding an electrical contractor with experience in complete rewiring projects is essential. The Electric Connectionhas the expertise you’ll need, and we’re standing by to help you with your rewire or any other type of electrical projects that you might have. Why take chances with your home when professional help is just a few clicks away? Visit TheElectricConnection.com to learn more about our company and our mission to provide fast, friendly service at an affordable price.

The holidays are upon us and though you’re probably more concerned with making holiday plans, you should also take aluminum wiring replacement in Manassas into consideration this year. Though it may seem your current electrical system is working well with aluminum wiring, it is highly dangerous to have in your home. Though it was popular many years ago to install aluminum wiring in homes, they have proven to be hazardous, leading to higher risks of residential fires!

Though you’ll have plenty of good times this holiday season, many Manassas homeowners aren’t fully aware of the dangers of having aluminum wiring in their home. Here are the dangers you should know: