Picking the right electrical equipment is essential no matter what line of business you’re in, so take your time with the selection process. It is especially crucial for companies in the food processing industry to pick the right cord grip and connector materials, since machinery and fittings at these plants are often exposed to harsh chemicals, water and other environmental threats, which can lead to corrosion, leakage and damage.

Electrical connectors for food processing plants normally feature corrosion-resistant properties, with different degrees of resistance for various environments and applications. Picking the wrong material will not just cause your connectors to require more frequent maintenance or repairs, but can also lead to short circuits and other safety hazards.

When the power goes out, it is a bit of a novelty. It can be kind of romantic and does bring families together for a short while. You may pull out a couple of candles and sit around and chat for a bit about your day or your child’s day. It isn’t bad and is almost a welcome respite from a fast paced world. And then after about an hour or so, you and the kids start to get a little bored. You are probably thinking of the 101 things you need to get done, but can’t because you don’t have power. The batteries on the various gadgets that have been keeping the kids occupied will die and you are going to be left with some bored, cranky family members. An electrician in Los Angeles can help you avoid all of that with the installation of a standby generator. At The Electric Connection, you will discover a team of knowledgeable and professional staff who are ready to help you.

A standby generator keeps your home powered during a power outage so you can continue with life as you know it. You can choose the size of your generator based on the size of your home and your home’s power needs. If you want to power just one room and the essentials like your refrigerator and freezer, you can or you can buy a generator that will power the entire house.

Families with small children who may be afraid of the dark and don’t appreciate candlelight dinners or reading a book by candlelight will certainly benefit from a generator installation. Because there is some Los Angeles electrical wiring involved, the generator will need to be hooked up to the home’s main power by an electrician. This ensures your generator is safe to use. If you would like to learn more about generators, give The Electric Connection a call today.

Crystal chandeliers have come a long way from the days as traditional, stately pieces only enjoyed in the most formal of spaces and positioned to impress guests in the dining room or the foyer. Crystal’s are found in various lighting applications of all shapes and sizes and their sparkling, elegant affect is energizing areas of the home from powder room and office to kitchen and bath.

More crystal means more cleaning, but it does not have to be too taxing. A few simple guidelines will help to keep your crystal chandeliers looking their best.

How to clean it

If you do not wish to remove the crystal components from the piece, you can use a spray. After the piece is sprayed, wipe off the solution with white cotton gloves. Crystal chandelier manufacturer Schonbek recommends a solution of one part isopropyl alcohol to three parts distilled water, while Waterford’’s chief lighting designer Billy Canning says hot soapy water will do the trick. Both agree that special cleaning formulas aren’’t needed.

“A real no-no in the area of cleaning chandeliers: …If the chandelier is adorned with a traditional polished gold finish or polished silver finish but it i’s not stainless steel, people will use these sprays that you can buy,” says Eileen Schonbek Beer, Creative Director for Schonbek Worldwide Lighting. “Basically, what the manufacturers say is you spray the chandelier and let the stuff drip off, that cleans the crystal. But in fact what it does is ruin the frames of the chandelier.”

If more aggressive cleaning is needed, the crystal parts will need to be removed from the frame. The crystals can then be hand-washed in soapy water, rinsed clean and dried with a cloth. Schonbek provides trim diagrams that detail reassembly of the chandelier.

For dusting between cleanings, Schonbek recommends using a feather duster, lambswool duster or a make-up brush.

How often to clean it

In general, crystal should be cleaned every two to six months. The frequency of cleaning required depends on where it is used and how easy it is to get to the piece.  According to Canning, extremely large pieces like 20-foot chandeliers can get away with being cleaned only once a year.

Since crystal lighting is being featured in virtually every room of the house these days, some pieces may need more frequent cleanings based on their location. Chandeliers used in kitchens will need more detailed cleaning due to oil and grease buildup, as well as dust sticking to the components due to moisture from sinks and stoves.

“The beauty of crystal, of course, is the prismatic refraction of the light passing through the crystal ornament,” says Beer. “So the minute it’s got any kind of residue of dust or even moisture — like in moist climates in Florida — the humidity will cause dust to adhere to the crystal and the salt in the air will kind of make it cloudy. So you actually have to clean crystal pretty regularly.”

Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule for crystal will always keep it sparkling. Yet if a piece is neglected, all it takes is a little extra effort with the methods listed above to make it shine like new.

“In my personal experience, I have been asked by many auction houses to identify Waterford products many times,” says Canning. “In most cases the difficulty with identification would have been that the chandelier was allowed to get dirty and the crystal would appear dull. But in all cases, when properly cleaned, they can look as good as the day they were bought.”

For the Chore-Challenged

For customers who aren’t ready to get into the nitty gritty of cleaning their crystal by hand, suggest the Da Vinci chandelier from the Geometrix collection by Schonbek. The crystals stay attached to a stainless steel frame that can be placed directly in the dishwasher. The Da Vinci is available in a 10-inch or 36-inch diameter. The only Da Vinci that will not make it to the dishwasher is the dramatic 5-foot model.

In a crowded home where every family member has a cell phone and a tablet, electrical outlet space can be in high demand. And even if there’s plenty of outlet space to go around, the clunky chargers for these devices can clutter countertops and disrupt what could otherwise be streamlined workspaces.

If the glut of USB chargers has got you down, worry not -- you can simply upgrade a few of the outlets around your home to USB combo outlets and put away those chargers for good.

A New Kind of Outlet

USB combo outlets are a lot like the ones you already have around your home, but instead of just two electrical outlets, there are one or two USB outlets squeezed in between. By upgrading, you’ll be able to plug your phones, tablets and other devices directly into the wall with only a USB cable.

With the chargers out of the picture, there’s no worrying about whether a bulky charger will cover up both outlets. And as an added bonus, these outlets may charge devices faster than other USB connections, depending on the amperage in your home.

Take Your Pick

USB combo outlets were difficult to come by just a few years ago, but they’ve become ubiquitous enough that there are now numerous manufacturers, designs and features to choose from. Some models have no electrical outlets at all and four USB outlets instead. If you have a home office or another area of the house where you’re always charging multiple devices, this design will allow you to get lots of charging power in one small space.

The increasing popularity of combo outlets is bringing down the price, too. Most models are available for less than $25 per outlet, and some can be found for as little as $10.

Combo outlets are also winning favor with home builders, who are increasingly making them standard in strategically placed areas of the homes they build.

Make It Fit

Before you get too excited, there may be a catch, especially if you live in an older home. While it’s true that these outlets save space by removing the need for an adapter, combo outlets take up a bit more space behind the wall. Most models are more than twice as deep as a standard electrical outlet. As a result, the existing junction boxes for your outlets might not be big enough to accommodate the upgrade.

All is not lost if this is the case -- junction boxes can be replaced, but this may require some cutting and patching of the wall around the outlet. An electrician should be able to quickly determine whether this kind of work will be necessary to make USB combo outlets fit.

You may also need to factor your home’s amperage into your expectations of charging speeds. The electrical systems in most modern homes will charge devices quickly, but older systems may not quite have the juice to save you charging time. It’s also possible for combo outlets to charge devices more slowly if multiple USB ports are in use simultaneously.

If you’re thinking about upgrading the outlets in your home, reach out to your trusted local electricians today for a no-obligation consultation.