Do you feel secure in your home? Do you worry about fire or the possibility of carbon monoxide in the home? What would you do in the event of a power outage? Of the various resolutions that you may be thinking of for 2016, few are as important as your home’s safety and security. Whatever the size of your home, however many belongings you have, you’ll want to make certain that you’re doing all you can to protect your loved ones. As a leading provider of electrical services in the area, we offer a number of different solutions. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to keep your home safe and secure all year long.

Are you sick and tired of putting food in the fridge and forgetting about it, only to find it rotten and moldy weeks later? Not only is it a waste of food, you're left with a disgusting mess to clean up. One day soon, however, your refrigerator could send you a reminder to eat your leftovers before they spoil. Read on to learn about how smart technology in your kitchen can help prevent your food from going bad.

Communicate with Your Appliances Via Text Message

As the Internet of Things becomes more prominent in our household electrical work, more and more devices are offering futuristic functions. Smart refrigerators already exist, with models that can send you a phone message when the door is left open, when the coils need cleaning and when the unit is in need of service.

A new model that Samsung has prototyped promises to take the smart technology even further. The fridge comes equipped with a touchscreen to offer you full control over its features, and a camera inside the unit that actually monitors your food and alerts you when it's been neglected for a little too long. You can use the touchscreen to check on how the food is doing, or even have the fridge send a text message that you need to eat the leftovers ASAP.

A Wealth of Inter-Connected Devices

The connectivity and versatility of our brave new world means that the next generation of refrigerators can be even more proactive about your meals. Not only can the Samsung fridge tell you when your food is bad, it has the capability to automatically order more items to replace whatever you use up or throw out. That's right, your next refrigerator could even handle food shopping for you.

The functionality of this smart refrigerator is just one example of how our electrical work is being transformed to relieve us of many of the mundane tasks of day-to-day life. In the big picture, getting alerts when your food starts to spoil might not sound like such a big deal – but imagine your fridge, stove, clothes washer, bathroom cabinet and other devices all working together make your household run more smoothly. And in the meantime, you can also dream about a world where you'll never have to subject food to the sniff test ever again!

Expert Hands for All Your Electrical Work

If you need advice on purchasing a new refrigerator, or have other electrical work that needs to be performed, get in touch with a qualified electrician today.

The National Safety Council Electrical Safety Facts & Tips can help minimize electrical hazards and cut down the risk of accidents through education.

Electricity is nature’s most versatile form of energy.  The power of electricity can be dangerous if it is not used correctly. Electrical energy can damage property and ignite fires. It is important to ensure your safety around “Hot” electricity. The hazard of electricity cannot be eliminated, but it can be controlled. The more you understand about electrical energy, the safer you will be at work and home:

What causes electric shock?You can get an electric shock if you touch a grounded surface and hazardous electrical equipment at the same time. The shock happens when the flow of electric current (amperage) from the electrical equipment goes through your body to the ground.  Just a small amount of amperage can hurt or be fatal.

Protecting yourself at work

You have probably been going through life completely unaware of some very serious electric safety problems. We don’t always stop to read the fine print or think twice about plugging something in. Unfortunately, there are some habits that could be putting you, your family and your home at serious risk of an electrical fire or even electrocution. An electrician in Glendale has some electric safety tips that you really need to pay attention to. If you have any questions about these items, give The Electric Connection a call today.

*Putting a 75 watt bulb in a fixture that is designated for a 40 watt bulb is a problem. You risk overloading the circuit, which could trip the breaker or overheat the wiring to the fixture. Follow the guidelines. If you need more light in the room, call an electrician and replace the fixture.

*Outlets that are warm to the touch are not normal. It is a sign of a problem that you really need to pay attention to. Overloaded or inadequate wiring to the outlet could trigger an electrical fire. It needs to be replaced and rewired as soon as possible.

*Outlets that jiggle are not okay. This usually happens overtime as people yank cords out. Glendale electrical outlets should be snug against the wall. Loose outlets mean loose wires that can cause a spark and ignite a fire.

*Fire extinguishers should be in every house. Many people assume they will toss a bucket of water or turn on the garden hose to put out an electrical fire. Water and electricity don’t mix! A fire extinguisher is your only option to put out a fire near an outlet or exposed wire.

If you have concerns about your home’s wiring or have noticed any of these issues, give The Electric Connection a call today to get these problems taken care of.

When working in an industrial environment you may have a variety of equipment pieces that are plugged into a standard electrical outlet. If this equipment vibrates, you may find that the cord eventually unplugs itself. In other situations, if the equipment is critical to operations and you find that it is being disconnected frequently it can interrupt the workflow. For these situations, a twist lock receptacle would be the ideal solution.

A normal three-prong outlet can simply be pushed or pulled to connect with a standard wall outlet. To add a layer of protection to this process, a twist lock receptacle requires that it be twisted in order to connect properly. The male connector usually has curved prongs that plug into the receptacle and then are twisted to lock into place. To unplug, the plug must be twisted the opposite direction. Without this process the electrical device cannot be disconnected from the wall.

A twist lock is beneficial in those environments where the electrical equipment is critical to operations, is semi-permanent, and should not be easily unplugged. This should not be used as a solution to prevent foot traffic disconnections. Others may continue to trip over the cord, which can damage the cord and create stress. This will expose the wires and create an electrical hazard. If the cord is a tripping hazard it should be rerouted or secured to the ground to prevent this from happening.

If a weather-resistant twist lock is chosen it can be useful when the receptacle is exposed to the elements. It can prevent water from entering the connection and causing electrical surges. The twist lock creates a tight connection and seal. The plug will not become loose and create exposure of the prongs and receptacle holes.

If you can think of a device in your home or workplace which is semi-permanent, will not or should not be unplugged easily, then a twist lock receptacle could be beneficial. This will require the male plug to be replaced on the electrical device and also the wall receptacle to be replaced. We highly recommend that a licenced electrician complete this replacement. A mistake in this task can cause damage to the device and constant electrical shortages or surges.

If you are interested in twist lock receptacles, contact Expert Electric at 604-681-8338. We can help you to determine if a twist lock is the ideal solution and help complete the installation properly and up to code.