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Electrician Los Angeles – A Few Practical Energy Conservation Tips

Posted on | by K Hopkins

Each and every household has at least one reason to conserve energy. This is a very basic idea, and should be important for everyone in all classes of society. By conserving energy you are being less wasteful, which can have a positive impact both on the environment and on your monthly energy bills. In most areas, electrical utility companies still use fossil fuels to provide our homes with the electricity that we use on a daily basis. This includes materials such as natural gas, coal and oil. The exhaust and other by-products of burning these fuels can be very harmful to the environment. Furthermore, they all have a limited supply that is rapidly declining due to the increased demand placed by humans.

What can you do to conserve energy at home?

One of the best places to start is to use your appliances mindfully. By this, we mean turning them off when they are not in use. For further power savings, you can even unplug them or turn an attached power strip off to avoid losing any “standby” power.

Your large home appliances, such as washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, air conditioners and heaters can account for up to two-thirds of the energy that you use at home. By unplugging them when not in use, or ensuring that they are only being used when necessary, you can make a significant dent in your electric bill. Take important steps such as turning your thermostat up when you leave the house, or improving your insulation. You can have your electrician in Los Angeles install time-saving devices such as programmable thermostats and dimmer switches to make this job even easier for you.

The bottom line is that everyone should be doing their best to conserve as much electricity as possible. While the effects may seem small, they truly add up and can benefit you both personally and everyone around you. For more ideas about energy conservation or help with an electrical installation or repair project, contact The Electric Connection. (Click Here).

Santa Monica Electrician – Reasons to Call Your Electrician Right Away

Posted on | by K Hopkins

One of the things that makes electrical troubleshooting so difficult is the fact that your electrical system is largely behind the scenes. Located behind your walls and in your ceiling, many issues will not manifest until they become very serious. As a result, it can be very easy to ignore electrical problems until they come to a point where they can no longer be ignored. To combat this, especially if you live in a n older home, you should have an electrician in Santa Monica inspect your electrical system regularly. By doing so, you can avoid many issues that result from an aging home and electrical system.

In addition to having a regular inspection, you should also educate yourself on the early signs of electrical issues. If you notice any of the below, make sure that you get in touch with a Santa Monica electrician right away. It can save you significant time and money if you take care of the issue early on, rather than when it becomes a real problem.

Lights Dim Unexpectedly

Do you have lights that dim whenever large appliances, such as your air conditioner cycles on? If these high-demand appliances are not on dedicated circuits, then they could be causing electrical issues within your home.

No GFCI Outlets

According to most local building codes, a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet is required in all areas that are frequently wet. This includes kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms and garages. If you do not have these, call The Electric Connection or click here.

Ungrounded Outlets

Older homes were often equipped with outlets that do not accept three-pronged, grounded plugs. This is a very strong indication that your electrical system is not grounded. If you have an ungrounded electrical system, then you could be exposing yourself to unnecessary dangers every time you use your electrical system. Have someone inspect your system and provide the proper grounding if necessary.

Pasadena Electrician – Avoiding Breaker Panel Fires

Posted on | by K Hopkins | 1 Comment on Pasadena Electrician – Avoiding Breaker Panel Fires

It is estimated that each year around 3,500 Americans die in home fires and 20,000 are injured. A leading type of home fires is the electrical fire. This is especially true in regards to manufactured homes. When it comes to breaker panel fires, there are currently two different brands of panels that have known manufacturing flaws that puts anyone with one of these panels at risk for an electrical fire. Zinsco panels and Federal Pacific Electric panels are known for the dangers that they pose. In addition to these two brands, there are also many people who have panels older than 40 years old that may not provide the protection that is needed to protect their homes properly from electrical dangers. If your home has one of these panels, you should get in touch with an electrician in Pasadena right away to ensure that the proper steps are taken to safeguard you and your family.

