One of the best ways to relax outdoors is by sitting in your own private hot tub. After a long hard day at work, a soak in the hot tub can help rinse away all the stresses of work and life in general. A hot tub is also a great way to entertain a few friends on the weekend. Once you have picked out the tub that you have been dreaming of, the next step is getting it set up and ready for you to enjoy.

Setup

Although you may be extremely excited to start filling your new toy up with water for that first use, hot tubs require an electrician. Santa Monica homeowners will need an electrician to help wire the hot tub to the home. These wonderful devices are not something you can simply plug into the patio outlet.

The tub or sauna will need to be hard-wired into the home’s power. Typically, because of the electric requirements, a dedicated breaker will be needed. Depending on the available service, you may need an additional breaker installed.

It is not uncommon for permits to be required for the setup and installation of a hot tub. An inspection may also be needed. A qualified professional will need to make sure the hot tub is wired correctly and safely. These are all things that will need to be handled by an electrician. Santa Monica residents can call The Electric Connection to discuss the setup of their new hot tub.

Maintenance

Like anything that is run by electricity, there are times when the unit will fail. Never try and fix the hot tub yourself. In many cases, you could end up voiding your warranty by doing so. If you ever run into trouble with your hot tub, call an electrician to take a look and save yourself time and money from a voided warranty. The Electric Connection is here to help you get your hot tub up and running.

A beautiful deck is something that should be enjoyed long after the sun goes down—which is why it’s important to have the right kind of deck lighting! From a purely functional point of view, deck lighting serves three purposes:

But when it comes to the right type of lighting for your home, deck lighting can do so much more! The key is to design a lighting system that performs all three of the above tasks while enhancing the look and feel of your deck. Rather than flooding the deck with simulated sunlight, integrate accent lighting with posts, railings, stair risers, and other elements to create an inviting after-dark atmosphere.

Low-voltage deck lights – the most common types of deck lights, low-voltage lights are a safer alternative to line-voltage, posing almost no risk of electric shock. Electrical connections with low voltage lights are simpler, requiring neither a permit nor a license to install.

Disadvantages of low-voltage deck lights are that they require a transformer, and unless they are divided into more than one run of wiring, they share the same 12V of power—which, if you have a lot of lights, can reduce the brightness.

Line-voltage deck lights – line voltage deck lights are brighter, but their installation is more strictly enforced. All connections must be made in an approved electrical box, and any cables run in the open must be enclosed in a proper conduit. Line-voltage deck lighting must be installed by a licensed electrician.

Solar-powered deck lights – because solar deck lights require no electrical connections, timers, or switches, you won’t need to drill routing holes, run wires, or make connections to install them. What you will need, of course, is steady sunshine—usually six hours per day, according to manufacturers. Sunlight charges the lights’ batteries, which mean they are typically limited to post-cap features, although lanterns, string lights, and recessed solar lights are available.

The solar batteries will need to be replaced every 500 charges or so, but fortunately doing so is fairly easy.

Once you’ve decided which type of deck lighting you want, it’s time to choose how you want that lighting installed. An ideal deck lighting design makes use of all three styles of lights: post-cap, side-mount, and recessed lights.

The largest and most prominent fixtures in the accent deck lighting category, post-cap lights sit at the top of your deck posts, usually at the top and bottom of staircases and at intermediate posts along the perimeter of the deck. Post-cap lights are available in a variety of colors and styles to match your deck, and most manufacturers make dummy post-caps, which are unlit and allow for some space between light sources.

Side-mount deck lights can be installed on the side of posts instead of the top. Side-mount lights can be beneficial if your posts come to eye level when guests are sitting down, as post-cap lights could shine light directly into peoples’ eyes.

Recessed deck lights are the perfect example of how to accent a deck without overlighting it. Recessed deck lights are installed in holes drilled in the stairs or the floor of your deck to provide lighting while being almost perfectly hidden during the day.

Incandescent Deck Lighting – incandescent bulbs are widely available in several different shapes and wattages, and because they are relatively inexpensive, replacement is quick and easy. They cast a softer, warmer glow than LEDs, but consume more energy, making them less efficient and shortening their lives.

LED Deck Lighting – because of the complex housing and circuitry involved, LED lights tend to be more expensive than incandescent lights. They tend to be more than worth the cost however, with vastly improved lifespans (10,000 to 100,000 hours) and high efficiency with almost no heat production. The trade-off is that unless mirrors or reflective surfaces are used, the light output is focused narrowly in only one direction and can be harsh on the eyes in contrast with a dark backyard.

The right type of lighting can make all the difference for your deck. For outdoor lighting installation in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric today!

Spring weather is finally here, a welcome relief for those parts of the country that have spent the last few months plagued by snow and ice. With the warm weather comes an increased dependence on air conditioners, which can use up a large amount of energy and add to your utility bills each month. There are certain steps you can take to reduce the overall electrical consumption of your house so you do not have to pay as much when you write out that check.

Here are a few ways you can improve your home's power use:

Many homes, local businesses, hospitals and city buildings rely on electric generators as a backup to their main power source when there is a power outage. June is National Hurricane Preparedness Month and Mr. Electric wants to help you, your family, business and community stay safe during the hurricane season. Whether you are using a permanently placed standby electric generator or a portable electric generator used for the home, these guidelines will help you power tomorrow.

Standby electric generator:

Electric home generator:

Proper operation of electric generators will prevent damage and injury. Stay safe during National Hurricane Preparedness Month with these tips from Mr. Electric.

Under-Cabinet LED Lighting Kit is available for purchase that contains a plug-and-play LED light strip, push-button dimmer, remote, 12V power supply, and connection accessories. If you want to build a custom kit, follow the steps below the diagram to ensure that you get everything you need.

3. Select a dimmer or controller

For single-color LED strip light setup

Select the power supply large enough to operate the amount of LED strip light you need to use. If you want to control the brightness of your light strips, you will need a Single-color dimmer shown installed with a non-dimmable power supply

For color-changing LED strip light setup

Follow the instructions above for the single-color light strip setup. However, instead of a dimmer, use a RGB color-changing light strip installation

4. Use an LED amplifier for long runs of strip

Depending on the strip chosen and its maximum run (the number of strips that can be installed consecutively before needing amplifiers), you will need to install an light strip interconnect cables. It is best to purchase a length of strip that is more than your application requires. For example, if your project requires 8 1/2 feet of strip, we recommend purchasing 9 feet of strip to ensure that you have everything covered.