Are you ready for those warm summer nights? Nights you will want to enjoy outside as you unwind underneath the stars. Have you considered making your backyard relaxation the ultimate experience by having a hot tub installed? If so, you are going to need to give your Burbank electrician a call to complete the installation process. Fortunately, you can count on the experienced and professional electricians at The Electric Connection to get your hot tub up and running in no time.

Hot tubs are an absolutely fantastic way to relax after a long day working out in the yard or slaving away at your job. Friends and family members will love popping over and sitting in the hot tub as you chat about the day and your plans for the future. The company where you buy the hot tub from will likely encourage you to hire an electrician for the installation of the hot tub. This is crucial to the safety of your hot tub and ultimately, your home.

You will need a 240-volt outlet to operate the hot tub. This isn’t a standard outlet. You will need to have one installed by an electrician. Burbank residents can choose where the hot tub is going to be placed, but it is important to consider the electrical needs. Conduit will need to be buried to make the hot tub safe to use. Consider the distance between the house and where you are considering placing the hot tub. Your electrician will need to do an inspection of your electric panel to determine if it is capable of supporting the additional outlet. If it isn’t, you will need an electric panel upgrade, which your electrician will take care of for you. If you are ready to start enjoying the great outdoors from the comfort of your own hot tub, give The Electric Connection a call today.

You may have heard the term GFCI from your electrician before. But what exactly does it mean? And is that type of outlet really necessary in your home or building?

We all know that water and electricity don’t mix. That’s what makes electrical outlets in kitchens, bathrooms, and other rooms where water is used so tricky. To reduce the chance of electrocutions, burns, and shocks, virtually all North American building codes require that ground fault circuit interrupter outlets (GFCIs) be installed where there is water nearby. GFCI outlets have a built-in circuit breaker that instantly stops the flow of electricity when it senses a surge.

A GFCI outlet not only helps keep you and your family or building occupants from getting shocks and burns, but it helps prevent electrical fires. In the even that there is an electrical fire, it can lessen the severity and any damage.

A GFCI outlet is important not only to meeting local building code requirements, but also to help prevent potentially-fatal accidents.

GFCI outlets are designed with a red button that activates the outlet after the built-in breaker is tripped, and a black button that tests the outlet to make sure that the breaker is working properly. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that all ground-fault circuit interrupter outlets be tested in the following intervals:

To test your ground-fault circuit interrupter outlets, plug a lamp into the outlet. Turn the lamp on and push the black test button. If the lamp goes out, the outlet is working properly. If the lamp remains lit, contact a licensed electrician to evaluate the problem. Electrical and wiring issues make poor DIY projects and are best left to electricians who are trained to safely handle electrical current and wiring.

At Kolb Electric, we want to help you keep your home or building safe in the Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC areas. We can save you time by inspecting and testing all of the ground-fault circuit interrupter outlets in your interior space and addressing any electrical issues we may discover during the tests. To learn more about electrical safety and GFCI outlets and/or to schedule a service appointment, call us at 877 287-1179. We’ve been helping Mid-Atlantic homeowners like you with their electrical needs since 1925.

You have seen it on the news and have probably noticed a neighbor or two making the transition to solar power. Is it right for you? Can you reduce your electric bill by relying on the sun to give you electricity? The short, quick answer is yes. Yes, you can make the move to solar power with the help of an experienced Beverly Hills electrician like those at The Electric Connection. Solar power is a feasible option to help offset your reliance on the power grid.

Solar power doesn’t look like it did 10 years ago. Today, the panels are mounted right on the roof of your home and can be purchased in a variety of styles and colors. The panels will be used to capture the sun’s rays, before being transformed into electricity and sent to your electric panel for you to power your home. And, you don’t have to worry about “running out” of electricity with your solar power system. You will remain connected to the main power grid as a backup plan.

You will want to discuss the size of your solar power system with your electrician. Beverly Hills residents who want to start out small and slowly work their way up to a bigger system capable of producing more electricity can certainly do that. There is a small learning curve as you learn to conserve energy, but it will ultimately save you quite a bit of money on your monthly electric bill. You don’t have to worry about spending a great deal of money up front to have one of the solar power systems installed. There are lease options and payment plans available through a number of different manufacturers. There is really no reason not to give solar power a try today. Give the team at The Electric Connection a call today to learn more about solar power.