Wednesday, June 29, 2016

The many mistakes people make with recess lighting



recessed lighting
The many mistakes that people do with recessed lighting. Read this before you make contact with a qualified electrician so you will know what you really want to do!

Mistake one. Installing recessed lighting everywhere! Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. “Can” lighting is very inexpensive so people sometimes go wild with putting them everywhere but the optics of the light has a low lumen output. 

recessed lighting
Mistake two. Think the kitchen and you might forget task lights but they are absolutely necessary Recessed lighting can’t put enough lumens for cooking tasks. So don’t forget task lighting. Your qualified electrician can show you all about task lighting.

Mistake three. If you have halogens or incandescent lighting or installed put them on dimmers! As a result of using a dimmer you will save energy, lower heat output, and it will extend the lifetime of the bulbs!

Mistake four. In the bathroom remember task lights again! Just using downlights will not provide enough lumens for the types of things that go on around a mirror. For example putting on makeup, brushing your teeth or even using a tweezers.

recessed lighting
Mistake five: Not using or incorporating task, accent and ambient lighting in your design. Task lighting provides higher lumens for tasks where ambient sets a mood! Accent lighting also draws the eye to valuable eye candy.

Mistake six. Not controlling each type of light separately. To get the maximum flexibility and efficiency each type of light should be on its own controller.

Mistake seven. Putting recessed lighting in rooms or spaces with high ceiling for ambient light! High ceilings need a tight beam to be the most effective.

Mistake eight. Decorate with lumens not fixtures. Many people focus on fixtures instead of the light output of that fixture. So it’s important to design with light and not the fixtures.

If you are interested in recessed and indoor lighting give us a call so we can walk you through the correct options for your home. A qualified electrician who has lots of experience with recessed lighting, mood lighting, and task lighting for your home project.


Thursday, June 23, 2016

Weather is the biggest cause of black outs so which generator is best for you?

By far weather is the leading cause of loss of power or black outs. Now a few hours of black out are usually very survivable and therefore not that big a thing. There are a couple of exceptions and that is as we live in the desert and if you lose your AC that can be life threatening to the very young and elderly. If you fall into those categories a back up generator is a good thing to have ready to go when you need it.  The following is important to keep in mind when considering what type of standby generator you might want to purchase.

Portable Generators

Portable generators are very slick and easy to move around as they have a generator contained on a metal frame with wheels. Thus they are easy to move to where you might need them. They are powered either by gasoline or diesel fuel. That requires you to have fuel on hand to use in your generator when you need it. Also remember that gasoline has a shelf life of about 3 months before it becomes stale. However the experts say that you should have about 70 gallons on hand which will last you about 5 days!

They must also be kept outside and a minimum of 10 feet from your house due to the gas exhaust. Also you must use the appropriate rated extension cord to run from the generator into your house. These generators are designed to run many house hold appliances like microwaves, refrigerators, stoves, lamps and TV’s just to name a few. You can also have an electrician hardware the generator into the house so you can run other equipment like a finance or AC. 

One word of caution is not to run electronics that are sensitive to voltage variations that might come from the generator. These type of generators range from 1,000 watts all the way up to 17,000 watts; the latter being able to run a small house!

Standby Generators

These are in a class of their own as they are designed to run the whole house by themselves and they are permanently installed by a qualified electrician. 

They can provide 100% of your power needs for you house so as you can see this is a big step up from a portable generator. One great thing about this type is they are set to automatically come on or off depending on the power condition. This is good because they can protect your house when you are not even home! No loss of food or frozen goods. 

They are also, typically, powered by propane or natural gas which is better than having 70 gallons of gas on hand! They also require NOTHING to turn on as they are automatic! They also provide cleaner power so they are OK to use with your sensitive electronics. These range from 8,000 watts to 125,000 watts. Again the small units are good for household appliances where the latter can run a whole house without any issues.

In closing, if you are looking into either of these options it’s always good to find a qualified electrician to help you with your choices and installation. A qualified electrician can see what you want to run in a black out, determine the wattage you need, then work with you on the installation ideas.


Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Find a qualified electrician



Qualified electrician

Finding a qualified, professional, and affordable electrician

The electrician world is highly regulated, which is a good thing but you still have to be on the watch for people who claim to be a certified electrician and they are not! It’s a simple thing to both ask for credentials and testimonials. It might seem straight forward about the jobs they do, that is, either a light works or it doesn’t however doing things the safe way is just as important.
Qualified electricianCircuits can be poorly designed from the start and a qualified electrician can spot that a mile away. Wiring is very important to get done correctly and safely. If not you run the risk of a house fire or even worse! Getting a good qualified electrician is a must.

Circuits that are not correct can also damage your electric appliances! Damage can be to electric motors like you will find in your refrigerator, washer and even your dryer.   Faulty wiring can be not only expensive to replace your appliances but can be costly due to fire or even electrical shock! Having a real qualified electrician is a must and not employ a handyman to do a professionals job.

 There are two types of qualified electricians: first, a master electrician and second a journeyman electrician. The master electrician, as one would imagine has successfully passed a standardized test and has at least 2 years of experience in the electrical field. They also know the National Electrical code plus any code modifications that comes from the state you live in. He is also qualified to plan, design, install, and maintain any electrical system project. 

The journeyman on the other hand might have to work under a master electrician (you can check your states laws for this). However by law they can’t design electrical systems but they can install wiring and other electrical equipment. All of this makes a big difference when the building inspector comes to sign off on your electrical project. Without the right electricians the building inspector can’t sign off and you might even face other issues with the city.

In short, make sure you know who is working on your electrical projects. It will lead to a safe and less costly road when you compare it to a handyman or the like.