Interested in generator installation for your Annapolis home? It’s an excellent idea! In areas like ours, where the weather can get out of hand in a hurry, and electricity isn’t always guaranteed to be readily available, a backup plan is nearly necessary. But when you look into generators, suddenly you have options you didn’t know existed! Do you want a standby generator, a manual transfer generator; what size do you need? It can get pretty confusing!

Our Annapolis electricians have all of the necessary skill and expertise needed to ensure you get a generator installation that is sure to have you covered in your time of need!

When you have a generator that suits your home perfectly, you can expect:

There are essentially two types of generator: Manual transfer and standby. Which one you choose is partially up to personal taste, but there are some specific aspects of each you’ll want to consider before choosing:

Are you ready to prepare your Annapolis home for the worst? Contact Kolb today, for the best in peerless service and top quality installation!

We’ve been in business since 1993, so we’ve heard just about every question in the book when it comes to light sources. “How much longer does an LED light last than a fluorescent, on average?” “Which light sources are dimmable?” “What exactly is xenon lighting?”

We created this infographic to address those questions and more – all of the FAQ’s that we hear related to choosing a light source. You’ll find an overview of how each one works, a color temperature comparison scale, pros & cons, estimated lifetime, and a few more general tips. Let us know what you think!

Want to embed this infographic on your own site or blog? We’d love that! Copy & paste the embed code below:

One of the most popular tools in any home is the extension cord.  For a long time, rooms would be built with only one or two outlets, creating the need for additional power strips and extension cords as we moved into a more digital world.  As more devices found their way into our homes, the NEC updated standards for home construction to require additional outlets and electrical accessibility in each room.  Unfortunately, most homes still lack the proper number of outlets, and when a cable can’t reach, most of us will reach for an extension cord.

Most of the time, this isn’t a problem.  Extension cords function exactly as their designed to.  When you need a longer cord to place a fan or give a little extra reach to your vacuum cleaner, there’s nothing dangerous going on.  Where extension cords become risky is in their overuse.  Many people buy the longest, cheapest cord they can find and this is where danger sets in.

Electricity and metal have a very interesting relationship.  As current, the flow of electricity over a conductor, increases in a wire, the temperature increases.  Current is also adjusted as resistance increases to keep power at the same level.  When you add wiring to a circuit, the resistance of the wire itself stacks with the rest of the components on that circuit.  While one electrical cord doesn’t add much in the way of resistance, multiple cords will continue to increase the amount of power being used in the system.  As the current increases to keep up with the new demand, the temperature in the wiring also increases.

This relationship is used to great effect in your circuit breaker, where the difference in heat forces a breaker trip that protects your system.  In an extension cord that isn’t designed to handle the load being placed on it, insulation melts and fires can start.

Keep in mind that extension cords are always temporary.  Never use an extension cord for anything permanent.  They are designed to help you reach electricity for a task and nothing more.  When in doubt (or if you hear buzzing coming from the wiring, socket, or circuit breaker) switch to a higher amperage circuit and a lower gage wire for your extension cord (the lower the gage, the thicker the wire and the more current it will be able to handle).

According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, Guidelines for using an extension cord are as follows:

Remember that the more power you need, the more current you’ll be using.  Any device that includes a motor or heating element will either need an industrial-grade extension cord (power tools) or should not be used with an extension cord at all.

For the best in quality electrical repair work and installations, contact the professionals at Custom Electric!  Be sure to check back here each week for helpful advice, news, and guides or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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