There’s been a lot of questions about Federal Pacific Electric Panels.  The Dallas Morning News ran an article on the potential of fire that these panels possess.  As an Electrical Contractor with 27 years experience, I can tell you first hand that these electrical panels are unpredictable and unsafe.  We had a customer who was renting a house and was having an electrical problem. We told her it was due to her electrical panel.  This Federal Pacific Panel was overheating and beginning to melt.  We informed her that she needed to change it.  She got back in touch with us Sunday night to schedule for Monday morning to have the panel replaced.  We told her we would be there at 9am and she said she had to drop her kids off at school and would prefer a 9:30am appointment.  When we showed up at 9:30, she showed up at the same time and we were both greeted by the Fire Department trying to put out the fire in her home due to the electrical panel.

Failure of these panels is not an “if,” but “when.”  A quick evaluation by a licensed and knowledgeable electrician can make a big difference.  Don’t gamble on your security, call and get the free evaluation today!

ElectricMan Inc. is one of Dallas’ most trusted electricians. Nick Schaeffer, Mr. ElectricMan himself, has quite the resume for a master electrician. He started the company by himself in 2004 and hasn’t looked back since! For more information about Electricman’s list of electrical repair services, please visit www.ElectricManInc.com

Walking into the same house you have lived in for years may bring mixed emotions. It is a place of comfort and safety. You love coming home, but maybe you walk through the door and see all the things you would like to change in the home. Maybe you dream of a more modern look or a classical style that is more in line with your personal tastes. Big home remodels and renovations can get expensive and they can take some time. If you are looking for a quick fix that will give your home a new look and feel, you need to call an electrician in Los Angeles. The team at The Electric Connection can help you get the new look you have been dreaming about, but haven’t been able to do just yet.

Believe it or not, enhancing your home can be fairly easy and take less than a couple of hours to do. Dramatic lighting changes can completely change the way a room looks. Adding track lighting with LEDs to a kitchen and getting rid of that boring old fixture is a breeze with a Los Angeles electrician on board. You shouldn’t try to do it yourself. Electricity isn’t something an inexperienced person should ever mess with.

A dark space tends to look smaller and more boxy. You can open up your kitchen, bedroom or living room with the right lighting. Taking it into the ceiling with recessed lights is also an option explains an electrician. Los Angeles homeowners that want to give their old look a face lift can do so with the easy job of changing out a light fixture. When you shop around for light fixtures, you will be amazed at how inexpensive a dramatic change can be. Give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your lighting upgrade.

With many parts of British Columbia receiving record breaking amounts of snow and extreme weather conditions this winter, it is important to review some proper power outage protocol and safety measures. Although most power outages only last a few hours, it is always important to be properly prepared for outages lasting longer. The licensed electricians at Expert Electric have put together some helpful tips on how to prepare for power outages and power failures.

Before a power outage or power failure occurs, it is important to have a plan that everyone in your home is familiar with. The plan does not have to be overly complicated but it should address some of the most important protocol and information such as the location of an emergency kit and additional supplies such as candles and food.

Having an emergency kit for power outages and power failures is critical. There are many different types of emergency kits on the market. Many people also choose to build their own emergency kits which is totally fine as long as they include the essentials. BC Hydro recommends including some of the following items in an emergency safety kit:

It is important to remember that these items are only the basics. The amount or volume of each item is dependent upon how many people are living in the household at the time of the power outage or power failure.

When a power outage occurs in British Columbia, the licensed electricians at Expert Electric recommend checking the BC Hydro website  as soon as possible to determine the size and scale of the outage. If it does not appear as though BC Hydro is aware of the outage, they can be notified directly at 1 800 BCHYDRO. Once you have a better understanding of the potential duration of the power outage, it is much easier to determine whether or not your emergency kit will need to be used. During power outages, it is a good idea to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed at all times in order to prolong their temperatures.

Installing a standby emergency generator is one of the best ways to prepare for a power outage or failure. It will allow you to power all of your home’s appliances during a power outage and keep your home at a preferred temperature. There are many different types of emergency generators available. If you are interested in installing a standby emergency generator in your home, talk to the professionals at Expert Electric first.

For more information on how to prepare for power outages and power failures, please contact the licensed electricians at Expert Electric. We offer various residential and commercial electrical services including standby emergency generator installations, motion sensing lights, electrical ballast replacement and more. Call us today at 604-681-8338 or book a service appointment through our website.

Ever noticed a slight spark when you plug in an appliance? Maybe a bittle blue zip of electricity with a hair dryer, or a hand blender. If you’re not especially technology-savvy, this phenomena may give you a little fright! After all, when it comes to electrical appliances, wiring or equipment, everyone understand that when the sparks start to fly, it can be scary. So what causes a sparking outlet? Is it normal? Is it dangerous? Answers to questions like these and much more follow!

At Kolb Electric, we understand outlets to a tee. Allow us a moment of your time to teach you about outlet sparking, it’s causes, and when it’s time to be concerned!

To understand sparking and its causes, it’s important to know a little bit about how an outlet operates. You can essentially think of an outlet as a supply line, doling out the electricity allotted to your home in measured quantities per-circuit. In the United States, our outlets run a high, fast and hot current of around 115 to 240 volts.

The important thing to know about sparking is that in actuality, it always happens when you plug in an appliance. That fast, hot current floods the plug at the moment of contact, and for a split-second the connection is being established. This forms a spark! It’s just that normally, you either don’t see it, or it doesn’t persist.

As an important note, we at Kolb would like to say that any time you feel threatened or concerned about your electricity, contact a professional or the fire department. We don’t want to see you in dire straits, and assisting you is what electricians like us are here for!

Having said that, generally speaking, sparking outlets are a cause for concern if:

To prevent issues like these from arising, keep an eye on your outlets. If they get old (even five years can be reason to have them checked), consider having them replaced or serviced. As years wear on, the connections can loosen, causing arcing and large sparks. If your outlets are located near possible sources of water, have GFCIs (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) installed for added safety.

At Kolb, our primary goal is always the safety and satisfaction of our consumers. You guys are important to us, and if we can help keep you safe, you can be sure we want to do all we can! Call on our master electricians today if you have any concerns regarding a sparking outlet, or if you have any other electrical concerns!