TRENDING NOW: RETROFITTING OLD FIXTURES

By Clarissa Allison | December 24th, 2014

Watching lighting trends in 2014 has been an interesting ride. “LED” and energy efficiency, once phrases thought to be bandied about by tree-huggers and industry insiders alone, is now quite common. The cost of LEDs and solid state lighting in general has come down faster than it would in a normal competitive environment. That has helped global adoption creep up over 10%. Environmentally friendly technology is an absolute must as the traditional lighting options we’ve all grown up with are slowly being replaced.  In one example, we’ve noticed customers wanting to retrofit old incandescent flush-mounted fixtures with LED downlights.

When’s the last time you gave much thought to your home’s electrical system? Chances are that unless you’ve experienced a power outage or you’ve had circuit breakers tripping on a regular basis, it was not very recently. It’s important to realize that frayed wires, loose connections, and similar electrical problems are not unique to any one type of household—anyone can experience these problems.

Without appropriate repairs, these problems can short out important appliances or even start a fire. When it comes to repairing electrical problems though, you should only trust a trained and licensed electrician, such as the members of our staff. But the only way to know it’s time to give us a call for repairs is if you know the signs that a repair is needed in the first place. Keep reading to learn about these indicators.

If any electrical outlet in your home is warmer than the wall that surrounds it, even when nothing is plugged in, your wiring is probably experiencing some trouble. While warmth while something is plugged in is normal, an outlet should never be too hot.

Intermittent electricity will cause this to happen. This is another sign that something is wrong with the electrical wiring in your home and needs immediate inspection and repairs.

Malfunctioning electrical systems or components will often cause a low buzzing noise, which usually ceases when you cut power to the circuit.

If you notice that the breakers keep tripping on one particular circuit, then you’ve probably overloaded that particular circuit. It could also be a problem with one or more appliances hooked up to it.

You should never see sparks coming from any electrical outlet. If you do, be sure to shut the power off to the affected area immediately, and then call for professional repairs.

If you have a breaker or several breakers that are tripping, there are some things you can do to keep it from happening. If you are not comfortable with trying to diagnose the problem, you can call The Electric Connection. We have skilled electricians who can certainly take care of the troubleshooting process for you.

Follow these troubleshooting guidelines from your electrician in Glendale to see if you can identify the problem.

1-Note what is plugged in when the breaker trips. It is possible the breaker is being overloaded. You will need to reduce the number of appliances running off of one breaker. Microwaves should be on their own outlet when possible. Do not resort to using several powerstrips that are completely loaded. This is another major draw and can overburden a breaker. If you need additional outlets or another breaker, give your electrician a call.

2-Your large appliances like the air conditioning unit, hot tub or dryer should all be on their own dedicated circuits. If this is not the case, call an electrician. Glendale homeowners will need the expertise of a certified electrician to take care of this situation.

3-Carefully check each appliance that is plugged in when the breaker trips. There may be an issue with the appliance or the wiring. Don’t use it anymore.

A breaker that trips often for no apparent reason should always be inspected by an electrician. It could be an indication of a bigger problem. Sometimes, the breaker will need to be replaced. In other cases, the electrical wiring to the outlet/s may be the issue. In any event, it is always a good idea to have an electrical inspection completed to check for any serious problems that could be a fire hazard. If you are interested in learning more about this, give The Electric Connection a call today.