Federal Pacific Electric Company (FPE) Panels

The FPE was one of the largest circuit breaker panel manufacturers in North American from the 1950s to the 1980s. As time went on, many electricians discovered the dangers that these panels posed to the families that they were supposed to protect. It is now known that FPE panels may appear to work for many years, but can overheat and become a fire hazard after only one short circuit or overcurrent.

If you have a breaker that fails to trip whenever it is supposed, it can allow an incredible amount of electricity to enter your home from your electrical utility company. Whenever this happens, it can lead to severe overheating and electrical fires. As a result, many panels such as these older FPE panels can eventually catch on fire, leading to a very serious issue for any homeowner.

Zinsco Panels

Zinsco panels were also very common at one point in time. Although there are not many of them remaining, they can be very dangerous in the modern setting. These panels are simply not designed to handle the amount of electricity that we use every day.

For more information on electrical panels, (Click Here), or to schedule an electrical panel upgrade, call our team at The Electric Connection today.

Glendale Electrician – Why is an Electrician’s BBB Rating Important?

Posted on | by K Hopkins | 1 Comment on Glendale Electrician – Why is an Electrician’s BBB Rating Important?

One of the most important parts of hiring an electrician is screening and selecting the right contractor to work with. While this task may seem tedious at times, taking a little bit of time to do your due diligence at the onset can save you significant time and headache later on. By grading each contractor that you are considering by a number of variables, you can make your job a little bit easier. One important thing to consider with any electrical contractor is their rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Why should you care about a contractors’ Better Business Bureau rating? In a nutshell, the BBB is one of your best sources for learning more about a business’ track record. While customer testimonials should always be read with a grain of salt, complaints made to the Better Business Bureau are researched and responded to. Whenever a company has a longstanding A+ rating with the BBB, you can be sure that they have a reputation of upholding high standards of work and customer service. Furthermore, you can view any prior complaints to see how a business responds to any complaints that have been made.

In addition to giving you an idea of how many complaints an electrician in Glendale has received, knowing how they are responded to can be valuable information. A company that cares about its customers will take the time to properly address and fix any legitimate complaints, while a shoddy contractor may just brush them off.

With a little bit of research and the proper resources, you can find a high quality contractor that can take care of any and all of your electrical needs. The Electric Connection  holds an A+ rating and takes pride in the service that we provide. Please don’t hesitate to call us or visit our website for consideration in your next electrical project.

Burbank Electrician – What Exactly Does an Electrical Contractor Do?

Posted on | by K Hopkins | 4 Comments on Burbank Electrician – What Exactly Does an Electrical Contractor Do?

An electrician is someone who is able to fix and install electrical components, while an electrical contractor is a company or individual that employs a team of electricians to take on a variety of electrical tasks. These groups of tradesmen are responsible for performing all types of electrical work, including installing, removing and repairing electrical wiring. For a new construction electrical job, an electrical contractor will review the building’s blueprint, put together a basic plan for its electrical system and place a bid for the project.

In general, each electrical contractor will specialize in one or more types of electrical work. Each different electrical specialty has its own rules, regulations and techniques that an electrician in Burbank must follow. Here are some common specialties for electrical contractors:

Electrician Contractor

Electrician contractors do electrical work on residential and commercial properties. This includes installing fixtures, switches and outlets, electrical service installation and upgrades and other common electrical tasks. These contractors must pass a special certification test and meet state licensure requirements. Each electrician reports to and works in conjunction with an electrical contractor who will inspect and certify the work that they do.

Low Voltage Contractor

A low voltage contractor does electric work less than 600 VAC. This includes alarm installers, computer network engineers and alarm installers who deal with telephone, computer use and other nominal voltage systems.

Outside Plant Contractor

Outside plant electrical contractors are responsible for maintaining and installing the high voltage transmission lines that run between electric company facilities. This type of electrical contractor must not only be licensed, but also heavily trained in this specialized type of wiring. Because of the dangerous nature of this type of electrical work, only highly specialized and experienced contractors may participate in this type of electrical work.

