One of the biggest and best advancements to hit modern U.S. homes today is the advent of the home automation system. These systems allow you to have control over your house at your fingertips. There’s a combination of hardware, software, and appliance-based interfaces that goes into creating this system, and therefore it’s only natural that something can eventually go wrong.

Even the greatest technology can have bugs that will need to be worked out. If you have problems with your home automation system, the best thing you can do is give your professional electricians a call to help repair the damage and get you back in control. However it may also be helpful to understand what some of the most common issues are, and how we troubleshoot them.

Naturally, when you go to integrate home automation into your home, you are going to have some home systems—if not all—that are older and have been with the home for a awhile. Integrating these older electronic systems with the new one of your home automation system can be challenging, and it may take some time to understand where the integration problems exist.

This type of problem usually presents as a non-response from whatever device or appliance you are attempting to use, or limited functionality from that system. Your professional electrician will know how to repair these issues as they have experience with these types of issues.

Your home automation system is completely interconnected and connected to your home’s electrical system, and therefore depends heavily on the wiring of your electrical system. So if you experience any type of electrical short, poor wiring, or faulty wiring, then there can be a malfunction of your system. Your professional electrician will look at the electrical layout for your home automation system—which can be complex—to determine the exact cause of the problem.

Sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances your home automation system may suffer from physical damage. When that occurs, a professional will be able to carefully inspect the system and repair or replace the components that were damaged to obtain full functionality of your home automation system.

Tube lights are found in many applications and environments such as office buildings, hallways, garages, and really anywhere that has a low and flat ceiling. Although fluorescent tubes contain small amounts of mercury and isn’t a whole lot, you still want to avoid the breaking of a fluorescent tube and any exposure to mercury if possible.

Whether you are simply replacing a burnt out fluorescent tube with a new one or are switching over to a new technology (such as LED), there is a proper way to do it. By following these steps along with others that you may find, you will allow yourself to reduce risk of harm for yourself, staff, or whoever is the one physically replacing the tube lights.

Let’s answer some common questions and issues that people seem to face when tasked with this issue of replacing mercury filled fluorescent tubes…

By recycling rather than simply throwing away your tube lights, you opt-in for the environmentally friendly route of switching out old tubes. If you choose not to recycle, you are allowing toxic mercury to freely enter the environment, which of course is not good.

Not only do you prevent mercury from freely entering the environment by recycling, but you also reduce waste. How exactly? Part of the tube is reused for new tubes that will be resold and used. This allows for less waste and this goes back to the saying “Reduce, Reused, Recycle.” So by taking part of fluorescent tube recycling, you allow the process of recycling to continue and prevent waste from entering the landfill!

When taking your tubes out to bring for recycling, this is probably the most difficult step you need to be most cautious with. The best option you have is to be prepared and know what to do if things go “south” as they like to say.

Here is what you can do to prepare for the removal of fluorescent fixtures:

And for one thing that you should always remember for dealing with a broken tube is this: NEVER VACUUM. By vacuuming, you make glass particles go airborne and that is a highly dangerous situation to be in.

For more tips on how to clean up a broken fluorescent or CFL lights, using this tool from Earth911. It allows you to search what you need to recycle and where you are located. So you go to that tool, type in ‘fluorescent’ or ‘CFL’ along with your location and you will surely come across the closest place to recycle fluorescent tubes (along with really anything else you may want to recycle).

If you are in the process of disposing and recycling your fluorescent tubes, what is going in there to replace the ones you are removing? If the answer is “more fluorescent tubes,” may we ask why?

LED lights are also measured in two different ways; by their color temperature and the lumens they produce. Because they use significantly less power and are gaining in efficiency with each generation, whereas older bulbs are consistent in their wattage being representative of the amount of light put out, LED bulbs can vary in efficiency a bit more. What this means is that the bulbs are now rated by their Lumen rating, or how much light they put out, versus how much power they draw. Understanding how LEDs work and the opportunities that they present to you as a homeowner are key to helping you make a decision as to how you light your home.

By Clarissa Allison | April 22nd, 2016

Lighting an awkward or unusual space can prove to be a challenge but also lots of fun when one learns to expand their initial thoughts about what is possible when decorating. Below, read on for a list of tips on how to light your narrow living room or industrial loft with ease! Click the pictures to be brought directly to the product pages in question.

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