Holiday season takes on a life of its’ own and we are in the thick of it.  One more gift to buy, one more light to shine, one more guest to add to the table…   Take precautions to make sure you know just who and what you are inviting into your home.

Illuminate your home to the fullest, but know your lighting facts and be safe.  Check all lighting products for safety and buy all lights and electrical supplies from a reputable dealer.

Look for lighting showrooms that are backed by the American Lighting Association (ALA).  Check for a certified UL-Mark on all lighting products.

Decorative strings of holiday lights, Christmas Lights and novelty lamps from Bulbrite are of the best quality…

Get to know your lamps and lighting for a Safely Illuminated Holiday Season.

1.  The item has been evaluated and tested by certified-UL engineers to meet all UL safety requirements.

2.  The product is ensured against the risk of fire and electric shock as long as all safety instructions are followed according to the package directions and proper usage.

3.  UL’s green holographic label indicates that a product is for indoor-use only.

4.  UL’s red holographic label indicates that the product may be used indoors or outdoors.

5.  UL evaluates decorative lighting strings in accordance with the requirements described in the UL/ANSI 588, the standard for Safety of Seasonal and Holiday Decorative Lighting.

The Wonderland of Christmas pier lamp from Meyda Lighting is UL-approved for both indoor and outdoor usage.

The ANSI designation indicates that the American National Standards Institute approves the UL Standard as the American National Standard.

Elegant crystal table lamps from Schonbek are enchanting.

Accent lamps in crystal from Schonbek bring exquisite colors and sparkling brilliance to the table.

Find the best light fixtures and lamps for your holiday celebration at Capitol Lighting showrooms or visit 1800lighting.com, an ALA member showroom and company.  Lighting showrooms that are affiliates of the American Lighting Association (ALA) will only carry lighting products that have been tested for safety and are certified with the UL-Mark.

A good number of the calls I get during an average day at work fall into two categories;   customers who call to have something installed in their electrical system, and customers who tried to install it themselves and are calling me to come and fix the mistakes they made.  There’s certainly nothing wrong with trying to perform basic electrical work yourself if you have a good grasp on proper electrical safety techniques and what you’re doing.  On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with calling a top Dallas electrician to do the work for you either.  The best way to ensure the job is done right every time is to hire an honest, hardworking professional electrician who’ll stand behind his work.

Even tasks that can seem quite simple can be treacherous if you’re not sure what you’re doing.  This comes into play a lot when a homeowner is trying to perform a three-way switch installation.  It seems a lot easier to install than it really is; I generally recommend homeowners not attempt to install three-way switches without at least a electrician on the phone to walk you through the process.  Keep the following in mind:

There are tasks well suited for the do-it-yourself minded homeowner, though.  The easiest is wall outlet replacement, which is usually a very simple, straightforward procedure.   That doesn’t mean the haystack isn’t free of the odd needle that you can hurt yourself on, though.  Here are some of the more common problems I run into, along with some typical solutions or hints to keep them from happening to you: 

Thanks to the internet, performing simple DIY repairs has never been easier. Homeowners now feel more confident and equipped than ever to tackle projects: new paint color in the living room, bedroom carpet replacement, floor finishing, etc. While none of these seem to pose a danger should something go awry, there are certain repairs homeowners should simply leave to a licensed professional.

We understand why homeowners would want to save a buck or two where they can. But we don’t believe that it’s worth risking safety. Should a DIY repair fail, it could lead to electrocution, or possibly a fire. We’ve put together a list of why it’s important to hire a licensed electrician to complete your electrical repairs, installations, and maintenance.

When you hire a licensed electrician, you can rest assured that whoever comes to your home has undergone extensive professional training. A licensed electrician is state certified and must meet a certain standard, mastering skill requirements and completing a set number of practical hours.

But that’s not all. A licensed electrician has one thing in mind at all times: your safety. They are up to date on all the state and local codes and regulations.

Sometimes, watching a Youtube video a couple times or reading a lengthy tutorial can have the effect of making one feel like an expert. We’ve all been there before. The truth is, though, having little to no practice in a field can make for a bad situation, especially when it comes to electrical work. With small DIY projects, such as repairing a hole in the wall or replacing cabinetry, you don’t have to worry about risks. Sure, there’s a possibility it might not turn out like you had hoped, but there’s no imminent threat.