While many electrical contractors specialize in a particular type of work, there are many who have compiled teams that can tackle a very wide variety of tasks. For your next project, don’t hesitate to give us a call or visit The Electric Connection website.

Beverly Hills Electrician – Why Not Hiring a Licensed Electrician Can Be Dangerous

Posted on | by K Hopkins

Despite the fact that our electrical systems are one of the most important and most dangerous components of our homes and businesses, most homeowners avoid calling an electrician, especially if they think that they can tackle an issue themselves. Furthermore, there are many handymen and other non-licensed workers who will readily take on many electrical tasks although they do not have the proper licensure. Though in some cases, this can work out fine, choosing to go the least expensive route when it comes to your electrical system can result in some serious issues and reduced home electrical safety.

Here are some of the things that can occur if your electrical work is done by anyone other than a licensed electrician in Beverly Hills:

  1. Electrical Fire – Even though your newly installed fixtures, light switches or electrical outlets may look completely safe and normal on the outside, serious issues could be lurking underneath the surface. Components installed by an inexperienced installer can result in electrical shorts and fires that could lead to some very extensive damage on your home.
  2. Legal Action – Licensed and insured electricians carry insurance in order to protect themselves from any work-related injuries that may occur during the course of a job. By choosing a non-licensed installer, you place all of that liability on yourself.
  3. Lost Money – One of the easiest negative outcomes to handle is the simple loss of money. Either the person that you hire is unable to do the job completely, or they end up doing a job that needs fixed by a professional later on down the line.

Whatever the outcome, hiring a non-professional to perform electrical work on your home can result in some very dangerous situations. Though it may cost more up front, working with The Electric Connection (Click Here) will save you the time and cost required to fix any improper work or damaged caused by an unlicensed electrician.

Electrician Santa Monica – Using a Portable Generator

Posted on | by K Hopkins

Even though they won’t be able to provide full power to your home in the event of an extended power outage, there are many practical uses for a portable generator. Depending on what you do in your free time, you may be surprised at how many parts of the country do not have electricity that is easily accessed. A portable generator can help ensure that you have access to electricity, even when you want to spend time outdoors. If you need to take electricity to an area that has no electrical outlets, then a portable generator is one of the best routes to go. Here are a few ways to use your portable generator:

Tailgating – Many tailgating locations do not have electrical outlets that are easy to access. To solve this problem, just bring your own generator along. You can place your generator in the back of your truck so that you have all the power that you need to keep your television, satellite dish and any other electrical devices going for the entire game.

Camping – Even if you like to rough it for most of your trip, having access to electricity while camping can be very handy. This way, you can charge your phone and use any electrical devices that you may not have brought if you did not have access to electricity.

Emergency Backup Power – Though portable generators are not designed to provide long-term emergency power, they can be great to have around when power is lost. You will need to keep your portable generator outside of your home so that you do not vent combustible gases into your home. You can still, however, bring lines of power into your home to keep essentials such as lighting and refrigeration going for a short period of time.

Portable generators are good to have, because you can take them with you to provide power wherever you need it. They are not stationary, and do not require the assistance of an electrician in Santa Monica such as The Electric Connection to set up and start using. Give us a call if you have any questions about standalone or portable generators.

Electrician in Glendale – Why Fuse and Circuit Breaker Size is Important

Posted on | by K Hopkins | 1 Comment on Electrician in Glendale – Why Fuse and Circuit Breaker Size is Important

The frequency of accidents caused by the incorrect usage of electricity has increased as our dependency on electronic devices has increased over the last several years. Every year, accidental electrical fires cause millions of dollars in property damages. Because of this, you should always practice as much electrical safety as possible whenever you use your electrical appliances and devices. To make sure that your home is as safe as it can be from electrical accidents, you should also consider talking to an electrician in Glendale about performing an electrical safety assessment, updating service panels and ensuring that your home is properly grounded.

