Double tapped breakers are a common circuit breaker defect—but they are also one of the easiest electrical problems to correct. 

A double tapped breaker occurs when two conductors are found connected under one circuit breaker lug or when two conductors are connected at the neutral bar under one screw. The problem with a double tapped breaker is that circuit breakers aren’t designed to hold these two conductors together. While they might feel secure and seem to be working fine, these conductors could loosen up leading to arcing, overheating, and safety hazards, including fire.

A double tapped breaker can also occur if your electrical work has been done by someone without correct electrical experience. This can be bad news for your home’s safety and for future building permits!

Sometimes a circuit breaker can be designed for two conductors. In this case, there will usually be a label saying so. However, a double tapped breaker can also be a defect if the breaker isn’t designed to hold two conductors. If there is no label but there are two conductors, there may be an issue with the electrical connection requiring a repair by an experienced electrician.

There are a few ways that double tapped breakers can be corrected; these include the following:

If you have no experience working on an electrical panel, it is a good idea to have a licensed electrical contractor complete the work for you. Playing with electricity without proper experience could be dangerous to yourself and your home!

Kolb Electric has a team of certified electricians who offer a full range of electrical services to home and building owners in Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC. We have been working in the DMV area for over 90 years and provide our customers with affordable, quality electrical repairs, whether they have a double tapped breaker in need of correction or any other electrical issue.

Contact us today for a free estimate on your home or office’s electrical work. We offer same day service, 7 days a week!

When lights go out in one room that is a clue that something is wrong within the wiring of that particular room only. However, if the whole house goes out, this can be serious. Generally a homeowner will look out the front door to see if any of the neighbors have power. He sees the lights on everywhere and then asks the person in charge of bills if they paid the electric company. After those options have been confirmed, the next call should be to your local licensed and bonded electrician.

What kind of services do we provide?

We can investigate the problem and repair the wiring on contemporary as well as antique light fixtures. It doesn’t matter if the home is 100 or just 10 years old. Things can happen even to newer residences. It is no secret that certain critters can get between the interior and exterior walls of your home and make a feast of wiring. It is not unusual to find a deceased rodent that unintentionally bit into high voltage. This doesn’t mean your house is dirty or your housekeeping is below par. It just means these animals have been around for hundreds of years and have perfected their craft in order to feed themselves.

We can get to the root of your issues with chandeliers, wall sconces and generic ceiling lights. It does not matter if they are traditional or halogen.  You will be happy to know that we can also repair the lighting in your china cabinets, book cases, wall units and any piece of furniture that has a lighting feature. If one of these pieces has recently been moved to a new location or even for cleaning, wiring can become loose.

What about exterior lights?

No one wants to walk up to their home in the dark or enter a garage when the lights are out. While you might be a bit intimidated, the likelihood of someone stepping out of the shadows to attack you are slim. However, it is best not to tempt would-be muggers. Get those lights repaired right away.

Homeowners can count on us to complete, install or repair their landscape lighting. This adds value to a home and also gives the homeowners a sense of accomplishment. The same goes for the front lights. We can help you convert a gas lamp post into an electrical one. If you have one that runs on electricity and it no longer works, we can investigate and repair it.

Every home uses energy in one form or the other; and in most instances, this electricity comes from the power grid. Statistics indicate that almost 50% of a home’s energy is used by its HVAC systems while about 12% goes into the lighting. Most property owners presume that all the energy-efficiency upgrades happen through various home improvement upgrades such as replacement of wooden windows and doors with energy-efficient 2 or 3-paned vinyl windows etc.

While these changes do add to the energy-efficiency of your home, there are a number of electrical systems and maintenance upgrades that can significantly improve your energy usage, such as:

It’s not uncommon for us to occasionally leave the lights on when we leave a room. Or there may be times when we leave the deck, patio or poolscapes lights on all night with the security aspect in view. These types of habits can become a significant energy drain, but there is a way to curb that. We can install motion sensor lighting in the exterior spaces of your home; the lights will get switched on only when the sensor picks up any movement within its range. This helps you save energy without compromising on the safety factor in any way.

Most people don’t realise that their local electrician can help them when they are upgrading to energy efficient appliances. The fact of the matter is that simply replacing older appliances with ones that have high energy star ratings may not always help them reduce their electricity bills.

When you upgrade the appliances in your home such as air-conditioners, dryers, dishwashers and washing machines etc., these appliances tend to need a higher wattage compared to the older ones; this means the upgrade may actually strain the circuit breakers and your electrical system. It’s important to get a skilled electrician to come and check whether the existing wiring and system is built to bear the higher electrical loads that the newer, advanced systems need.

Inadequate or improper insulation is one more major sources of energy loss on most properties. And if you are considering a home renovation/remodelling/extension project, it’s a good idea to upgrade the insulation in your house as well.

Today, many property owners are quite committed to opting for eco-friendly alternatives to many materials and systems. If you feel you want to reduce your carbon footprint, you might want to consider installing solar panels in your home. This can significantly reduce your reliance on grid power.

Upgrading appliances or making major electrical upgrades can sometimes prove to be an expensive proposition and may not fit into everyone’s budget. This is why it’s important to know how to make some smaller changes that will also add to your home’s energy-efficiency. Some things that can make a big difference are:

We at AllRound Electricals can provide excellent energy audits and electrical upgrade and maintenance solutions. For more information, contact our friendly team at this number – 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address.

Thanks for reading,1300 169 263

By: Jason Lee

Ever look at old family photos? You remember, the faded picture with the brown couch, wood panel walls and yellow(ish) shag carpet. Most people look at the photo and see these things and the smiling faces of the family. We look at these photos and are taken back to a time when another generation set the rules.

But looking a little more closely at the photo of years gone by, you might notice something that is still around the old house and room today. Hidden in the photo, but still prominent in the room where the photo was taken, is that old, painted over two prong outlet. You know the one. It had the gaudy horse-carved table lamp plugged into it. At one time it was white but it was painted to match the wall color when the paneling came down and the sheet rock went up. You changed the entire look and feel of the living room over the years but that outlet stayed the same. And, why not? It only served one function and how often does technology change, right?

The two prong outlets had been the norm for so long and years of remodeling and redecorating never seemed to affect the outlets. No upgrades were required. Just slap a new cover on it and it was good to go. When “new technology” came about, we were ready with the “cheater” outlet that still enabled us to use three prong electronics with the old two prong outlets.

But soon everything seemed to require three prong outlets and that left us having an abundance of those grey three-to-two prong adaptors in our junk drawer.

Old photos are great to look at and reminisce about past times. But, we are constantly changing and our technology is expanding at a rapid rate. Modern times call for modern outlets. Two prong outlets had a good run and they served a valuable purpose, but there comes a day when the grandfather, who led the head of the family for years, has to retire and give way to change and a new way of doing things.

Outlet changes should be made because today’s outlets give us piece of mind, safety and convenience. Safety has been a top priority for new outlet designs. All modern homes, those built after 2008, should have child-proof outlets installed.

Today’s modern three prong outlets come with a variety of features for convenience and safety. Although the days of the two-prong outlet are numbered, modern GFCI, child-proof and combination outlets will never forget their roots.