It is a cold October evening and you are preparing dinner. You are in full motion with all your appliances working overtime to get the meal done as soon as possible – and the power shuts off. Not only are you frustrated because you are set behind schedule but now you have to try to fix the problem. This happens to people on a daily basis and is a nuisance that can be avoided with the right electrical usage and correct setup. Lets walk where you should go from here.

As we have discussed in the past, the electrical panel (or breaker) is an integral part of the home’s electrical system. It regulates all incoming electricity and manages it throughout your house. When a breaker shuts a circuit off, or it “trips”, it is protecting you and your home from a potentially dangerous situation. The breaker will shut off that circuit because it has detected high voltage, high temperature, or another internal problem. If the breaker does not trip the circuit that is affected can overload and create an electrical shock or electrical fire.

To get your electrical breaker back on, identify the circuit that is in the off position and flip in back to the on position. With a properly labeled electrical panel it can be easy to quickly identify the affected circuit. If the breaker feels hot the touch or the circuit immediately trips again, do not attempt to turn it back on and call an expert electrician. Sometimes a circuit could trip due to a high amount of usage and may only be a minor problem with no repercussions. But if the breaker immediately trips when turned backed on or it trips regularly, there is a larger cause and the problem should be addressed as soon as possible.

There are a number of reasons why breakers could trip. The circuit that is being turned off could potentially have too much load and being overloaded. There could also be a problem in the wiring itself that is causing electrical surges and shorts that the breaker is detecting. It could also be a problem with the breaker itself. The panel may be old and reaching the end of its functionality. It may be time for the panel to be replaced.

It is not a good idea to keep turning on your breaker if it continuously trips. If you cannot identify a pattern in your routine that is causing the trip you should contact an Expert Electrician. They will be able to tell you if the problem is originating from the wiring or within the panel and even fix the problem for good.

Don’t put up with tripping breakers, it will become more than just an inconvenience. Get the right help and have peace of mind that your home is safe and dinner will get finished on time.

One of the most popular lighting trends of the past decade has been the use of via etsy.com

Antique or edison light bulbs generally come in a few different shapes. One popular shape is the tubular light bulb, and the DIY fixture above is a great use for the tubular light bulb shape. Tubular antique light bulbs really show off their filaments, and the glowing filaments are the star of the show!

2. Also Pretty Tubular!

Candelabra based antique light bulbs are very popular and are great for use in chandeliers, pendants, and other fixtures that use this smaller kind of light bulb. I didn’t want you to think that antique light bulbs only came in medium-based varieties. No, you can create a vintage lighting look with your fixtures that use candelabra based light bulbs, too.

4. Blowing the Dust Off an Old Look

Another popular shape for edison light bulbs is the globe. This envelope shape is more spherical and looks great alone, but when grouped together as in the above photo, you can see the reflection of the glowing filaments in all the globes of glass, and this is a pretty neat effect. Such a warm look.

6. The Industrial Look

Some people like to use antique light bulbs in new fixtures that look old, and some people like to use antique light bulbs in old fixtures that look new. In this case, very old cages have been restored to use in a new light fixture. This represents what edison bulbs are all about, holding onto the beautiful things of the past. In this age of integrated LEDs and the dawning of things like via etsy.com

This homemade light fixture features quartz crystals hanging down amongst the edison bulbs. This is pretty neat. The crystals are the perfect things to arrest the warm glow emanating from the antique light bulbs. What a creative idea.

9. Wall Sconce