A bad circuit breaker is a major inconvenience, but there can be other issues at play when your power supply isn’t working the way it should. Breakers protect you and your home from current overloads and other electrical issues. If the circuit gets overloaded, the breaker will trip, cutting power to eliminate the risk of fire. Sometimes a breaker will trip even when there is no overload, but it can be tricky to figure out which situation applies.

If you think you have a bad circuit breaker, look out for the following signs so you can get the problem taken care of quickly.

If your breaker is tripping, it could mean there is a device on the circuit causing an overload. Identifying what circuit the breaker is protecting can help you figure out if the problem is with a device or with the breaker itself. There might be a label on the breaker panel that gives you this information, but if not, you can figure it out by testing your lights and devices. If you disconnect the devices connected to the circuit and try to reset the breaker again, the outcome will confirm whether you have a faulty breaker. If it still trips even without the devices connected to it, it is defective and needs replacement.

Several debates continue to surround the idea of how video games affect childhood development. On one side, they have a reputation for causing violence and obesity in children, and on another, they prove to be very educational and encourage exercise. Because video games are so prominent in children’s lives, it is difficult to prevent them from playing video games entirely. However, when you truly analyze them, is it really necessary to rid children of video games completely? Research proves that while video games have their disadvantages, they also have advantages that can stimulate brain activity and help power tomorrow by assisting kids in setting and achieving their goals to reach their full potential.

Video games can be a powerful tool to help children develop certain life skills. They can help children’s brain development in several ways, including enhancing problem solving skills and creativity. They also induce quick thinking by having players solve problems to continue to a higher level, and create strategies to potentially win the game.

The most popular child development video games vary with a child’s age. For younger children, popular video games include: Wii Barbie Dreamhouse Party, Nintendo Super Mario 3D World, XBOX 360 The Lego Movie and Lego Marvel Super Heroes. For teenagers, popular video games include: XBOX 360 Transformers Fall of Cybertron, XBOX 360 Grand Theft Auto, XBOX 360 Guitar Hero II, Rock Band 2, Just Dance 2014 and FIFA 14.

Like so many other things in life, moderation is key, so monitoring a child’s video game intake is definitely important. Video games are a great form of entertainment that provide bonding time with friends and relaxation time during any afternoon. Although the negative effects of video games are very real, by allowing children to partake in developmental video games, the door is also opened for children to have a fun learning experience.

A recent KXAN news report featured the story of a Round Rock couple who built their home specifically for energy efficiency. Beginning with a strong metal roof designed to support the weight of solar panels, they installed 24 panels which generate ample amounts of electric current.

In winter months, their electric bills are very low. However, as spring and summer months bring greater levels of heat and sunlight, their electricity bills fall into a negative zone. That’s because their photovoltaic panels are producing more electricity than their home consumes. To further reduce electrical consumption, the couple has replaced many incandescent lights with solid state lighting. Special skylights called “solar tubes” provide bright interior lighting during daylight hours, making their home even more efficient. Efficient foam insulation and a roof design which provides longer overhangs shades the walls and further reduces the electricity needed for cooling the home. In addition to this, their home’s heating and cooling unit uses a geothermal well. For more information, click on this web link: News Link

If you’ve been trying to save a little bit of money on your heating bills, shutting off the heater every day for a short while certainly isn’t the most comfortable way to do so. If you feel you’re running out of ways to save a few bucks on your heating bills, you might consider installing a zone control system. A zone control system involves investing in an initial installation, but the results for your comfort and for your bills should very well be worth it. Zone control allows you and your family members to control the level of heating in one area of the home individually from the others, for maximum comfort and savings.

A thermostat capable of controlling all of the dampers at once. When you raise or lower the temperature in a particular zone, the damper that leads to that area opens or closes to allow more or less airflow.

This is only a job for a professional as it involves knowledge of duct design and the proper methods of dismantling the ducts and sealing them to protect against leaks. But once you get a new zone control system, you’ll notice the benefits right away. If there is an area of the home that goes unoccupied throughout the day or night, you can shut off the heat in that area only to save on your utilities.

You can also use zone control to adjust the heating throughout a house with multiple floors or a unique architectural design or feature that makes even heating difficult. Sometimes, the way your home is designed makes it difficult for heat to distribute evenly in every room. But with zone control, you can make sure that each area is the same with separate thermostats that ensure that room is heated to the desired temperature. As an added bonus, you’ll never have to hear the people in your home bicker about the temperature in the house when they can control their own area individually, and you get zone cooling in the summer as well for year-long savings.

Call the heating and air conditioning professionals at FB Electrical Services to learn how you can get zone heating in Newton today.

Indoor Generator Provides 20,000 Watts of Stored Renewable Energy to a Ranch Home, Even When All External Power Supply is Unavailable

Dallas, TX  December 30, 2011– Doug Kerr is the proud owner of a stretch of land located in the rural area of Kaufman County (Texas) where the air is fresh and the hustle and bustle of city life is non-existent. One thing Doug’s land doesn’t have, however, is a city power grid. Traditionally, to gain access to power in an area that hasn’t already been included on the electrical grid, you can pay the local electrical provider a large sum to run new electrical service to your location, or be forced to use noisy, polluting, and high-maintenance fuel-powered generators.