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Safety | June 25, 2012

Summer A/C Unit Safety

During the recent heat wave our air conditioners are running constantly, around the clock. Its important to have good connections from the breaker panel to where we plug them in.

Any loose connection can cause arcing, heat and eventually a fire. It’s a good idea to check and make sure that you have a good tight connection between the plug and the receptacle. Its also important to have your A/C unit on a separate dedicated line on its own breaker.

The picture above shows a burned-up air conditioner cord and the outlet it was plugged into in a home here in Chester county.

Tips | June 12, 2012

Easy Wiring With Wire Mold

In some buildings it’s not possible to run or fish electrical wiring in the walls, like in some old houses that have solid masonry walls. Wire mold is a good option because it has a neat clean look and protects the wire from damage.

These pictures show a dedicated outlet using wire mold, installed for an air conditioner in West Grove, PA.

News | June 7, 2012

The Convenience Of Recessed Outlets

Recessed outlets are great for outdoor use, since they are low profile and recess neatly into the wall, eliminating the usual unsightly bubble covers. They can be installed on all types of surfaces such as siding or masonry. An in-use cover allows you to plug in and keep the cover closed and weather tight.

Recessed outlets are also great for your flat screen TVs. They can be neatly installed behind the panel and allow all the hook ups to be behind the tv.

 

Ways to save | April 24, 2012

Save With Ambiance Lighting

Ambiance under-cabinet lighting by Seagull is a great way to add light to the kitchen. The lights are low profile and are neatly installed under the cabinets.

They put the light right where needed, on the counter tops. These low voltage lights can be dimmed and the festoon bulbs are easy to replace.

News |

The Little Grey Box

PECO announced that they will no longer have off-peak service  the end of this year. The off peak rate was mostly used for the hot water heaters so that people could save a considerable amount on their electric bills.

Electric water heaters consume a lot of electricity; they run throughout out the day and night to keep the water hot. A water heater timer can help you lower your consumption by only turning on and heating the water when needed.

The Little Grey box by Intermatic is made just for water heaters. It has two sets of trips so it can be set to turn off when you go to bed at night, and then back on in the morning as needed. It can be deactivated while you’re away at work.

Contact us if you have more questions on this device or need it it installed.

News | April 10, 2012

Breaker Panel Repairs

Water can cause big problems with electrical service equipment, especially your main breaker panel. It can enter into the outside meter box, causing rust and corrosion that can damage the connections and cause a safety hazard. Water can also make its way into the main breaker panel often coming in thru the service entrance cable.

It’s important that the insulation covering your service entrance cables are in good condition so water can’t penetrate. The picture below shows a old rusted out meterbox in Landenburg, PA. The top photo shows the replacement installation, featuring a 200 amp service.

Safety | March 26, 2012

Using Electric Heaters

Historically electric heat has been an expensive way to heat your house. However, with the high cost of oil and gas this year the use of portable electric heaters has become more popular.

Electric heaters allow you to turn down the heating system for the whole house and just heat an occupied room where needed.

Electric heaters can be a safety hazard if not used properly. Always leave plenty of space around your heater, keep them away from drapes or curtains, and never use a extension cord.

Also, check cords and plugs to make sure they are not getting hot. Be sure that the outlet you use is nice and tight. Any loose connection with these high wattage heaters can cause a fire hazard.

Above you can see a burned up receptacle from a loose connection that this heater was plugged into from here in West Grove, PA.

Safety | March 24, 2012

Tamper-Resistant Receptacles

Each year many children suffer electric shock or burns from inserting objects into electrical outlets on the wall.  For newly constructed homes and remodel jobs in our area, electricians are required to use tamper resistant (TR) receptacles, also known as child proof outlets.

TR receptacles are designed so that a single object like a paper clip or pin cannot be pushed into the outlet. It has a dual spring loaded shutter that only opens when an actual plug is inserted into it.

If you have young children in your house this is a great safety feature and can be a lot more convenient than the little child proof caps that need to be put in all the outlets.

This photo shows one of many decor style TR receptacles available, this one installed in a home in Avondale, PA.

News, Safety | March 9, 2012

Outdoor Lighting Safety

There are many things to consider when wiring and lighting your barns, garages and out buildings. Open bulb light fixtures can be unsafe because they can ignite fires if the bulbs are broken and even just the heat of an open bulb can ignite a fire.

Its a good idea to protect lights, switches, outlets and wiring from physical damage from farm tools, equipment and machinery as well as livestock and even rodents can chew through unprotected wires. Also its important to keep out the moisture as well as dust, debris and insects.

The two first pictures above show unsafe open bulb lighting and an unprotected switch and wiring at a sheep barn in Oxford, PA. The three final pictures show the new, safer lighting and wiring that we installed.

News, Safety | January 31, 2012

Advantages Of Adding A Sub-Panel

Sub-panels are smaller electrical panels that can be used to extend the feed from the main panel. They can be installed in your home to increase the branch circuit capacity in a certain area. They can also be installed in out-buildings, garages and barns.

Installing a sub-panel for a remodel job such as finishing a basement or an addition can make the project easier and is a safer way to go. Using sub-panels can also be more cost friendly and cuts down on the need for long runs of expensive copper wire for your branch circuits. Having breaker switches closer to the area that they are protecting is safer and more convenient to turn off and to reset.

The top photo shows a sub panel that we installed in a basement in Cochranville, PA in Chester county, and below is another from a garage in Cochranville.


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