As a California homeowner, you know that this is not the best time to put your house on the market, which may be why so many people are opting to upgrade their existing homes instead of seeking a replacement. One of the improvements you should consider is an electrical make over.

Electrical wiring can suffer wear and tear, and older homes were simply not built to meet today’s electrical needs, but these deficiencies can be overcome by hiring an experienced electrician. Santa Monica, CA building codes have changed over the years as well, and companies like The Electric Connection that specialize in rewiring older homes can bring your house into compliance with the latest regulations.

If your home was built during the 1960s and 1970s, you may be living in a fire trap. During that time approximately 2 million homes were built or remodeled using aluminum wiring before it was discovered that this type of wiring poses a significant fire hazard. The problem occurs at the electrical connection points where the wiring is spliced to connect to a switch, outlet or circuit breaker. Aluminum expands and shrinks in response to temperature changes, a process which can cause breaks and frays over time. The US Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC) has expressed grave concern over this issue stating that homes with aluminum wiring are up to 50 times more likely to have a fire than homes with copper wiring.

How will you know if you need to have all of the electrical wiring in your house replaced? Fortunately, you may not necessary need a complete rewire in your home or business. A licensed electrician in Santa Monica can evaluate this for you, and tell you to what extent you’ll need to go in order to make your home safe. The Electric Connection, which specializes in house rewires explains that depending on the situation, there might be a fairly inexpensive solution. For example, you may simply need to replace the connection points in your home or business with copper electrical connectors. Not every Santa Monica electrician is trained in this type of retrofit, so you when you’re searching for electrician Santa Monica, it’s important to find a highly trained and fully licensed electrician to perform aluminum-to-copper retrofits.

Older homes, those built prior to 1950, may have a different electrical safety issue. During this time many homes used cloth insulated wiring, something which can appear similar to the insulated wiring used today. The danger builds over time; as the cloth ages it dries and can begin to flake off. Once portions of the wire are exposed, they pose a serious shock and fire danger.

Another challenge presented in older homes or buildings with cloth insulated wiring is that this wiring was frequently not grounded. At the time there were a limited number of electrical appliances and no home computers, so grounding was not considered a serious issue. Today all new homes are grounded so that excess electrical charges caused by electric surges are routed out of the house and into the ground, protecting electronic devices, computers and appliances. An electrician from Santa Monica can replace cloth insulated wiring with a grounded system, making your home and belongings safe from electrical fire and damage caused by power surges.

Another problem with older homes is the lack of three-prong outlets, something that is necessary for most modern appliances. Many homeowners mistakenly think they can simply purchase the three-prong version at the hardware store and swap out their existing two-prong outlets, but doing so can create additional fire risks. Properly swapping out these outlets requires some rewiring so that the three-prong version is grounded. Your Santa Monica electrician can do these quickly and inexpensively for you, and can make certain that any existing three-prong versions have been installed properly.

So how do you determine what type of electrical wiring is in your Santa Monica CA home? The first step is to check the build date. If your home was built before 1950, you can call the Electric Connection for a free electrical estimate by a licensed Santa Monica Electrician. They will be able to quickly evaluate any electrical safety issues that you might have in your home or business electrical system.

By Spencer Cutright

Crowds are packing amusements parks this summer as they look to let out their inner adrenaline junkie. With more than 400 amusement parks and 786 roller coasters in the U.S., there are plenty of rides to choose from. Mr. Electric® presents our favorite list of the top five roller coasters with gut-wrenching drops, jaw-dropping loops and stomach turning speeds that are sure to give surge to your summer.

This menacing roller coaster in Jackson, New Jersey at Six Flags Great Adventure, is not only the world’s tallest roller coaster, but also the world’s second fastest. Riders are launched at 128 miles per hour and reach a height of 456 feet before plunging back down to ground level.

Featuring the world’s largest loop, this Six Flags Magic Mountain coaster in Valenica, California catapults riders at 66 miles per hour before being sent into a massive 160-foot loop.

This high adrenaline coaster is packed with twist, turns and loops. Located at Sig Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas, riders reach top speeds of 70 miles per hour and must endure a 145-foot loop, a cobra roll, two corkscrews and even a zero gravity roll.

The first roller coaster to ever use floorless trains, this Busch Gardens Williamsburg coaster features two Immelmann loops, two vertical drops and a splashdown. The coaster also reaches a top height of 2,005 feet and a top speed of 71 miles per hour.

Located at the world famous Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, this coaster sends riders on a terrifying 300 foot drop, two tunnels, three overbanked turns and reaches speeds up to 93 miles per hour.

We hope you have an electrifying time and enjoy these rides as much as we do. As always, remember to call on your friendly neighborhood Mr. Electric for any summer electrical needs.

You know that little meter outside your home that is fairly unattractive and unnoticeable until you hear it making a scary sound. The sound is the little dial spinning around and around. That dial spinning represents your money flying out the door. The dial is measuring the amount of electricity you are using in your house. A spinning meter can be a little scary and you will be dreading the next electric bill. When you think about this summer, it is easy to really get concerned about how much it will cost you to keep your home cool. An electrician in Glendale can help you manage your spinning meter and help keep some of that money in your pocket. The team at The Electric Connection is here to help.

These are 5 ways you can help limit your electricity usage and keep your electric bill down.

1-Make a commitment to set your thermostat at about 74 this summer. That is a comfortable temperature and you can maximize it by using a ceiling fan installed by a Glendale electrician to help stir up a breeze and circulate the cool air.

2-Buy a laundry rack and dry a few things outside on the patio to cut down on how often you use the dryer.

3-Be more conscientious about the amount of hot water you use. Don’t leave the faucet running while you wipe down cupboards or rinse dishes. Shave a few minutes off your shower time as well.

4-Switch out your old bulbs for the much more energy friendly LEDs. These tiny little bulbs use a fraction of the electricity of the standard bulb. You can also use CFLs. In some cases, you will need to have your light fixtures upgraded by an electrician. Glendale homeowners will appreciate the new look an updated fixture brings to a room.

5-Buy new curtains and blinds to use as sun shields this summer. It will help keep your home warmer and save on cooling costs.

Give The Electric Connection a call today to install that new light fixture or ceiling fan so you can start saving money on your electric bill.

Most kids are extremely curious and want to know how things work and will also take items apart if they are able to; it’s no different when they are around electrical fittings, fixtures and appliances. If you have toddlers in your home, it’s best to get electrical safety fittings installed where there are powerpoints and electrical outlets. However, if you have slightly older kids, it’s important that you teach your kids some basic electrical safety; here are some tips you can keep in view:

If you are concerned about your kids playing safely and without any accidents around electrical installations, fixtures and appliances either in the indoor and outdoor areas of your home or in the neighbouring areas, here are pointers you should go over with them:

Since the advent of the incandescent (and even before), quality of light has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Regrettably, that quality has mostly been unfortunate. When incandescent lights were the only choice, the early 20th century population complained about the glare and the possible dangers of electricity.

Case in point: on an episode of Downton Abbey (Masterpiece’s smash hit about an elite family living on an estate in the early 1900’s), the prim and hilarious Dowager Countess laments the new electric lamps:

“Such a glare! I couldn’t have electricity in the house – I wouldn’t sleep a wink. All those vapors seeping about. Feels as if  I were on stage at the Gaiety.”