You have probably been going through life completely unaware of some very serious electric safety problems. We don’t always stop to read the fine print or think twice about plugging something in. Unfortunately, there are some habits that could be putting you, your family and your home at serious risk of an electrical fire or even electrocution. An electrician in Glendale has some electric safety tips that you really need to pay attention to. If you have any questions about these items, give The Electric Connection a call today.

*Putting a 75 watt bulb in a fixture that is designated for a 40 watt bulb is a problem. You risk overloading the circuit, which could trip the breaker or overheat the wiring to the fixture. Follow the guidelines. If you need more light in the room, call an electrician and replace the fixture.

*Outlets that are warm to the touch are not normal. It is a sign of a problem that you really need to pay attention to. Overloaded or inadequate wiring to the outlet could trigger an electrical fire. It needs to be replaced and rewired as soon as possible.

*Outlets that jiggle are not okay. This usually happens overtime as people yank cords out. Glendale electrical outlets should be snug against the wall. Loose outlets mean loose wires that can cause a spark and ignite a fire.

*Fire extinguishers should be in every house. Many people assume they will toss a bucket of water or turn on the garden hose to put out an electrical fire. Water and electricity don’t mix! A fire extinguisher is your only option to put out a fire near an outlet or exposed wire.

If you have concerns about your home’s wiring or have noticed any of these issues, give The Electric Connection a call today to get these problems taken care of.

You never know when a winter storm is going to rear its ugly head and cause all kinds of problems, including power outages. While it is pretty rare in southern California, power failures are not. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared to deal with a power outage if and when it happens, no matter what the reason may be. You can do a few things today that will make your life a little easier when that surprise power outage hits. An electrician in Los Angeles has a few tips for you. If you would like more information, give The Electric Connection a call.

First and foremost, you need to be prepared. You will need to have at least one flashlight, but preferably several along with extra batteries. Storing these items is a designated drawer or in a rubber tote that is easy to get to is ideal. You don’t want to be fumbling in the dark or trying to traverse the stairway to get to your only source of light. However, just a little tip that can be very handy, your cell phone is probably never far from you. Take the time to download a free flashlight app that can be used to safely guide you to your flashlights. Be warned, these apps can suck the battery of your phone so use it sparingly.

Safety candles, the number for your power company and matches are also good to have on hand in case of a power outage. Most of the time the outage is very short-lived, but you still need to be ready if you live in Los Angeles. Electrical equipment like your televisions, computers, and kitchen appliances should be unplugged immediately following a power outage. This ensures a surge doesn’t happen when the power is restored and ultimately destroy anything that is plugged in. If you have any more questions about what to do in a power outage, give The Electric Connection a call today.

Under-Cabinet LED Lighting Kit is available for purchase that contains a plug-and-play LED light strip, push-button dimmer, remote, 12V power supply, and connection accessories. If you want to build a custom kit, follow the steps below the diagram to ensure that you get everything you need.

3. Select a dimmer or controller

For single-color LED strip light setup

Select the power supply large enough to operate the amount of LED strip light you need to use. If you want to control the brightness of your light strips, you will need a Single-color dimmer shown installed with a non-dimmable power supply

For color-changing LED strip light setup

Follow the instructions above for the single-color light strip setup. However, instead of a dimmer, use a RGB color-changing light strip installation

4. Use an LED amplifier for long runs of strip

Depending on the strip chosen and its maximum run (the number of strips that can be installed consecutively before needing amplifiers), you will need to install an light strip interconnect cables. It is best to purchase a length of strip that is more than your application requires. For example, if your project requires 8 1/2 feet of strip, we recommend purchasing 9 feet of strip to ensure that you have everything covered.