Electrical repairs, on the other hand, aren’t so. A botched repair could lead to extensive damage and pose a risk to your safety and overall well-being. When you a hire a licensed electrician, you can have peace of mind that the person working on your home is committed to precision and thoroughness. He or she is fully aware of the equipment, knows the proper tools to use, and will not leave until your safety has been assured.

If you’re planning on selling your home or having major work done to it, you’re going to need an inspection. If you fail to have your home inspected, it could invalidate your homeowner’s insurance should a malfunction occur.

If you have work done by a licensed electrician, you can be assured that there will be a clear paper trail, which will make things much easier for you in the end. Should your insurance company have any questions, you’ll be able to provide them with all the information needed.

If you hire an unlicensed handyman you found for cheap, you run the risk of working with someone who is not bonded or insured. The reason it’s important to hire a bonded and insured electrician is that should he or she get hurt on the job, work compensation will cover the costs. With an unlicensed handyman, on the other hand, you’ll be required to pay for the costs.

It’s simply not worth the risk to hire an unlicensed electrician to tackle your electrical jobs. Ensure your peace of mind by having a professional, licensed, and insured electrician perform any repairs or replacements.

Perhaps you've always wondered what's in the mysterious metal box on the basement wall. It's a circuit breaker box, and without it your whole home electric system would be unsafe, leaving you in danger.

Circuit box repairs or upgrades require an expert, but you don't need to be a master electrician to understand the basics of how it functions. The most common problem is a tripped circuit, and you can usually reset it yourself.

What's in the Box?

The circuit box is frequently found in the basement, although it could also be in a garage, closet, utility room or even outside. All the electricity coming into your house flows through the box.

If you open the metal door, you see a bank of switches. Each one corresponds roughly to a room in the house, while certain outlets for major appliances like the washer or furnace probably have their own switch. They should be labeled.

There also may be a main disconnect breaker, usually at the top of the box, which allows you to cut off power to the entire house. In many newer homes the main disconnect may be outside near the electric meter. Some homes do not even have one. This is useful if you are doing electrical work in your house, or in the circuit box itself. The switch should be labeled “main” or something similar.

How It Works

Why do you need a circuit box? When an electrical device malfunctions, such as the motor in your freezer overheating, wires can get crossed, creating a huge spike in electric charge. That puts you at risk of overloading your electrical system, and unchecked overloads can cause lead excess heat stress on wires, or worse.

Fortunately, your circuit breakers are on the job. There is an electromagnet or bimetallic strip inside each breaker. If the current moving through the circuit gets too high the device flips a switch, disconnecting the circuit. No more electricity can flow to the part of your home where the problem is, so the danger is averted.

So if the power goes off in one part of your house but still works in the rest, a tripped circuit breaker is the most likely culprit. The switches in your electrical panel should be labeled; if not you can still tell which one got tripped, because it will be flipped part way toward the off position. Some switches also show red when they've been tripped.

How Do I Fix It?

All you have to do to restore power is flip the switch all the way to the off position, then back to on. If flipping the circuit back on doesn't solve the problem, it might be something more serious. In that case, it's time to call a licensed electrician.

Some newer circuit breakers have advanced features, such as the ability to detect when a person makes contact with a live wire and automatically cut off the current, potentially preventing injury or death by electrocution.

If you live in an older home you may still have a fuse box. It operates on the same principle as a circuit box, with one major difference -- the wire inside the fuse actually burns up if too much current passes through it, so if the fuse blows, you need to replace it. Most fuse-style panel are maxed out, so if you have one it would be a good idea to consult your electrician and see if it’s time to consider a replacement.

Need Some Professional Guidance?

Your local Mister Sparky® electricians are always here to help. If you're having problems with your circuit breakers or fuse box, give us a call.

It can be difficult to find a choosing an electrician, but perhaps the most important characteristic of a reputable Dallas electrician is customer service.

There are several factors that customers look for when determining good customer service.  After all, since no one wants to hire a Dallas electrician unless they can provide high quality service, it is worth doing a little research to find out who can truly deliver before hiring one company or another.