Once someone has discovered retrofitting as a read that by clicking here.

Let’s get started with the first question on the list, and that is what exactly is a retrofit kit?

What is a retrofit kit anyways? Well, we’ve actually reducing your energy consumption even more. Just make sure you are buying a LED retrofit kit that has the option to be dimmable, otherwise you will NOT be able to dim them.

Retrofit vs full replacement, why should you consider retrofitting with LED?

While a full replacement of an entire is fixture is very valid to do especially when they are outdated or literally falling apart; often times you can avoid that by retrofitting your fixtures. With retrofitting you get to keep your old fixture but just replace the light source in it with a new one. This will allow you to reduce the costs associated with the lighting upgrade tremendously, which will allow you to realize a much larger ROI.

Although there are benefits of both, you need to think about your facility or buildings own situation, and go from there. To recap; retrofitting is great if you can keep your old fixtures but if you can’t (due to reasons like outdated or near falling apart), then a full replacement is probably the better option.

For more info, check out this infographic (

Why should I even switch to LED in the first place?

Very good question, and this not only applies to those retrofitting but for any facility that plans to make a lighting system update. LED technology has vast benefits in almost every area of the definition “quality” for commercial lighting purposes. Here are just a few of the major benefits that more often than not win over businesses to commit to the conversion over to LED technology:

As you can see these are all some pretty big benefits, and that’s only the start. These reasons are why many companies are making the conversion over to LED products from other outdated technologies such as metal halide, HPS, and even fluorescent. Why not convert to LED with a retrofit LED kit and realize all of these benefits and more? It just makes sense!

Is it difficult to retrofit an existing light fixture?

Well, that can depend. To someone who has no knowledge about lighting fixtures and electrical wiring, then yes this will seem like an extremely difficult task. On the other hand for someone who is a professional, this isn’t a difficult task at all.

The process, in theory, is simple because all it consists of (for the most part) is a replacement of all the existing lamps, ballasts, sockets, and brackets with new ones to fit your retrofit kits. If you have no experience doing this, and even if you do, it is always recommended to bring in a licensed electrician if you can to ensure it is done right and to safety standards.

Are LED retrofits that are compatible with existing ballasts a good idea?

You need to consider the age of the ballast that is currently installed. In most cases, it will be nearing the end of it’s life and thus it won’t be the most up-to-date ballast that you could have. This adds for an additional point of failure, which could cost you more down the line in maintenance fees to replace them when they die out.

You have to consider that since you are considering the switch over to LEDs through retrofitting, you most likely haven’t recently upgraded you lighting system or replaced much. This means that the ballasts currently installed are most likely, at best, as old as the lights in your fixtures currently. But more often or not, they are even older than that which can definitely mean they are nearing the end of their lifespan.

Taking this all into account, it’s impossible to tell you if using existing ballasts is a contact us. We will gladly answer any question you may have!

Fun Fact: His obsession with a chandelier led Italian astronomer, mathematician and physicist, Galileo to discover the law of pendulum motion.

While, we cannot guarantee that you will understand the laws of physics, we can guarantee that you will be captivated by the brilliance of a chandelier.

More than ever, we are experimenting with home lighting design to display our individuality, and nothing conveys unique style more than a fabulous chandelier.

Professional lighting consultants at Capitol Lighting can help you to illuminate your sense of style and find the perfect chandelier(s) to complete your decorative interior design.  A few simple laws of lighting and trusting your own good taste will get you there…

Chandelier Application and Design Tips from Capitol Lighting

Outstanding Applications:  From powder rooms to dining rooms, the chandelier enhances the appeal of your home environment. Chosen above all else for their aesthetic rewards, chandeliers also provide needed general ambient illumination.

Power in Proportion: To enjoy the full benefits of a chandelier, you must choose a fixture that is the correct size.  A chandelier that is too big will overpower; one that is too small will look out of place.  Finding the right chandelier size is easy:  Add the length and width of the room in feet, and then convert that number to inches (i.e. a room that is 12 feet by 16 feet would require a chandelier that is approximately 28 inches wide). When in doubt between available chandelier sizes, size up to achieve a more balanced presentation.

Special Considerations for Over Dining Tables:  When hanging a chandelier over a dining table, the total chandelier width should be about a foot smaller than the table width to allow approximately a 6-inch clearance for those seated around the table.

