When you buy a new house, you spend a lot of time looking at things like space, decorating options and the yard. However, there is something else you need to give a bit more attention to—the electrical system. No matter if you are buying a brand new house, or one that is one hundred years old, there are issues that can occur with the electrical system. If you pay attention to these potential problems, and contact an electrician in Pasadena to help fix them, you can reduce the chance that you will be impacted by them in the future. Consider these common issues that you need to keep an eye open for in your new, or new to you, home.

It is easier to stay safe if you are willing to work with an electrician. Call The Electric Connection today and schedule a technician to come to your home and help you stay safe!

So many exciting things have happened this year – A new blog design, an Pegasus Lighting website, taking into consideration all the things that Pegasus holds so dear and making them even better:

And this week it happened.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to customers having a great experience on our site and wanting to come back time and time again. Our new design has a clean look with a simple color scheme and easy-to-read font. Clear navigation and integrated filters make the perfect lighting product easier than ever to find.

We’re eager to hear your opinion of the Facebook, Pinterest.

Electric cars are increasing in popularity as more people realize how economical the cars are. Gas prices are constantly on the rise and people are desperate to find a way to save money. Not to mention, electric cars are great options for those who are interested in preserving fossil fuels. If you have bought an electric car already or plan on purchasing one, you are probably interested in learning about how you can charge the car.

Your electrician in Glendale explains what you need if you are planning on charging your car at home. Depending on where you live, this may be a necessity. While public charging stations are becoming more popular, it is not always convenient to drive to a station and wait. At The Electric Connection, we understand the desire many people have to install a charger in order to charge the car overnight or whenever the car is not in use.

Electric car chargers are available in two main sizes. The smaller, slower charging station can be plugged in virtually anywhere. This station will not typically require an electrician’s help. The only time you would need to call a Glendale electrician is if you do not have enough outlets near where you park the car or you need an additional breaker to support the charging station.

If you are interested in the stations that charge the car in half the time, you will definitely need an electrician’s services. A new, higher voltage outlet will need to be installed. Depending on the current breaker panel in your home, you may also need an electric panel upgrade. A dedicated breaker will need to be installed that will be solely for the car charger.

If you are interested in learning more about your electric car charging options, please give The Electric Connection a call. We would love to assist you.

If you live in the United States, you’re likely well-familiar with our typical wall-socket setup. Your plug has two flat pieces of metal roughly half of an inch wide, with one side sometimes being slightly wider than the other. Your wall socket has two slots that match this, with one side also being slightly larger than the other. However, sometimes there’s a variance: some plugs have a third prong below and between the normal two, and most electrical sockets also have a third hole to match this plug. What’s the difference between these two types of plugs and is one better than the other?

To put it simply, yes, one is better than the other. When it comes to electrical plugs, the old adage “less is more” does not apply—the three-prong plug is far better than a two-prong. To learn why, let’s discuss the difference between the two.

In order for electricity to flow, you must complete a circuit. A circuit essentially is a connection from your power source to the device, and then from the device back to the power source. The line that brings power from the power source to the device is called your “hot wire”, which is most often red and comes off the positive terminal (noted by the large “+” sign). The line that then returns from the device to the terminal, usually a black wire connected to a “-“ sign, is known as the “neutral wire.” A plug must have both of these lines in order to work.

However, the third prong in a three-prong plug is a “ground” plug, which dramatically improves safety. When an unexpected burst of electricity happens, such a short in the device or a surge from your power supply, the ground plug will take that abundance of additional electricity and move it away from the device and down into the ground where it is safe. This prevents your device from being overloaded which can cause overheating, sparking, and fires in addition to ruining it.

Three-prong plugs didn’t become the standard in homes in North America until the late 1960s. If you have a home that was constructed around this time or after, odds are your wall sockets are probably already of the three-prong variety. Two-prong plugs can work with three-prong sockets just fine, and you’ll rarely experience any issues.

However, if you have any old two-prong plugs, you’ll likely need your electrical system updated in order to upgrade to a three-prong setup. Properly installing ground wires can involve several hours of electrical work and even cutting into your walls in order to do so properly, so it’s a rather large undertaking. However, it’s by far the safest and most prudent option.

Another option that doesn’t involve tearing open your walls is to install a ground fault circuit interrupter outlet, otherwise known as a GFCI. These sockets are two-pronged, but feature a miniature circuit breaker that measures the resistance through a plug and mechanically shuts off when the risk of a shock is present. While this can help you avoid being shocked by a faulty device, there is still no ground wire present so your electronics are not protected from a power surge.