Electrician Santa Monica – LED Signs and You

Posted on April 16, 2013 | by K Hopkins

As a small business owner, you are always looking for new ways to advertise and share information with your customers and potential customers. One of the ways that is really catching on is the use of an on-premises LED sign. This is not something you want to jump into lightly and in fact is something you may need to enlist the help of an electrician in Santa Monica. The team at Electric Connection is here to help you when it comes time to install or maintain your LED sign, as well as assist you with your other electrical-related tasks.

An LED sign is a great advertising solution. Unlike a traditional sign, you can change the message from inside, using a computer program or maintenance panel. This is much safer than climbing onto a ladder and changing the lettering like on a normal sign! Additionally, since it is so easy to change the message, you will be more likely to keep your message up to date.

The reason many people resist changing to an LED sign is the cost. There is an upfront fee because you are purchasing the equipment. However, if you choose Electric Connection for your electrician Santa Monica, you will be assured you are getting a great deal on the installation costs! Additionally, maintenance is often quite simple. If you do have problems, Electric Connection can come out and get you back up and running quickly and easily.

The payoff of an LED sign can be hard to measure. These are eye-catching and will bring in customers as they drive or walk by your place of business. Investing in one of these signs will give you payoff both now and well into the future. Look into the options available to you and consider utilizing this easy and cost-efficient method of advertising your business today.

Santa Monica Electrician – Dangers of DIY

Posted on March 28, 2013 | by K Hopkins | 2 Comments

“I can fix that!” This is something you may be tempted to say when you find small problems with the electrical system in your house. You may like to do work on your own home and if you have the right skill set, a do it yourself project is rewarding because you save money and have the satisfaction of a job well done. However, when you are dealing with electrical work, this is a completely different issue. Think twice before you begin working on electoral-related projects. The potential hazards can be very dramatic. Consider these risks and then call an electrician in Santa Monica, such as one from Electric Connection, to help with your next project.

Each year, hundreds of fires are caused from unstable wiring and insecure connections. Using a licensed Santa Monica electrician assures that code is followed and that the wiring will be done properly.
You can hurt yourself if you mishandle a wire or do not perform the job just right. Experienced electricians have spent hundreds of hours learning safety skills that prevent this.
If you install an electrical implement wrong, you can easily fry or melt the item or even harm the wiring in the walls. If you cause this through your own lack of skills, your insurance company may not pick up the bill.

It may seem like you can save money by choosing to “do it yourself” on your electrical project. However, even a relatively simple project can become complicated and expensive if you do not understand exactly what you are doing. Instead of suffering alone, call Electric Connection and let one of our many experts come out and help you complete your project safely and with the necessary skill. In most cases, you will save money since you have less to worry about when you use an expert.

Advice from an Electrician in Glendale – Lowering Electric Bills

Posted on March 27, 2013 | by K Hopkins

Spring has sprung. This means more days where it gets a little warm and you may need some air conditioning—but not so warm that you can count on turning off the heater for the year though. While your utility bills may be a bit lower in springtime than in other times of the year, it is still a concern. One of the best ways you can keep those utility bills even lower is by sealing your home against temperature loss. This does not cost much and is something you can do yourself—though a Glendale electrician may be able to provide advice if you find yourself with questions.

Sealing your home is one of the most effective means of keeping down energy consumption—this not only lowers your utility bills, it can reduce your reliance on fossil fuels too. Consider these tips as a great place to get started:

Weatherstrip all exterior doors. This helps reduce air leaks. Air leak is a problem even if the door looks like it fits tight. Did you realize that a 1/8 of an inch crack around all four sides of an average door allows as much air in as a 5 x 6 hole in the middle of the door?
Weatherstrip the garage door as well. These often leak even worse.
Plastic sheeting on your single pane windows will keep the temperature more consistent inside your home.
Check your basement and attic for holes you may not know about. Sometimes these are caused by wildlife. These are prime areas for leaks and the change in temperature that occurs in the basement or attic can affect the temperature of your whole house.
Talk to an electrician in Glendale, such as The Electric Connection, about other steps you can take to reduce leaks and lower your electric bill. The amount you save can be significant!

Understanding the NEC Before Calling an Electrician in Beverly Hills

Posted on March 27, 2013 | by K Hopkins

If you ever spend any time studying your electrical equipment, something that you probably come across time and time again is reference to the NEC or National Electrical Code. Whether or not you consider yourself a home improvement expert, or you call an electrician in Beverly Hills with every problem you encounter, it is important to know more about what the NEC is and how it affects you as a home or business owner.

Essentially, the National Electrical Code is a standard for safe installation of wiring and equipment in the United States. It is not a legally binding regulation in and of itself. However, it is regionally adoptable meaning that many states, municipalities and counties have standardized their enforcement of electrical practices by choosing to use the NEC as their code of standards.

