Two atoms were walking down the street one day, when one of them exclaimed, “Oh no – I’ve lost an electron!” “Are you sure?” the other one asked. “Yes,” replied the first one, “I’m positive.”

I have heard that joke at least ten times and it is still over my head. Maybe it all boils down to the way I view things, usually on a more metaphysical level, or as my sister would say, “out there and far fetched.” I totally understand the idea behind quantum physics; the idea that a researcher’s views and expectations influence the outcome of their experiments makes total sense. It gives those scientists power over what they do. On the other hand, when it comes to comprehending electricity, I just get lost. The subject is so hard to grasp; the only thing I know for sure is that I am very dependent on it. It seems to have all the power, no pun intended. I challenge you to gain better knowledge than I have in the journey that takes you around in a circle between the words electric, electric charge and electricity, each one’s definition leading back to the others.

Thank goodness for those who understand what I don’t. Another subject that seems to be connected to electricity, but don’t ask me to explain, is the internet. All I had to do to find an electrician in Beverly Hills, was search for “electrician Beverly Hills CA” and some sort of “feelers” out there in a hidden territory gave me The Electric Connection. To me it does not seem so far fetched that in a few years I may only have to think “electrician Beverly Hills” and one will show up at my door. Shoot – that was almost what happened, now that I think about it. The only difference was the inclusion of a phone call.

When the Beverly Hills electrician from The Electric Connection finished his work at my home the next day, I knew that he understood this complex subject. He probably gets the internet too. I did not end up with funny shoes or new exercise equipment, but I do have new electrical outlets, two ceiling fans installed and some landscape lighting that I have wanted for ages. This electrician in Beverly Hills even did his best to explain electricity to me, which included what he knew about electric eels. I am sure he noticed the glazed look on my face, but at least he tried.

There is just so much to learn here in one short life, or even in several for that matter. I have learned that we cannot be experts at everything, but we can sure appreciate those who are. I may not know fully understand electricity or cyberspace, but I do know great customer service when I see it, which is exactly what everyone should expect from their local Beverly Hills electrician.

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Last week, we focused on electrical safety for babies and how you can baby-proof your home. When children are merely toddlers and learning to crawl or walk, their adventurous spirits can sometimes be a danger, especially when electrical appliances, wires, and plugs are in the picture. This week, we’re going to expand our efforts to include children of all ages. As your kid continues to grow, in both height and in their adventure, your home may become a greater danger zone as they can now reach kitchen appliances, electrical switches, curling irons, and virtually any other electrical device located in just about any location.

We want to share with you some of our top electrical safety tips that you can pass on to your kids to keep them out of harm’s way. It’s important to remind your children that there is nothing wrong with having an adventurous spirit, but they should always be vigilant and cautious, avoiding anything and everything that could potentially cause harm.

Automation lies at the core of much of our modern lives. However, it evolves at radical speeds. The simple concept, to build a machine to perform a task without human intervention, was the engine of the industrial revolution. Now that concept is the driving force behind robotics, self-driving vehicles, and a wide range of advanced technologies.

Most automated tasks are part of a closed-loop system. This system is designed so that the outputs are monitored and fed back to the controller. The controller changes its operation as needed. An example of a closed-loop system is a home thermostat, which monitors the air temperature. When the low set-point is reached, a contact closes in the thermostat, beginning a furnace lighting cycle. As the furnace runs, the room air temperature increases until the high set-point is reached. The contact opens and ends the furnace burn cycle. This is automation.

With electrical relays, it is possible to achieve a variety of automatic functions. A motor starter uses a relay to close a contact that sends electrical power to a motor. In addition, it closes a set of auxiliary contacts that keep the main relay closed. A control mechanism, such as a temperature input or a stop button, can be wired in series with the auxiliary contact. This allows for control of the motor. An expansion of relay logic is the programmable logic controller or PLC. Instead of mechanical relays, a PLC uses a set of input and output contacts connected to a computer controller. Software in the controller then dictates how the inputs and outputs interact. They additionally execute specific patterns of operations, based on programmed ladder logic.

The future of electricity production in the United States is very much in flux. When President Obama introduced his Clean Power Plan, it was an indication that the days of fossil fuel dominance could be on the wane. If coal, oil and natural gas are on their way out as the nation's primary energy sources, however, what will fill the void?

The Game-Changing Energy Option

Renewable resource technologies like wind and solar are an option, or perhaps a resurgence of nuclear fission energy could fill the space left by fossil fuels. There is another dark horse in the market, though – a technology that has long teased cheap, clean fuel but to this day has not yet delivered: nuclear fusion. Although fusion has so far failed to live up to its rosy promises, some analysts believe it could reach the U.S. market in a decade and change the way we power our electrical work forever.

Big names like Lockheed Martin, Amazon, Microsoft and others are all working on or sponsoring various fusion projects that at least have a chance to go commercial. The potential payoff is simply too big to ignore. A functional fusion generator could create power without burning fossil fuels or creating harmful emissions or waste, with no danger of meltdown and at a far greater efficiency than wind or solar. We could power the entire country's electrical work in a green, inexpensive manner.

How Fusion Works

In a way, fusion is already the most common source of energy on Earth – it's how the sun produces the heat and light that help sustain life on our planet. Fusion in the sun occurs when the nuclei of hydrogen atoms bond together to make helium. Humans have been trying for decades to create a similar power source here on Earth, on a much smaller scale, but so far without success. As one popular saying tells us, fusion power is thirty years in the future, and always will be.

However, researchers and entrepreneurs aren't willing to throw in the towel. Scientists are trying to create fusion using other fuels, like deuterium oxide, of which a single gram can create enough energy to power a home's electrical work for a year. The problem is, to create fusion on Earth, we need to create extremely high temperatures (think 100 million degrees Celsius) and don't currently have a way to do it without consuming far more energy than we create.

New Technology Leading the Way

The firms working on fusion today are breaking out new technologies, pumping gas into vacuum chambers to create plasma and bombarding it with microwaves to raise the temperature. Whether anyone can make the process viable in a cost-effective and large-scale way is yet to be seen.

Fusion could be just around the corner, or it could still be a long ways off. In the meantime, if you want to learn about cheaper or more efficient ways to power your home electrical work today, call an expert electrician who can lay out the options available in your area.

When you go through the process of buying a home there are many processes and inspections that you expect. There is an appraisal to know the value of the house for both the bank loan and the homeowner’s insurance, and then there is the general home inspection which tries to identify any possible problems with the home. Many things can come up during this general inspection from issues with the roof to problems with the breaker box. Consider the following reasons for hiring an electrician to do an electrical system inspection on a house before signing the final closing papers.

A home inspection when you’re under contract can be a really stressful process; you never know what a general inspection will find. There could be any number of hidden problems that aren’t easily visible in the home. This is definitely the case with the electrical system.

Concerns such as a recalled breaker box, non-compliant outlets, or simply the age of the house could merit requesting the services of a certified electrician. That way you will know that an expert has been consulted with and any necessary repairs made.

Unfortunately, a home’s electrical wiring is often hard to see as most of it hides in the walls. However, expert electricians have the tools and know-how to spot problems that may be overlooked. Problems in the electrical system can cause many bigger issues including being a fire hazard. Having an electrician check a home prior to purchasing can help to mitigate any risk down the line.

Don’t forget to have the electrical system thoroughly checked by a certified electrician prior to closing on a new home. Contact Electrical Gurus today!