One of the most important decisions you can make regarding protection from electrical storms is the installation of a whole house surge protector. This will protect all the sensitive electronic equipment in your home from surges and transient voltages from lightning as well as electrical surges from many other sources.

Lightning strikes carry millions of volts and cause the deaths of many people every year, so it’s important to learn how to stay safe when these storms arrive. Quite a few people have actually died from electric shocks delivered by phone lines during telephone conversations, so portable phones are much safer than corded phones. Because copper pipes can carry electric current, it’s important to avoid using or touching water faucets during a storm. One of the most dangerous places you can be in a storm is a small boat, so it’s important to get to shore as quickly as possible as soon as you see evidence of an incoming electrical storm.

Everyone living in gulf states like Texas should educate themselves about storm safety, by studying government websites and reading available literature. For more information, please use these links to visit the following important websites:

FEMA

The National Weather Service

If you would like more information about a whole house surge protector, or a professional bid, please call Bryant Electric Service at 512-402-8587.

The best lighting jobs are the ones that aren’t noticeable. Have you ever walked into a room and just felt warm, comfortable and at home? It was probably the light placement and selection in the room that gave you that unforgettable feeling. With the right tools and tips in mind, you can also have that within each room of your home.

In order to effectively use your lighting to enhance your home’s décor, you must first consider the function of your room, the natural light source and the mood you are looking to achieve in your room. With this in mind, you can transform the look and feel of your home!

Knowing the function of your room will allow you to select the appropriate type of lights and placement in the room. For instance, a reading room will have soft lights with intentionally placed reading lamps whereas a kitchen will be a lot brighter and will be equipped with a number of task lights – each room can have very different functions therefore using different light sources and equipment.

Once you have determined the function for each room, you should then discover the natural or ambient light provided throughout the day. In the morning, afternoon and evening, take the time to turn off all your lights and see where the natural light source may come from and how it can be appropriately supported. You may have a street lamp right outside your living room that still provides a considerable amount of light, meaning you may not need to add as much light as you would have assumed for the evenings.

Lastly, you should determine the specific mood you are looking to achieve for your room. Romantic, bright, warm, calm, energetic – there is a number of different effects you could be searching for based on your room and décor. In a living room, we generally recommend a central light to add to the ambient light in the room and then use small accent lights to highlight main decorative objects in your room like a painting, mirror or even a plant.

With the function, natural light source and mood of your room in mind, you can transform your home with simple adjustments to your lighting. For more tips on how to improve the lighting of your home or to have a professional help with the installation, contact Expert Electric at 604-681-8338.

Skip all the site hopping and countless hours in department stores; finding the perfect gift doesn’t have to be a hassle. We’ve put together a list of the best LED Christmas gifts for mom, dad, brother, sister, and any friend or family member. From custom-printed LED panel lights to rechargeable LED flashlights—we’ve got a great mix of LED lighting products that are sure to be a hit.

This LED strip light kit is great for cabinet lighting, under-cabinet lighting, cove lighting, bookshelf lighting, and any other hard-to-light space. The weatherproof kit comes with everything needed for installation: a 16 1/2″ plug-and-play LED light strip, push-button dimmer, remote, UL-Listed 12V power supply, and connection accessories. Designed to last 30,000 hours, the LED light strip is available in cool white, natural white, or warm white colors.

Perfect for students or late-night workaholics, this long-lasting LED desk lamp offers a lot in the way of customization. Four dimming levels (up to 170 lumens) are available at the tap of its touch-activated button, and the sleek LED lamp is fully adjustable for the perfect amount of light right where it’s needed.

This REDLINE® RC™ Rechargeable LED Flashlight is a gift that keeps on giving. Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the compact flashlight emits up to nine hours of powerful illumination, and its MagDock magnetic docking station provides a full charge in just two hours. Four different light intensities are available along with a strobe mode and 4x adjustable zoom. This durable little light is water and impact resistant with a non-slip grip, magnetic base, and an attached lanyard.

If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call us toll free at 866-590-3533. Our customer service and technical support teams are available from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT on Friday.

From your cell phone to your washing machine, you’ll find all kinds electronics in your home.  Entertainment, lighting, comfort, and even cleaning can be electrically powered.  Most people know that it’s a good idea to disconnect electronics during an electrical outage or lightning storm.  This is due to possible electrical surges.  Electrical surges are sudden increases in current that can damage connections and electrical components throughout your home.  Most devices have some protections, but strong surges can overpower these protectors, leaving you with a very expensive paperweight after the surge is through.  Fortunately, surge protectors exist to stop this from happening.

A sudden increase in current occurs when more power is being delivered to the same system.  If a lightning storm strikes a transformer or relay that’s connected to the same grid you’re on, excess power is diverted to your home and creates an increase in current.  This sudden surge is what damages components.  But, it isn’t just limited to sudden electrical discharges either.  When power is applied to a system, it has substantial initial current.  This is known as inrush current and is the reason that you’re advised to disconnect electronics whenever there’s an outage.

Once power is restored to a system, either because you turn on a switch or the power grid is reconnected, initial current surges into the system.  Disconnecting devices helps to decrease that inrush current.  The electrical panel in your home is also designed to handle inrush current, which is why your breaker system doesn’t automatically trip whenever power is restored.  On a smaller scale, any sudden call for extra power pushes a small surge into the system.  When you power up an electric vacuum cleaner or portable space heater, there’s a small surge.  The more powerful the device, the larger the surge.  These are the types of surges that common surge protectors guard against.  For lightning strikes you’ll need something better.

While the majority of surges are protected against by those tiny power strips, because most surges originate inside your home, they aren’t strong enough to protect against the dangerous surges that will irreparably damage your in-home electronics.  Most homewoners prefer the power strip surge protectors because they’re inexpensive.  But, while a whole-home surge protector can cost over $200 to add on to your home, they don’t suffer from many of the drawbacks found in the tiny in-home protectors.

Whole-home surge protectors guard your entire home from outside surges.  They’re installed near and wired to the electrical service panel for your home.  Any power surge that travels to your home is immediately shunted away, preventing disaster from ever reaching your home.  You’ll find that whole-home surge protectors are also not as fragile as standard home surge protectors.  They’ll last for years and are less likely to be burnt out by a single surge.  A quality surge protector is capable of shunting tens of thousands of amps without burning out.

If you want the best in electrical protective devices, a whole-home surge protector is the right choice.  Compared to most safety installations, they’re relatively inexpensive and you only need to install one device to protect your home for years.  It’s still a good idea to use power strips to protect in-home devices from smaller surges, but you need a quality surge device to protect against lightning storms or substation surges.

For the best in quality electrical repair work and installations, contact the professionals at Custom Electric!  Be sure to check back here each week for helpful advice, news, and guides or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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