Home maintenance can be overwhelming, especially when you don’t know where to start. Roofs that need re-shingling, carpets that have seen better days, that occasional leak you still have yet to place… there’s usually always something that needs fixing. Problems that are visible are usually easy to track and stop before the problem gets worse, but what if there’s an issue inside your walls?Outdated wiring is an issue all homeowners will eventually face. Homes that are at least 30 years old are likely to have outdated wiring not designed to operate with the modern homeowner’s lifestyle. Older homes with 60 amps can’t handle powering multiple appliances at once, not when the typical homeowner needs a house with at least 100 amps. It’s important to note that old wiring isn’t just an issue of inconvenience, but safety.

An electrician is someone who is able to fix and install electrical components, while an electrical contractor is a company or individual that employs a team of electricians to take on a variety of electrical tasks. These groups of tradesmen are responsible for performing all types of electrical work, including installing, removing and repairing electrical wiring. For a new construction electrical job, an electrical contractor will review the building’s blueprint, put together a basic plan for its electrical system and place a bid for the project.

In general, each electrical contractor will specialize in one or more types of electrical work. Each different electrical specialty has its own rules, regulations and techniques that an electrician in Burbank must follow. Here are some common specialties for electrical contractors:

Electrician Contractor

Electrician contractors do electrical work on residential and commercial properties. This includes installing fixtures, switches and outlets, electrical service installation and upgrades and other common electrical tasks. These contractors must pass a special certification test and meet state licensure requirements. Each electrician reports to and works in conjunction with an electrical contractor who will inspect and certify the work that they do.

Low Voltage Contractor

A low voltage contractor does electric work less than 600 VAC. This includes alarm installers, computer network engineers and alarm installers who deal with telephone, computer use and other nominal voltage systems.

Outside Plant Contractor

Outside plant electrical contractors are responsible for maintaining and installing the high voltage transmission lines that run between electric company facilities. This type of electrical contractor must not only be licensed, but also heavily trained in this specialized type of wiring. Because of the dangerous nature of this type of electrical work, only highly specialized and experienced contractors may participate in this type of electrical work.

While many electrical contractors specialize in a particular type of work, there are many who have compiled teams that can tackle a very wide variety of tasks. For your next project, don’t hesitate to give us a call or visit The Electric Connection website.

If you're like most Americans, you probably still have a quite a few incandescent lightbulbs throughout your home. Cheap, effective, and easy to use, incandescent lightbulbs provide the second most used form of lighting in the world today behind fluorescent bulbs. The history of the incandescent light bulb While Thomas Edison typically gets the credit for the invention of incandescent lightbulbs. He was far from the only person involved in their history. Technology and variations over the years include…

What are today's incandescent lightbulbs made of? Lightbulbs are comprised of a base with two metal contacts. These contacts connect to the ends of an electrical circuit and are attached to two stiff wires, which are then attached to a thin tungsten metal filament (about 6.5 feet long and one-hundredth of an inch thick formed into an inch long coil in the typical 60-watt bulb). The filament sits mid-bulb, held up by a glass mounting structure. The wires and filament are then enclosed in a glass bulb filled with an inert gas, such as argon, to reduce the loss of tungsten due to combustion. When connected to a power supply, current flows from one contact to another, through the wires and on to the filament where they heat up, creating visible light. Why they're being phased out Due to the incandescent light bulb's inefficient nature, which gives off 90 percent of energy as heat and only about 10 percent as visible light, it is giving way to the more advanced and efficient technologies cool light sources such as fluorescents and LEDs. The phase out of these bulbs by the government will help consumers:

Ready to update the incandescent lightbulbs in your home and save? Contact Mr. Electric® today. Mr. Electric offers an array of lighting solutions and upgrades to add beauty and value to your home.

Regular electrical preventive maintenance is critical for any home or commercial building in the DC area. When you have routine service done, it will keep your important electrical systems running longer and help you avoid costly repairs. In the event that there is an issue with your wiring, your electrician can uncover it during this routine visit so that repairs can be done before the problem becomes bigger—reducing downtime and repair expenses.

Electrical preventive maintenance is also critical to ensuring your safety at home and in the workplace. Why? Because certain failures in your electrical systems can cause dangerous sparking and even fires—damaging your property and putting your family or employees in harms way. In fact, electrical issues are a leading cause of home fires in the U.S. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, electrical malfunction accounts for more than eight percent of residential fires resulting in fatalities.

At Kolb Electric, we have a thorough electrical preventive maintenance checklist that allows us to ensure all your important products are taken care of. Be sure to have your electrician check your:

Primary Electrical Service and Distribution

Lighting and Light Fixtures

Special Systems

Neglecting electrical preventive maintenance isn’t worth the risk. You may be saving an expense today, but it will likely catch up to you in the long run, causing you to replace products more frequently and pay for repairs far more costly than the initial service visit would have been. Keep your family, employees, and property protected, and sign up for an electrical preventive maintenance plan today! Call Kolb Electric at 877-287-1179 for details or click here to contact us online.