Can you use any size fuse or circuit breaker in your electrical panel?

Many older homes still utilize an outdated fuse box inside the service panel, instead of a safer and more modern breaker panel. If you still have a fuse box, then it is very likely that your electrical system is not prepared to take the amount of electricity that you use every day. This results in fuses blowing very frequently for many homeowners. Rather than replacing blown fuses with the appropriately sized replacements, some homeowners choose to oversize the fuse in order to reduce the frequency of blown fuses. This can be very dangerous, though not nearly as dangerous as replacing the fuse with something that cannot blow, such as a coin. Doing either of these should be avoided. Fuses are protective devices that are designed to stop electricity from flowing into a circuit whenever it reaches a level that is dangerous. Whenever you oversize or bypass a fuse, your circuit can overload. This can lead to overheating, fire and electrical shock.

One of the best ways to deal with an older fuse box is to have your electrical service upgraded by one of the technicians at The Electric Connection. We can send someone out to upgrade your service, and install the appropriately sized circuit breakers in your new electrical service panel. If you are experiencing any issues with your electrical panel, please don’t hesitate to give us a call today.

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Electrician Burbank – When You Need an Emergency Electrician

Posted on | by K Hopkins

Whenever you have an electrical issue that needs to be addressed immediately, then you may need to call an emergency electrician in Burbank.  When confronted with this type of issue, it is always best to call right away. Waiting to deal with electrical emergencies can lead to worse problems and dangerous situations. To account for this type of electrical issues, most electricians provide emergency service at all times to ensure that your problem can be quickly and professionally taken care of. It is important that our electrical systems function safely and properly, making it necessary to provide 24 hour service.

Is It Really an Emergency?

One important difference between an electrician’s standard service and their emergency service is the rate. Emergency service typically costs a significant amount more than standard service, because it is outside of their normal hours. Before you pick up the phone to call an electrician Burbank after hours, think about whether or not your problem is an emergency. An example of an emergency would be losing power at your business such as a restaurant. Because the loss of power can lead to extensive inventory and business loss, it makes sense to have someone come out right away. Another example of an emergency situation would be any electrical issue that poses a danger to you or someone else.

After one of the technicians at The Electric Connection is on the way, all you will need to do is wait. Try to avoid messing around with the electrical issue on your own, because it could be potentially dangerous. Your best course of action is to get as comfortable as possible and wait for one of our electricians to arrive. This will save you from any unnecessary injuries, and ensure that you are ready to direct us to where we need to go upon arrival.

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Electrician Beverly Hills – The Beauty of Wall Sconces

Posted on | by K Hopkins

Simple lighting changes can have a huge impact on the look and feel of the rooms and hallways in your home. If your home is laid out properly, adding some great-looking wall sconces can add to the homey, inviting feel of your home. In addition to the great look that they provide, wall sconces also take up a very small amount of room, because they are placed directly on the wall. For this reason, they are perfect for bathrooms, hallways and other small spaces.

One thing to keep in mind when having your electrician in Beverly Hills install your wall sconces is proper placement. Making sure that your wall sconces are placed in the appropriate places is key to a successful installation. By placing your wall sconces strategically, and attaching them to dimmer switches, you can accent all the areas in your home that you feel like accenting. This can create a very dynamic, easily manipulated and inviting atmosphere. You should also strongly consider the height at which your wall sconces are placed. For the best results, choose a height and stick with it. Placing them uniformly gives them a professional and continuous look.

Wall sconces have become very popular in homes throughout the country, largely because of their small size and ease of installation. Although their primary use is to provide light in underlit areas, wall sconces can also be decorative elements when not lit. When coordinated with your décor, they can give your home a certain amount of flow and decorative continuity that is not possible otherwise. You can find them in many different shapes, sizes and styles that are ready for your electrician Beverly Hills to install today. To talk about installing wall sconces or any other light fixtures, call The Electric Connection Today.

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