The NEC is actually part of the National Fire Codes series of regulations that is published by the NFPA. Since it may or may not be in force in your locale, it is important that you find out before you install an electrical device or change the wiring in your home or office. Because of this, many people find that even if they do have the knowledge that it is easier to call a Beverly Hills electrician—such as one from The Electric Connection.

Electricity is a complex matter and regulations such as the NEC are developed to protect you and help make certain people not injured when working with the wiring around you. The details of the NEC may be a bit complex for some do it yourselfers, but it is worth reading over it and at least trying to understand the basics. This can help keep you safe and make certain that you are in compliance with the regulations in force in your particular community.

Electrician Pasadena – How to Know When You Need an Electrician

Posted on December 18, 2012 | by K Hopkins | 1 Comment

Though there are a variety of different electrical tasks that a handy homeowner can tackle on their own, taking on a job that is too complex or difficult for you can be deadly. If you do not know exactly what you are doing, or if you have to work with the electrical wiring in your home, we highly recommend that you have a professional electrician in Pasadena do the job. If you familiarize yourself with some of the most common signs and symptoms of wiring problems and other electrical problems, you will know when it is time to give us a call.

The following are some of the most common signs of more serious electrical problems:

Breakers Trip Frequently – If your breakers trip or fuses blow often, it could be a signal to you that something is not working properly. You are either dealing with an overloaded circuit, or even more serious wiring issues. Either way, you should have your electrical system looked at as soon as possible to ensure its safety.
Hot Electrical Outlets – If you have an outlet that feels hot to the touch, unplug anything that is connected to it and do not use it anymore. This is a clear sign of overheating, which can be caused from wiring problems or an overloaded circuit. Call The Electric Connection immediately.
Exposed Wiring – Although you may think that this is common sense, it is typical to procrastinate even when it comes to exposed wiring. This should be treated very seriously, as it could result in electrical shocks, electrical fire or even death.

You should never procrastinate in having your electrical system inspected by a professional electrician Pasadena. This is because even small problems can result in huge dangers. Keep your home and family safe by knowing, recognizing and responding to these signs of wiring issues.

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Electrician in Pasadena – How to Use Your Electrical Panel

Posted on November 29, 2012 | by K Hopkins | 2 Comments

Your electrical panel serves as the entry point for the electricity being provided to your home from your electrical utility. It also functions as an electrical safety device that will turn off an electrical circuit if there is too much current. Excess levels of electricity can lead to fire or electrical shock. Although you can often tell which circuit is malfunctioning by looking at your breaker box, it can make things much easier if you take the time to label all of your circuits or fuses. This way, you know which switch goes to which area of your home, regardless of whether or not that particular breaker has visibly tripped.

Most newer homes use circuit breakers in order to protect the different areas of the house. Some older homes, however, may still have fuses. If your home still has a fusebox, consider calling a local Pasadena electrician to inspect your electrical system. This is often the sign of an undersized electrical service. If you have a breaker panel, just follow the below steps to restore power to the area of your home that has been affected.

Excess electrical current passing through a circuit will cause your circuit breaker to trip, effectively stopping the current from flowing anymore. When this happens, the switch will move to a neutral position, which is between the ON and the OFF position. To return power to this circuit, all that you have to do is flip the switch all the way to the OFF position and then back to the ON position. Before doing this, it is good practice to turn off or unplug all appliances in the circuit.

Now that the power is back on, you can continue to use your circuit as usual. If you have continuous issues, however, you should call our technicians at The Electric Connection for assistance. We are always more than happy to lend a helping hand. You can also get more information through our website at www.theelectricconnection.com.

Burbank Electrician – Signs You May Need an Electrician

Posted on November 19, 2012 | by K Hopkins | 3 Comments

If you are a fairly handy person, then there may be a handful of small home electrical repairs that you want to take care of yourself. If you are not a skilled electrical professional, however, you should not put your life at risk. Always place your trust in an experienced electrician in Burbank. Although some tasks may seem safe enough to handle on your own, you should not even think about it unless you have been properly trained to do it. Regardless of how old your home is, you will encounter electrical problems every now and then. If you know what to look for, then you will know when it’s time to give The Electric Connection a call.

If your plug sockets feel hot to the touch, do not use them. Electrical shocks can be life threatening, and you do not want to expose yourself or your family to the possibility of them. If you find yourself experiencing this, call your electrician right away. Hot wires can overheat, leading to electrical fires that can be very hard to control.

If your breakers are tripping frequently or you blow fuses often, then you may want to have an electrician come take a look. Although it is normal for this to happen every now and then, it can signal a much more serious problem if it happens to frequently. If you have to pick and choose which appliances to run at any given time, then you need to have an electrician come and check things out.

