Category: Electrical
Quick & Easy Guide to Electrical Wire Color Coding
Have you ever encountered a rainbow-colored jumble of electrical wires and not known what how to tell them apart? Electrical wires are color-coded according to purpose. Understanding the electrical wire color coding system and knowing the function of each wire is important to make sure you are using them appropriately and safely. Color code your wires
How to Fix Broken Christmas Lights: An Easy DIY Checklist
Nothing is more frustrating than untangling your holiday lights and painstakingly wrapping them around the tree, only to discover when you plug them in that…there are lights (or whole strands) that aren’t working. If there’s a light on your tree that won’t light on one side, don’t send it back to the Grinch’s workshop. Use
Flickering Lights: Common Causes and When to Worry
Flickering lights or household lights that dim periodically can be a nuisance, but usually there is a benign cause behind the flickering. However, flickering lights can also be an indication that there is a larger issue with your electrical system, in which case ignoring the issue can have serious consequences such as home fires. Before
Holiday Lights Safety Tips: Preventing Fire and Electrical Hazards
Many families have a tradition of spending the weekend after Thanksgiving getting for the Christmas season. After a hearty brunch of Thanksgiving leftovers, a favorite Christmas album is put on, the decorations are brought up from the basement, and it’s all hands on deck hanging up strings of lights and garlands of tinsel. Just don’t forget about
How to Avoid Circuit Breaker Overload in Your Home
If you’ve ever noticed the lights dim when you switch on the hair dryer, you’ve experienced your breaker approaching the overload point. In modern homes with 200amp electrical service, it’s difficult to overload the breaker. But homes weren’t always built with the capacity to handle the electrical needs of a 2017 household, and many older
Circuit Breaker 101: Essential Terminology
Considering that they’re responsible for supplying the power that keeps our busy home lives moving, circuit breakers remain a mystery to many homeowners. We hear it all the time: You know you have one and you might even know where it is, but you’re not sure what it does, what to do if it stops
5 Easy Steps to Fix Your Broken Outlet
Electrical outlets are easy to take for granted—until you go to turn on your hair dryer and…nothing. Most of the time, there’s a simple fix to a broken outlet. Sometimes, however, it can be an indicator of something more serious. We’ll walk you through step-by-step how to diagnose why your electrical outlet is not working.
Energy Efficiency Checklist: What You Can Do Today, This Week, and This Year
As we enter the last week of National Energy Awareness Month, it’s time to start thinking ahead to how you can improve your home energy efficiency and energy consumption habits throughout the year. The decision to start saving energy doesn’t happen in a day, or even in a month. It’s a long-term process that requires
5 Easy Ways to Start Saving Energy Today
Making an intention to start saving energy doesn’t mean you have to make a large, costly change like installing new energy-efficient appliances. Energy savings can start as small as making changes to your daily habits—but you’d be surprised how quickly they can add up. For example, turning the TV off when you’re ready for bed instead
Fuse Box VS. Circuit Breaker: What’s The Difference?
An electrical panel is the heart of your home’s electrical system. It receives incoming electricity and directs the flow of that electricity to distribute power throughout the circuits your home. It also provides a crucial service for your home’s electrical safety by monitoring the strength of electrical currents flowing through your circuits. If a current