The Long and Short of It:  Over a dining table, the bottom of the chandelier should hang about 30 inches over the tabletop. The height of the fixture should measure about three inches for each foot of ceiling height, so for standard 8 foot ceilings choose a chandelier with an approximate height of 24 inches.

In a one-story foyer or in rooms with standard 8-foot ceilings, a chandelier should hang no less than 7 feet from the floor.  In a two-story foyer or in rooms with higher ceilings, the chandelier should hang approximately 8-10 feet from the floor. If your foyer fixture is to be viewed through a picture window, select a chandelier that will fill this space and center the fixture accordingly.  Note:  A two or three-tiered chandelier works best for rooms with higher ceilings.

Installation Awareness:  Be sure to employ a qualified electrician and follow National Electrical codes when installing fixtures.  It is especially important to consider the proper mounting procedures for hanging a heavier chandelier.  Usually fixtures weighing 50 pounds or more must be secured to the home’s permanent structure.

Maintaining the Glamour:  Keeping your chandelier in pristine condition requires proper cleaning and attention to specific instructions pertaining to certain finishes.  Generally, crystal and glass elements are kept clean with a basic soap and water combination.  Nonabrasive cleansers for most finishes are required.  Drying fixture components completely will help protect their luster.

Best Accessories:  Ceiling medallions, chandelier shades, decorative chain and cord covers may add to the ambience of the chandelier.  These items may be special ordered to give your chandelier a unique flair.

Imperative Additions:  Be sure to use the correct bulbs for your chandelier.  Where you have a choice between frosted or clear, choose the bulb that goes best with the fixtures finish.  Always employ dimmer controls with your chandelier.

Get High and Mighty with a Mini: The mini chandelier has become an increasingly popular lighting fixture around the home due to the versatility of its small size. Many designers are opting for mini chandeliers, rather than pendant or island lights, over long dining room tables and kitchen islands. Mini chandeliers are also gracing powder rooms and master bathrooms, as well as bedside tables.

Accent the Positive:  Although the chandelier should be the main lighting attraction, low-voltage spot lights, a matching torchiere floor lamp, +/or coordinating wall sconces make great designing additions to supplement lighting needs and complete the room’s décor.

The lighting experts at Capitol guarantee that you will captivate guests and enjoy your home to the fullest with the most illuminating fashions in home lighting and accessories.  Capitol Lighting’s lighting consultants can help you find the perfect chandelier for your home and give you tips on hanging a chandelier.

Christmas is upon us again and more than any other time of year, it’s the time of year where people put strain on their electrical system.  The lights on your house and the beautiful decorations you’ve been storing in your attic finally are brought out and plugged in for your friends and neighbors to view and appreciate.  And, of course, the vast majority of homes you visit have at least one Christmas tree.  Since most of these things are electrical, it’s probably not a surprise to you that, as a top Dallas electrician, I start getting a lot of calls this time of year.  Though it’s always nice to have the business with Christmas so close, I thought it’d be great to share with ways to avoid wiring problems with your Christmas decorations this year:

             In general, there are a few important tips that can help you avoid wiring problems.  If your lights look frayed or dangerous, they should always be replaced or repaired before using them, frayed wiring are hazardous.  You should take care that your electrical source is safe before you even begin the installation process.  To avoid the potential for overloads, you should have dedicated circuits installed for your holiday decorations.

Most importantly, you should never try to supply power for your lights without contacting a top Dallas electrician to help you install the necessary equipment and make the necessary safety precautions.  Short cuts are potentially dangerous. I can remember one example where a customer had supplied power to their lights by splicing an extension cord directly into their circuit breaker box!  Even worse, they’d shut the breaker box door, pinching the cabling!  Left unchecked, even if this hadn’t started a fire, damage from a power surge or overload could have easily destroyed their whole breaker, meaning they’d have to spend thousands to repair the damage at the absolute worst time of year!

If improperly installed, aluminum wiring can raise the risk of a house fires! From 1960’s up to the mid 1970’s aluminum wiring was sometimes used for branch circuit wiring instead of copper wiring.  During this time period copper prices were very high and aluminum wiring became a cost effect alternative to copper wiring.  Was aluminum wiring found to be as good as copper wiring?  Not even close!  Aluminum wiring quickly became a fire risk if not installed properly.  At the time aluminum wiring methods were exactly the same for copper.  Over time it was found that improper installation methods and electrical devices not designed to accept aluminum conductors could lead to fires.