As a rule, you should never hesitate in contacting a Burbank electrician whenever you suspect that you may have electrical issues that need attention. Although the cost may deter some, it will cost much less than if it is left unchecked. For more information about electrical issues, or to get in touch with us, visit our website at www.theelectricconnection.com.

Ask an Electrician Glendale – What Is a Live Wire?

Posted on October 19, 2012 | by K Hopkins | 1 Comment

Any wire that is referred to as “live” or “hot” is one that is carrying electrical current. If you come into contact with a live wire, it can result in electrical shock, because the body will function as a ground and the electricity will flow across the path of least resistance (your body) to reach the ground. If there are exposed electrical wires near you, whether in your home our outdoors, you must exercise caution. Always assume that any downed electrical wire is live.

Live wires in your home are normally color coded, according to the region that you live in. This means that the live wire in your electrical system could be black, brown or red. This lets you know that the wire that you are looking at could possibly be energized with electrical current. In your home, this live line is always balanced out with a “neutral” wire. The electricity will enter your appliance from the live wire and exit through the neutral wire.

Because of the way that electricity flows through a circuit, it is important to remember that both live and neutral wires can be energized with electrical current. In order to increase the safety of many appliances, it is common for an electrician in Glendale to install a polarized outlet, where one hole in the socket is larger than the other. These holes correspond to properly sized prongs in your power cords to ensure that you are providing live power to the correct part of the circuit. To further improve safety, some outlets also include a ground connection, giving any excess electricity a safe path from your electrical system into the ground. This connection can greatly lower your risk of electrical shock.

If you have any questions about grounded electrical systems, live wires or any other electrical issues, head on over to our website at www.theelectricconnection.com/.The Electric Connection is always more than happy to help.

Ask an Electrician Burbank – What is an Electrical Short?

Posted on October 19, 2012 | by K Hopkins | 1 Comment

Whenever you have a short circuit, it means that there was an accidental path created in your existing circuit, which generated a connection that was not there before the short occurred. Electricity will always follow the path of least resistance, which means that it will almost always follow this new path, rather than its intended path. This typically results in an abnormally high level of electrical current. The most common type of short is when two bare wires cross, such as when old insulation deteriorates, causing a loose connection which allows two wires to touch.

An electrical short is not something to take lightly. This increased current generates a great amount of heat, which can lead to sparks and fire. One way to identify an electrical short is by hearing a popping sound whenever that particular circuit is turned on. This is the sound of the electricity taking the path along the new connection that it has found, causing the circuit to experience a sudden overload. Smoke, flames and melting fixtures can follow, leading to larger fires and risk of shock in the immediate vicinity.

Another common source of electrical shorts is improper wiring. This can occur if the metal lining of a particular switch or outlet touches one of the wires. An electrician in Burbank must always find and fix shorts caused by damage, such as storm damage.

The most important thing to do whenever you have a short is to address it immediately. Because of the potential severity of this situation, call an electrician right away to have them inspect and fix the problem for you. A short left unrepaired can lead to more extensive damage, resulting in a much higher cost than if you had fixed the problem whenever it was first detected. For more information on electrical troubleshooting and our services, visit our main page (Click Here).

Los Angeles Electrician – A Few Reasons You Should Call an Electrician

Posted on October 2, 2012 | by K Hopkins

Keeping your home and family safe is a high priority for every homeowner. One of the best, yet often neglected ways to ensure their safety is to make sure that all of your home’s electrical components are in safe and good working order. When it comes to electricity, being safe is always far better than being sorry. Rather than worrying about loose wires, short circuits and other potentially dangerous situations, work with an electrician in Los Angeles to make sure that your home is as safe as it possibly can be.

Attempting to solve electrical problems on your own can not only put you in immediate danger, but can also make the problems worse than they were to start with. While it is perfectly fine to replace light bulbs, flip breakers back on and perform other similar simple tasks by yourself, tackling anything that has to do with wiring or the other electrical components in your home should be left to the professionals.

If you have a breaker or breakers that trip frequently, then it is time to call a Los Angeles electrician. This can be a sign that you may have malfunctioning appliances, or an overloaded circuit. This might mean that you need to address a problem with a particular appliance, or your electrical service in general. In some case, a small panel upgrade can add additional circuits to your home, allowing you to more evenly spread the load.

Regardless of whether you are faced with an electrical issue or if you need to have electrical components such as a whole house surge protector installed, your safety and the integrity of your home depend on the skills and experience that only a licensed, professional electrician has. For any questions, or to talk about your electrical jobs and problems, give us a call today at The Electric Connection. We’ll look forward to hearing from you.

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