Anytime you pay money to a contractor, there are going to be risks. Hiring someone for a job may be a source of anxiousness for you as you try to determine who is going to do the best job in a timely, professional manner without breaking the bank. This is a decision that deserves some time. You will definitely need to do a little homework before you hire anybody to complete a big job that actually puts the safety of your home and ultimately your family in their hands. When you need the right electrician, Los Angeles homeowners can count on the team at The Electric Connection to do a job up to code and up to your high standards.

There are 4 things you should look for when you begin your search for an electrician in Los Angeles.

1-Overall good reviews from people who have used the electrician or company in the past. Checking Angie’s List is one way to get some honest reviews from real people. You will likely find testimonials on the business website as well.

2-Ask around. Businesses have a reputation in the community. Talk with neighbors, co-workers and friends to ask if they have a particular electrician they would recommend. They can give you an honest opinion and the little details you won’t hear anywhere else.

3-Every contractor you hire to perform work in your home should be licensed and bonded. This insures your home is covered should something happen during the course of the work and also protects the Los Angeles electrician. Homeowners can check the status of the license by making a quick phone call.

4-A company that has a good record of showing up as scheduled is also important. Everyone has schedules to keep and one person showing up late can throw it all off. Punctuality and the ability to stick with a completion schedule is very important.

If you are in need of an electrical contractor, give The Electric Connection a call and let them take care of your electrical needs.

When it comes to your home electrical system, safety should be your number one priority. Electricity can be dangerous when your wiring isn't connected properly, and a house fire can rip through your home and possessions with alarming speed, putting you and your family's very lives at risk. One common cause of fires is an electrical arc in the circuits behind your walls, when current jumps on an unplanned path from one conductor to another, potentially igniting wood or insulation along the way. Fortunately, you can protect your home against electrical arcs with arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs). Read on to learn more.

Your Electrician Can Keep You Safe

According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were 47,700 residential fires caused by electrical failures in 2011, causing 418 deaths and $1.4 billion in damage. Any steps you can take to prevent becoming a victim to one of these disastrous events is money well spent. And while conventional circuit breakers will automatically shut down if a circuit shorts or gets overloaded, they are unable to detect most electrical arcs. That's where the AFCI comes in.

The AFCI works by monitoring the current passing through the circuit, searching for unusual activity that could indicate an arc. When a problem is detected, the device immediately shuts down the circuit, lowering any opportunity the arc could have to start a fire. Keep in mind that some of your appliances or equipment may intentionally create arcs, but in a safe manner – the AFCI should recognize them and only trip during dangerous arcing conditions.

Find Out if Your Family is Protected

Your local code almost definitely requires your home to include ACFIs for circuits that lead to bedrooms, and if your municipality has updated its code in the past year, it may require interrupters for every circuit in the home. However, if your home was built before 2000, it may not have AFCIs installed at all, and it may be worthwhile to make an upgrade.

If you aren't sure if you have arc fault circuit interrupters, open the door of your main panel and look inside. Circuits that have AFCI capabilities are usually indicated by a yellow or green label. If you can't tell, ask an electrician to inspect your wiring and verify whatever safety features are included. The electrician can also make recommendations about whether you should consider upgrading your circuits and give an estimate on how much it would cost.

Don't Let Your Circuits Create a Disaster

If you need help installing arc fault circuit interrupters in your home, or otherwise bringing your wiring up to code, contact an expert electrician today.

With the right lights and accessories, LED landscape lighting is a breeze to install. Our plug-and-play different brand of lights in a G-LUX system. There are installation options and accessories for LED pond lights/fountain lights, spotlights, path lights, hardscape lights, well lights, and more. Check out the photos below for some landscape lighting ideas and layout options. With easy-to-use G-LUX accessories, such as extension cables, splitters, power supplies, dusk-to-dawn sensors, and waterproof junction boxes, any setup is possible.

Installation Accessories:

Waterproof Junction Box

You can use extension cables to lengthen the reach of or increase the number of lights in your LED landscape lighting system. Splitters are available in 3-way and 5-way options, and extension cables come in 6.56-foot, 16.4-foot, and 32.81-foot lengths. Use any combination of these plug-and-play accessories to add LED landscape lights where you need them. Make sure that the power supply you choose can handle the combined wattage of all your LED lights.

For this type of installation, you’ll need a G-LUX LED landscape light. Connect the female end of the pigtail power cable to your LED light, and connect the pigtail wires to the main line that runs to your other lights and existing power supply. You can also wire your G-LUX LED landscape light directly to your power supply.

You can create a G-LUX landscape lighting system using G-LUX LED lights and G-LUX dusk-to-dawn sensor will turn your landscape lights on at dusk and off at dawn. A sensor with an automatic timer is also available to keep landscape lights on for two, four, or six hours after dusk. The sensor must be plugged into your G-LUX power supply, and anything that you want it to control must be plugged into it. If you want the sensor to control multiple lights, plug your splitter or extension cable that is plugged into the splitter into it.

If you’re using waterproof G-LUX LED well lights or spotlights in ponds or fountains, there are a couple waterproof accessories that you might need. Use a G-LUX waterproof wire connector to do so.

For technical questions, don’t hesitate to call us toll free at 866-590-3533. Our customer service and technical support teams are available from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT on Friday.

Winter is in full swing in Australia, which also means you’re likely spending much more time in your hot tub. If you don’t currently have a hot tub, and are considering getting one installed in the near future, there are certain aspects to consider before buying one.

We all are aware that water and electricity just don’t mix; and so, sticking to the appropriate electrical and safety protocol with hot tub installations and their maintenance is something you can’t afford to overlook. Here are a few hot tub electrical requirements and safety tips to follow:

Even if you are a DIY enthusiast, installing a new hot tub is a completely different animal. Wiring of hot tubs isn’t an easy task and is distinctly more complicated and involved than setting up some other standard home appliances. Consulting an experienced and licensed local electrician will often save you a significant amount of time, money, trouble or even a trip to a hospital.

An electrician will make sure the electrical wiring and fixtures required for the hot tub are installed well and that helps avoid costly mistakes like ones that can occur in skilled and licensed electrician will make sure that the installation and wiring is in line with the existing codes.

Before installing your hot tub, it’s vital to consider its location. Not only will you need room for the actual hot tub but extra room to get into and out of it. The feature should be at least 10′ away from any type of overhead power lines and a minimum of 5′ away from removed spa panels. It’s also necessary to consider how the hot tub will connect to the power source.