If was quickly found out that aluminum wiring could cause flickering lights, hot electrical connections and even burned or melted insulation on the wiring.  There was a severe problem with overheating which can lead to fires.

1.  A Softer Metal.  Aluminum is a much softer metal when compared to copper.  During the stripping process from aluminum it can be easy to nick.  These nicks can cause hot spots in the conductor causing overheating and the potential risk of fire.  Electricians had to develop different methods of stripping the insulation off of the aluminum wiring to avoid damaging the conductor.

2.  Aluminum Expands.  When an appliance demands electricity on the circuit the conductor heats up.  While this process takes place with copper conductors too aluminum expands at a much greater rate than copper.  This expansion and contraction of the aluminum wiring  caused the the conductor to creep out from under the terminal screws on breakers and electrical devices such as plugs and switches.  This creeping of the wiring resulted in a loose connection which lead to sparking and potential fire.

3.  Corrosion or Rust.   When steel rust it becomes red, on copper rust is green, and on aluminum it is white.  When copper wiring rust it’s not as big as problem when compared to aluminum, copper rust is actually electrically conductive.  This rust on copper still allows the electricity to flow and doesn’t create as much resistance of the electricity or simplify put it doesn’t interfere as much.  However, when aluminum rust it forms a white oxide which is not a good conductor of electricity.  This creates resistance or reduces the flow of electricity.  This resistance interferes with he flow of electricity, and can cause overheating leading to fires.

There are several options for you if you have aluminum wiring in your home.  We can evaluate your homes wiring and come up with several effective methods and affordable price ranges.  It’s important to have your homes wiring thoroughly evaluated so you can know the truth about its condition so you can make the proper decision.

Solution 1.  Rewire the entire house with copper wiring.  This would be the safest long term solution for aluminum wiring.  This method would require reduced maintenance and reduced inspections needed when compared to aluminum wiring.  Rewiring the home is the safest long term solution to aluminum wiring when compared to other methods.  This solution can be expensive when compared to other solutions.  However, we have a variety of financing options and payment plans available for almost every budget.

Solution 2.  Check all connections in home and repair as needed.  Then re device the entire home with aluminum rated devices.  This short this method entails replacing all the homes plugs and switches with ones that are designed to accept aluminum conductors.  It’s important to note aluminum rated devices can be hard to find at the big box stores.  When these devices were first introduced they simply had a larger screw or terminal for the aluminum conductor to fit under.  Unfortunately, these CU/AL devices failed to work good enough and was not an effective solution.  New devices CO/ALR are created out of a similar metal which shares a similar expansion and contraction rate as aluminum which reduces the creeping of the conductor.

Solution 3.  Pigtailing.  Pigtailing simply means taking the aluminum wire connections that go to the device and splice on or pigtail on a copper conductor to go to the device such as a plug or a switch.  It is important to note that it does take a specially designed wire nut or twist-on wire connectors to to perform this method.  While this method is the cheapest it is important to make sure that routine safety checks and inspections are performed on your homes wiring to reduce the chances of future problems.

Even with all the disadvantages, aluminum wiring still has its advantages under certain applications.  It’s important to note even with these advantages you should not use aluminum wiring in your home for standard 15 or 20 amp branch circuits.

1.  It’s Light Weight.  Aluminum is lightweight in nature.  Being lightweight is an advantage when conductors are used over long distances.  This lightweight property is most beneficial for aerial applications were the aluminum wiring is suspended between poles.  This wiring method is most commonly seen in utility company applications and telecommunication lines.  Being light weight also makes the aluminum wiring easier for the installer to work with.  This makes the cable less physically demanding to install.

2.  Aluminum Wiring is Cheaper.  Aluminum wiring can be half the cost of copper wiring.  When a large amount of wiring is needed saving half the cost can be a huge benefit over copper wiring.  This method is mainly seen in feeder circuit applications in commercial buildings as well as sub panels and 220 circuits in residential applications.  It’s important to note this practice of using aluminum wiring for sub panels, services, and 220 circuits in residential applications has been deemed acceptable when properly installed and connected.