There are plenty of reasons to install new indoor light fixtures in your home. Perhaps you want to update your interior aesthetic, or save energy by upgrading to efficient LED bulbs. Maybe you even want to bring your lighting into a smart home control system. Although wiring a new fixture is usually a simple job, complications can crop up if your home still uses an outdated wiring system. In order to comply with your local building code, you may have to perform some extra electrical work to ensure the safety of your new fixture. Read on to learn more.

Bringing Older Electrical Work Up to Code

If your home still uses knob-and-tube wiring, the law prohibits connecting new light fixtures to the old wiring. You don't have to replace the entire wiring system itself, although that’s not a bad idea, because it can reduce your risk of an electrical fire and lower your insurance rates. Even if you don't have the time or money for such extensive electrical work, though, you can remain in compliance with your local code by installing an electrical box between your wiring and the light fixture.

You can purchase an appropriate electrical box at most local hardware stores – but make sure you verify that it is designed to meet local code guidelines for installing new light fixtures. From there, after you turn off the power to the room, you have to cut a hole in the wall where you want the fixture to go, large enough for the box to fit. If you're lucky, the fixture will be near a stud or part of the frame so you can mount the box easily. Otherwise, you have to cut the wall extremely carefully to ensure you leave enough lath and plaster keys to support the box.

Wiring the New Light into Place

Next, once the box is ready to be installed, follow the manufacturer instructions to clamp in the home wiring to the back of the unit. You may have to add a ground wire as well, depending on the specific scenario. Anchor the box using metal supports, and when it's all in place, connect the light fixture. When everything is securely connected, you can turn the power back on and give your new light a trial run.

Remember, knob-and-tube wiring can be a fire hazard, and performing electrical work in general can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. If you have any doubts or questions about installing your new light fixture, the best route is to have a professional electrician give you a hand.

Expert Assistance with Your Electrical Work

For assistance with all your electrical work, including installing new light fixtures, contact a qualified residential electrician today.

For you to be able to ensure that you get the best possible job done in your home, you should limit your options among contractors that will be able to take the best possible care of your home systems. Even if highly skilled professionals tend to ask for higher fees than their other counterparts, there is no doubt that spending your money on their services will be worth it. Here are some points that you should keep in mind as you go about looking for the contractor who you will hire, to ensure that you will receive high quality services in your home.

The first thing that you have to check out when you hire contractors to carry out electrical repairs in your home is the amount of experience the employees of the company can boast about. Obviously, you need to find a contractor company that hires mechanics that can carry out the repairs that you need. There are a lot of resources that you may use to find the best mechanics in your area, so you need to make sure that you go through as many of them as possible.

It will do you well to do a run over on the variety of electrical repairs that a certain contractor company offers as well, before you go on to negotiating their working terms. Obviously, you want to find a company that will be able to implement every single repair that you need in your home. Hiring contractors that can boast of a wide range of skills will be best for you, because there will be no doubt that they will know everything that is important in their field. Yes, they will tend to have higher professional fees, but rest assured that you will receive high quality services as well.

Finally, make sure that you hire contractors who will be willing to work within the kind of budget that you have set for the electrical repairs that you need for your home. While it may be a fact that high quality services tend to go for higher rates, this does not mean that you have to shell out an arm and a leg for them as well. Look for a company that will be willing to give you discounts, in exchange for you having all the services that you need carried out by its employees. This way, you will get your house in tip-top shape without breaking the bank.

Picking the right electrical equipment is essential no matter what line of business you’re in, so take your time with the selection process. It is especially crucial for companies in the food processing industry to pick the right cord grip and connector materials, since machinery and fittings at these plants are often exposed to harsh chemicals, water and other environmental threats, which can lead to corrosion, leakage and damage.

Electrical connectors for food processing plants normally feature corrosion-resistant properties, with different degrees of resistance for various environments and applications. Picking the wrong material will not just cause your connectors to require more frequent maintenance or repairs, but can also lead to short circuits and other safety hazards.

It is that time of year when the temperatures drop and things like spiders and mice are seeking shelter in your home. You don’t want to share your living space with the critters and they know that. They will stay hidden for the most part, but that means they are somewhere you can’t see what damage they are causing. Mice will chew anything and everything and they don’t care if they get a little jolt when they bite through a wire. Chewed wires can spark and create an extremely dangerous situation in your home. An electrician in Burbank has a few tips to help you protect your home from the damage a rodent can cause. The team at The Electric Connection is on standby and ready to help you.

Rats are much worse than mice, but both are equally troublesome. They both love the heat the insulation in the walls provides and will make their nests there. These nests often encompass wires that run warm. An overheated wire is another fire hazard. The following will help keep your wires safe from gnawing rodents.

*Your Burbank electrician suggests you hire a pest control service to ensure the rodents stay out of your house. The best cure is prevention. Take action at the first sign of an infestation. If you see one, there are plenty more where that came from.

*Seal up any gaps around the foundation of the home. Mice can squeeze through a hole or crack that is a quarter of an inch thick. Steel wool is a quick and easy fix for small holes.

*Regularly check your crawlspace and attic area for signs of rodents. Use traps if you suspect you have a problem.

*Schedule an electric safety inspection with an electrician. Burbank homeowners who want to know their wiring is safe will feel better once an electrician checks for any issues.

Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your inspection to determine if you electrical wiring has already been compromised by a rodent infestation.