The summer weather is notorious for spurning some wild thunderstorms. Those storms can result in widespread power outages that leave you and your neighbors sitting in the dark for hours. The power outage may not be the result of a thunderstorm. It could come down to scheduled blackouts if the summer heats up as is predicted. You need to know how to stay safe during a power outage. An electrician in Santa Monica has some valuable tips for you. If you have any more questions, you can always count on the team at The Electric Connection to help you.

1-Call the electric company from your cell phone to determine what the situation is and how long you can expect to be without power.

2-Unplug all appliances and turn off things like the air conditioner, stove and so on. You don’t want to create a power surge when the electricity does come back on. You can have a surge protector installed by an electrician. Santa Monica homeowners who don’t want to risk their electrical equipment being burned out will appreciate the protection a surge protector offers.

3-Use flashlights whenever possible instead of candles. Candles increase the risk of a fire getting started.

4-Put together a small emergency kit and leave it in the pantry. The kit should include things like a radio for listening to weather reports, extra batteries for the flashlight and some extra cash or a credit card for emergencies.

You can avoid the side effects of a power outage by having a generator installed by a Santa Monica electrician. This will serve as your backup electricity source to ensure you always have power. You won’t have to worry about wasting the food in your fridge or worrying about how you will take a hot shower. Give The Electric Connection a call today to learn more about surge protection or a standby generator.

A Tiffany lamp is a style of fixture commonly associated with the Art Nouveau movement. The term is sometimes used broadly to refer to stained glass but it gets its name from the original creator and design director, Louis Comfort Tiffany – the son of Tiffany & Co. founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany.

The first Tiffany lamp was produced around 1895. In line with Tiffany’s vision that nature should inspire design, each piece featured elements of nature or geometric shapes to create intricate patterns. Each lamp was handmade by Louis himself or by an artist in his studio.

The bases of the lamps were typically sculpted from bronze with shades created from hundreds of cut glass shapes fashioned together with copper foil. These works of art took many hours of skilled craftsmanship to complete and remain popular to this day, thanks to their complex beauty.

When your car isn’t running right or you have a leaky faucet, you may try and diagnose and repair the problem yourself. These are fairly innocent symptoms and a number of people can safely take care of the problem just by using Google or talking to somebody at the auto parts store or their local hardware store. Unfortunately, electrical problems in the home, even those that seem relatively simple, can be extremely dangerous for the average person to fix. It is absolutely imperative you call an electrician. Santa Monica homeowners who suspect they have something going on with the electrical in their home can call The Electric Connection.

Sometimes, the obvious problem is just a symptom of something much bigger. A light switch that doesn’t seem to work or an outlet that is loose or makes a popping noise may seem like no big deal, but it is. It is hard to say what is happening without an inspection from a trained and certified electrician in Santa Monica. It could really be a quick fix that requires a little tightening of the wires or a replace of the switch or outlet. It could also be an indication of faulty wiring or wiring that is old and brittle.

There are plenty of other scenarios that would require you to call a Santa Monica electrician. If you want new outlets, additional outlets or new light fixtures, you will want to leave the job to the professionals. This ensures the job will be done right and you can sleep better at night knowing it was handled by someone who has been through extensive training and been certified. It is too risky to ignore the problem or attempt to diagnose it if you don’t have the knowledge. Give The Electric Connection a call today if you suspect your electrical wiring may need a little help.

Were you aware that the air quality inside your home can be worse than that of the outdoors? While this is especially prevalent in spring, fall isn’t exactly a walk in the park. The change of seasons kicks up many allergens and debris that can make even the healthiest person ill.

Before you think, “Well I change the air filter in my HVAC system on a regular basis, so isn’t that enough?” consider this: Your HVAC system’s air filter is there to protect the inside components of the system, not your indoor air.

So maybe you have an electronic air cleaner to take care of this problem. This type of air filter is incredibly beneficial. It works by removing microscopic impurities from your indoor air, such as dust, smoke, and smog, in addition to pet dander. Perhaps these seem like harmless particles to you—however, they can actually make you and your family ill.

Electronic air cleaners work best when you stay on top of cleaning the plates so that dirt doesn’t accumulate to a point that it becomes a problem. But if you have an electronic air cleaner, do you need a UV purifier?

While electronic air cleaners eliminate pollutants from the air, a UV air purifier kills certain contaminants within your ductwork before they even have a chance to enter the air. Most importantly, they eliminate microorganisms such as mold, mold spores, and other bacteria.

Microorganisms are not something that an electronic air cleaner can remove from the air. This doesn’t mean that electronic air cleaners are ineffective though—each type of air purifier eliminates the problem that the other one leaves. In other words, they work perfectly together for a comprehensive indoor air quality solution.