Solar power is something many people automatically assume is not right for them. There are some misconceptions out there about what it means to rely on solar power versus the power provided by the electric company. 20 to 30 years ago, living off the grid was reserved for those who wanted to be completely independent in some desolate area. Times have changed and solar power is becoming a very affordable option for those who live in the suburbs as well as the outskirts of town. All that you need is a little knowledge and an electrician. Santa Monica residents can do some research to learn more about solar panels and how they work and then give The Electric Connection a call to learn more about the installation process.

Solar panels are not necessarily the giant rectangles you remember from a decade ago. Nowadays they are smaller (although the larger ones are still an option) and can be mounted directly to the roof of a home. Another popular misconception is the cost of installation. It isn’t as much as it used to be. And when you factor in the cost savings of solar energy, it truly does pay for itself overtime. It is also important to consider the impact solar energy has on environmental preservation. There are plenty of tax breaks offered to those who choose to invest in solar panels as well.

This installation process should be completed by an experienced electrician. Santa Monica residents may be tempted to try and save a few dollars by doing the installation themselves, but that is not recommended. One popular option homeowners have for solar energy is the leasing of solar panels. This option is affordable and you will see immediate cost savings on your electric bill. If you would like to schedule your own solar panel installation, give The Electric Connection a call today.

Any building, in any industry, in any area of the world, is susceptible to having potentially hazardous and radioactive exit signs installed throughout their building.

This could mean they are in schools, near your office, or anywhere else where a radioactive setting probably isn’t a desired situation to be in.

This is why we thought it was necessary to create this post to help and guide you towards identifying, removing, and finally replacing your radioactive exit signs with new signs that are much safer and even efficient, saving you money over other alternatives.

Firstly before we can remove and replace these seemingly nuclear exit signs, you have to be able to identify if you have them or not. But before that, lets explain what exactly makes these exit signs radioactive.

How are some exit signs radioactive?

Just the same way as some exit signs are safe, it is all in the way they are built. For some reason, whether it be technology of the time or something else, people assumed it was a good idea to create exit signs with Tritium, also known as 3H or H-3. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, causing exit signs made with this to be radioactive by default. The only seemingly positive upside to these exit signs is that they are non-electrical, meaning they won’t rack up anything in electricity bills.

But before you become alarmed with what we have shared with you so far, tritium emits only a low-energy beta radiation, which in turn causes the sealed glass tube it is in to glow (causing the exit sign to give off the illumination it requires). Thankfully, it is rather well known that this type of radiation can hardly (if at all) penetrate a piece of paper or clothing. So while yes it is a very low level (energy wise) type of radiation, the fact that there are alternatives that will remove radiation entirely from your building is all the reason to uninstall your tritium exit signs and replace them with something more safe, like LED exit signs.

Now that you understand the technology and how tritium in exit signs work a little bit more, let’s go over how exactly you can identify whether or not you have these types of exit signs in your building.

Identifying a radioactive exit sign should be fairly easy. All of these signs are required to have some sort of “Caution of Radioactive Material” warning on the fixture.

If you do find such a warning label, it is safe to say your light is made of tritium. Another tell-tale sign is whether or not your signs are connected to an electrical source or not as tritium signs do not require any such connection.

Once you’ve identified if you have a tritium exit sign or not, if you do happen to have one, you may continue on to removing and replacing it with the alternative exit sign, LED.

As with any lighting fixture, we recommend to bring in a professional contractor to do the job. But as a general guideline, you can typically recycle your tritium signs by returning them to the manufacturer or place of purchase.

If you purchased the building with them pre-installed and are unsure of where they came from after inspection of the signs for any brand markings, you can try two things:

1: Try contacting the previous building owner or collect records of where they were manufactured

2: Recycle them with a third party. like these), buying them, then installing them yourself or with a professional (we recommend a professional).

Here are a few things you should remember and keep in mind when dealing with a building that has radioactive exit signs: