Home owners routinely call us with questions regarding attic fans. Do they really work? What is the difference between an attic fan and a whole house fan? Prior to home air conditioning and even after, home builders generally installed attic fans for the comfort of the residents. If you are a home owner who manages to get the first floor comfortable and then when you go upstairs for the evening it is stifling, an attic fan may be the answer for you.

Having an attic fan allows you to open one or more windows and the fan will suck in the cooler outside air and blow out the warmer interior air. When you have the proper fan, those times when you would be extremely warm and increase the output of your whole house A/C system, you may be surprised you need a light blanket with an attic fan.

Attic Fan vs. Whole House Fan

Are you confused? There is no reason to be. When you speak of a whole house fan it is a unit that is installed in the ceiling. It is designed to extract the hot air from your entire home and redirect it into the attic. The positive pressure in the attic will drive the warm air through roof vents. Then the negative pressure will bring in the cooler outside air.

A single attic fan is installed at the roof level and its purpose is to draw all the warm air out of the house. If you want fresh or cool air to be brought into the home, additional vents need to be installed.

Obviously there are many more advantages to a whole house fan, but the choice is yours. Many times you can use your whole house fan instead of your expensive air conditioning. Generally, an attic fan will run during the warmest time of the day hours to pump all the hot air out of your attic. However, a whole house fan will run in the coolest times like morning, evening and overnight to bring the fresh, cool air in.

Other benefits

While you may enjoy fishing and bringing your catch back for a family feast, you can still smell the fish fry the next morning and evening. An attic fan or whole house fan can rid your home of unwanted temporary odors in a heartbeat.

We will size your home and suggest a unit that will be able to cool within a three minute period. This is so much more efficient than turning down the A/C. You will see a huge reduction in your electric bill because these fans help your A/C run more efficiently and in some instances you do not need to run you’re A/C at all.

When you make the investment, a whole house fan is quiet and can last as long as 30 years. This is vastly difference from air conditioners. It does not pull damp, rainy air into your home.

Ask us for a free estimate.

There are few things more chilling than a home burglary. Imagine a stranger rifling through and stealing your possessions – to say nothing of the danger if you or your family members are home at the time of the break-in. Fortunately, you can take steps to deter potential thieves by using outdoor lighting to increase the visibility around your home. Today's inexpensive LED and smart technologies mean that you can create a system that is attractive, efficient and responsive without breaking the bank. Protect your home and your family with some of these outdoor lighting ideas.

A Light in the Darkness

Your outdoor lighting system should include lights near any doors and windows where a person could enter the house. "The biggest thing for any person who can burglarize a home is the ability to secrete movements," a Chicago Police Department spokesperson told the Chicago tribune. "This means darkness.”

Many outdoor lighting systems are easy to install on your own, although a few may require the help of an electrician for new wiring. LED bulbs are an attractive option because they use only about a quarter of the energy of incandescent bulbs and last up to 25 times as long. Some outdoor lights come equipped with a built-in security camera that will not only light up to scare off any would-be burglars, but also capture their image so you can notify police of the suspicious activity.

Stand-alone solar panel lights are a good option for walkways, although they shouldn't be relied on as a home security measure since variations in weather mean they might not always provide enough light to deter a prowler.

Getting Smart About Your Lighting

Smart lighting systems let you control your entire home’s lighting setup from your smartphone, even when you're away from the house. You can adjust timers, motion sensors, dimming functions or manually instruct the lights to come on or off. Certain smart lighting and security systems will automatically alert you when someone is at the door and allow you to talk to them through your phone no matter where you are in the world.

With smart technology, you can also add an extra layer of deterrence by having indoor lights come on for a period of time when you are away, giving the appearance that somebody is home. If you already have a lighting system in place, you can upgrade it to a smart system by swapping in some wireless smart switches and installing a control hub.

A Safer and More Attractive Residence

Lighting up your outdoor space is more than just a way to deter burglars. It can also make your yard look more attractive at night and help visitors safely navigate their way to your door.

If you need help planning or installing an outdoor security lighting scheme, contact your local electrician right away.

Are you ready for those warm summer nights? Nights you will want to enjoy outside as you unwind underneath the stars. Have you considered making your backyard relaxation the ultimate experience by having a hot tub installed? If so, you are going to need to give your Burbank electrician a call to complete the installation process. Fortunately, you can count on the experienced and professional electricians at The Electric Connection to get your hot tub up and running in no time.

Hot tubs are an absolutely fantastic way to relax after a long day working out in the yard or slaving away at your job. Friends and family members will love popping over and sitting in the hot tub as you chat about the day and your plans for the future. The company where you buy the hot tub from will likely encourage you to hire an electrician for the installation of the hot tub. This is crucial to the safety of your hot tub and ultimately, your home.

You will need a 240-volt outlet to operate the hot tub. This isn’t a standard outlet. You will need to have one installed by an electrician. Burbank residents can choose where the hot tub is going to be placed, but it is important to consider the electrical needs. Conduit will need to be buried to make the hot tub safe to use. Consider the distance between the house and where you are considering placing the hot tub. Your electrician will need to do an inspection of your electric panel to determine if it is capable of supporting the additional outlet. If it isn’t, you will need an electric panel upgrade, which your electrician will take care of for you. If you are ready to start enjoying the great outdoors from the comfort of your own hot tub, give The Electric Connection a call today.

As a Dallas Electrician with over 27 years of experience, ElectricMan Inc. has seen many of the dangers of DIY Electrical first hand, and has often been called in to make repairs after a DIY home improvement project has gone wrong, or the home owner realized that they were in over their head. The experience to take on any electrical home improvement project is something that is obtained by years of professional training and experience under a Licensed Master Electrician. That kind of experience isn’t something that the average Do-It-Yourselfer has, even if you do consider yourself a Jack-Of-All Trades.

One of the biggest dangers of DIY Electrical work is simply the fact that electricity can be deadly when not handled properly. Many DIY home improvement projects are often done in a hurry, and without proper planning. Something as simple as forgetting to switch off the breaker, using the wrong tools for the job, or even accidentally brushing up against the wrong wire can send high voltage coursing through a human body, easily causing burns, ventricular fibrillation (uncontrolled movement of the heart muscles), and death. We are so accustomed to being able to flip a switch and use electricity in our daily life that we often forgot how powerful it truly is.

One of the major causes for DIY Electrical accidents is unfamiliarity with the electrical circuits in your home. Due to shoddy electrical workmanship in many older homes, it is often difficult to tell which outlets, appliances, and lighting fixtures are on a given circuit, especially if your breaker box was improperly labeled, or if the labeling has faded over time. Most home owners will simply switch off breakers until they see the lights turn off in the area that they will be working, and assume it is safe to start working. This is an incredibly dangerous practice since it is not always the case that all outlets and lighting fixtures in an area will be on the same circuit. A Licensed Dallas Electrician will be familiar with standard wiring practices and will know the proper way to test the circuit that they will be working on to ensure that it is safe.

Another huge benefit to using a licensed electrician for your home electrical work is that they will be well versed in all of the building and safety codes required to make sure the job is done right. The reason that this is important is two-fold. First, it is legally required to adhere to all building and safety codes, and if you ever intend on selling your home or having it inspected for any other reason, a DIY Electrical repair or addition will cause your home to fail inspection if building and safety codes are not followed to the letter, generally costing you more money later down the line to have an improperly performed job repaired. Secondly, and even more important, is the fact that building and safety codes are put in place for a reason. If you are not familiar with these codes or do not follow them, you are putting yourself and your family at risk of electrical shock, electrical fires, and injury or death due to a faulty repair.

A reliable Licensed Dallas Electrician such as ElectricMan Inc. will ensure that any home improvement project involving electricity in your home is completed correctly, in compliance with all of the proper safety and building codes, and will guarantee their work to ensure a successful outcome, and the safety of you and your family. If you would like to learn more about the capabilities and experience of ElectricMan Inc. or discuss a project or repair that you are planning for your home, reach out to us today by phone at 972-792-7270, or visit us at our website at www.electricmaninc.com!