Your electrical panel serves as the entry point for the electricity being provided to your home from your electrical utility. It also functions as an electrical safety device that will turn off an electrical circuit if there is too much current. Excess levels of electricity can lead to fire or electrical shock. Although you can often tell which circuit is malfunctioning by looking at your breaker box, it can make things much easier if you take the time to label all of your circuits or fuses. This way, you know which switch goes to which area of your home, regardless of whether or not that particular breaker has visibly tripped.

Most newer homes use circuit breakers in order to protect the different areas of the house. Some older homes, however, may still have fuses. If your home still has a fusebox, consider calling a local Pasadena electrician to inspect your electrical system. This is often the sign of an undersized electrical service. If you have a breaker panel, just follow the below steps to restore power to the area of your home that has been affected.

Excess electrical current passing through a circuit will cause your circuit breaker to trip, effectively stopping the current from flowing anymore. When this happens, the switch will move to a neutral position, which is between the ON and the OFF position. To return power to this circuit, all that you have to do is flip the switch all the way to the OFF position and then back to the ON position. Before doing this, it is good practice to turn off or unplug all appliances in the circuit.

Now that the power is back on, you can continue to use your circuit as usual. If you have continuous issues, however, you should call our technicians at The Electric Connection for assistance. We are always more than happy to lend a helping hand. You can also get more information through our website at www.theelectricconnection.com.

Smoke detectors are an important part of safety in the home. These cheap little devices can save your home and your life. If your lucky, the only time you’ve heard one go off is when the toast burnt. It’s easy for us to forget to check on them or even forget to test them after purchasing a new home. But they should not only be checked regularly, but require correct installation. Let’s go over some of the basics of having smoke detectors in the home.

Having smoke detectors placed in various locations around your home allows for fast and effective detection. Once the smoke detector siren sounds, it will warn you that there is a potential fire. You can quickly check the nature of the problem and hopefully prevent any further damage. It will also wake you at night before any harm can come to anyone in your home. The siren also helps firefighters quickly locate the fire in the home so they can focus their efforts.

Because smoke rises, smoke detectors are always placed on the roof for ideal detection. There are two common types of smoke detectors, photoelectric and ionization. Photoelectric sensors use a beam of light within the detector to sense any smoke in the air. The beam will shoot in a straight line when the air is clear. In the presence of smoke the light will scatter, this is when the alarm will go off. Ionization detectors use a chamber with a small electrical current. When smoke enters the chamber and the level of ions in the air changes, the electrical current drops and the alarm will sound.

It is recommended that there are smoke detectors on each floor of your home. If doors to rooms are closed often, it is best to have a detector installed in that room. The device should be placed away from rooms that create steam, such as showers or a laundry room, as this steam could trigger the smoke detector. Most smoke detectors use double sided tape to stick the device to the ceiling. You will need to drill the mount to your ceiling and attach the smoke detector to the sticky mount. Ensure that the batteries you use are working properly.

Smoke detector testing should be done on a monthly basis because batteries can die and sensors can become faulty. Each smoke detector will have a button on it to manually sound the siren. Push this button for a few seconds to ensure the siren is working correctly and the batteries are still active. To test the sensor, you can use an aerosol can of smoke to spray into the smoke detector. It may take a couple minutes for the siren to deactivate, as the smoke needs to clear from inside of the chamber first.

Smoke detectors are vitally important to keeping your home and family safe. We can help you to install smoke detectors around your home and position them to give you the best coverage.

Does your circuit breaker keep tripping? Do you constantly have to go through the process of resetting your breaker to get your necessary electrical systems back on? At Kolb Electric, we know this is one of the more frustrating electrical issues you can deal with on a regular basis.

So what causes a tripped circuit breaker? An overloaded circuit is the most common reason for a breaker tripping and usually happens when a circuit has more electrical load connected to it than it really should have. Let’s say you have a 15 Amp circuit breaker that is protecting a 15 Amp circuit. If 20 Amps of current start flowing through it because a toaster, TV, radio, and space heater were all connected to the same circuit and were on at the same time, then what you’re left with are tripped circuit breakers aimed to prevent overheating of the circuit.

In four easy steps, you can reset your circuit breaker. You need to:

If your breaker continues to trip even after resetting it, there could be an issue with your electrical system. This means it’s time for you to contact a quality electrician in Virginia who can uncover the source of the problem, which could be due to one of the following:

At Kolb Electric, we have specialized in providing professional electrical service since our establishment in 1925. Impeccable customer service and attention to detail has allowed us to become one of the top electricians in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and all of Northern VA. We can help you end your tripped circuit breaker headache once and for all—contact us today!

There’s no question that LED lights are the best option for fleet vehicles—or any vehicle for that matter. They consume 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last about 42 times longer. Because fleet vehicles are constantly in motion, long-lasting LED lights can be of extreme benefit to trucking companies. A longer life span means dramatically lower maintenance and replacement costs as well as a reduction in downtime.

We have LED lights for Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Volvo, International, Mack, and Western Star trucks as well as box trucks, tow trucks, dump trucks, and more. Options include LED tail lights, LED brake lights, LED marker lights, LED reverse lights, and LED clearance lights. These truck lights are available in a wide variety of styles, shapes, sizes, intensities, and connector types. Take a look through the categories below to see some of what’s available, and visit the links for complete product lists.

All of our LED truck lights meet DMV FMVSS 108 requirements and are protected by a lifetime warranty to guard against manufacturer defects and malfunctions. Mounting accessories are available under the accessories tab on each product page.

Options include multi-function combo boxes. Rear combination lights can be mounted vertically or horizontally on either side of box trucks, tow trucks, dump trucks, trailers, and flatbed trucks. The all-in-one lamps can be used as tail lights, brake lights, parking lights, turn signals, reverse lights, and running lights. Light heads can be rearranged for customized positioning.

Multi-function combo box lights have red and white LEDs and can be used as rear reflex reflectors, turn signal lights, hazard warning lights, reverse lights or backup lights, brake lights, and tail lights. Separate LEDs are positioned on the bottom of the box for license plate illumination.

You are only as bright as the company you keep, and Carol Saggiamo knows how to keep customers shining brightly.  She loves her customers, and they rave about her.

She has been working for Capitol Lighting for over 36 years, and she remains a valuable member of the Capitol Lighting family.

Carol with one of her biggest fans, Joanie Silver.  Carol and Joanie worked together in the 1980’s at Capitol Lighting’s Woodbridge store.  Like Carol’s customers, Joanie treasures Carol’s friendship.

After having raised a family of her own, Saggiamo began looking for a new venue in which to invest her time.  She came to Woodbridge Center and started working for Capitol Lighting as a part-time saleswoman in the late 1970’s.

She quickly caught on to the retail lighting business, learned the vendors and how to provide the right illumination according to her customers’ needs.

She was nicknamed “Scoots,” for her quick attentiveness to customers and boundless energy.  Along with this attentiveness, Carol’s natural goodness –her smile, her gentle demeanor and her whole-hearted care–are extraordinary.  At 89, she shows no signs of slowing down or burning out!

Her spunk and salesmanship, along with her good taste and wisdom are main reasons why customers rely on Carol.  She befriends everyone and genuinely cares that she provides him or her with the right lamps and light fixtures.

Carol navigates a showroom with style and grace; she seems to be in perpetual motion.  Keeping up with technology, keeping up with current events, keeping up with customers—her capacity for learning and enjoying life are awe-inspiring.

Beyond her work with Capitol Lighting, Carol is in great demand at home.  With 8 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and an abundance of family and friends, Carol lives each day to the fullest.

Carol celebrates with Hy Goldman at Hy’s 100th birthday party.

With her bright smile and depth of character, Carol creates an atmosphere in which you want to dwell.

Carol Saggiamo exudes kindness and compassion; she genuinely loves people.  She never tries to make a sale, she looks to make a friend and build a trusting relationship.  One relationship at a time, she makes the world a brighter place.

Her customers travel far and wide to consult with her about their lighting.  They know that with her good taste, professional lighting know-how and honesty, she will help them find what they are looking for.

Along with Carol, all the employees of  Capitol Lighting strive to provide customers with outstanding service and quality.  We appreciate your business, your loyal patronage and your friendship.  Please let us continue to light up your life, and enjoy 10% off your entire purchase at all showroom locations as we celebrate Customer Appreciation Month.

WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMERS!  THANK YOU FOR SHARING AND TRUSTING US WITH YOUR LIGHT…

Customers are kicking up their heels with Eric Lebersfeld and Capitol Lighting’s latest illuminations.

Eric Lebersfeld of Capitol Lighting shares a treat with favorite customers.

Loyal patrons of Capitol Lighting find what they are looking for to keep them in the limelight.