Holiday lighting products have evolved into a much safer product over the years.  With the development of properly sized wires and fuses and LED lighting to reduce the consumption load and the heat the lamps produce, holiday lighting has never been more safe.  In the past people would take the old C style lamps and hook one string of lights into the other.  Often overloading one the strings or the weakest link.  This overload would often melt wires, create sparks, and in some cases even cause a fire.  The manufactures and improved safety standards and testing, help reduce to the chance of an overload by installing a fuse at the starter end or male end of the light string.  This fuse would blow or trip when the load became greater than the fuse capacity, which would then project the wire from the overload.  It is always recommended to install lights that are interconnected (one light string plugged into the other) to manufacture specifications as listed by there instructions.

LED or light emitting diodes have not only made holiday lighting more efficient but even safer.  The old style C7 and C9 lamps could reach temperatures of up to 350 degrees.  The hot lamp if rested against wood or dry Christmas tree, has the potential to ignite the material from the heat the lamp produces and cause a fire.  With LED’s to replace the old style incandescent lamps the chance of fire from heat is almost non existing.  However, it is still possible to cause a fire from electrical spark or short.  These sparks or shorts produce heat much greater and can easily ignite flammable material.  Sparks or shorts are often caused by frayed or damaged insulation on the electrical wires and also loose connections.  It is important to inspect your holiday lighting for damaged or loose components and replace when needed.  Be sure not to use any damaged equipment and immediately discard them to eliminate the chance of future use.

A common mistake made people make with holiday lighting is to plug to many holiday lights into each other.  UL listed holiday lighting and cord splitters are tested to specific tolerances and should only be installed to manufactures specifications.  The easiest location to find the manufactures is specifications is to look at the tag on the cord most commonly found near the male end of the cord or light string.

If enough standard wall sockets are not present and you must plug in multiple cords, it is highly recommended to install a plug switch with a built in overload device to reduce the risk of overload.  The built in overload should not be mistaken for a surge protection device.  A surge protector reduces or eliminates the excess voltage going to the device plugged into itself.  Where an overload device will shut off power at the point of installation if to much power is being drawn through it.

On many new homes we will install plug ins located in the soffit or eve to reduce or eliminate drop cords for holiday lighting.  These soffit plugs are installed on a special heavier 20 amp circuit and often include a convenience switch located inside the home to shut the lights on / off as needed.  The special circuit makes sure your holiday lighting is not installed on regular interior circuits so the chance of variable loads and overloads are dramatically reduced.

Permanent holiday lighting can be installed by a licensed electrician.  The most common type of permanent holiday lighting is LED strip lighting.  These are can be installed on the under side of eves or soffits for a permanent installation.  Depending on the type of LED holiday lighting you choose you may even have the option to change the colors of the lights with a push of a button.  This allows the holiday lighting to be used for many occasions throughout the year.  You can call today or schedule online to have a lighting specialist come to your home or business and provide you with a written no obligation quote.

Plenty of DIYers can complete an electrical project on their own without the help of a certified electrician. Sure, it’s easy to fix minor annoyances with light fixtures or outlets, but not installations, renovations, and major repairs. That’s because what starts out looking pretty straightforward can quickly turn into a disaster. Here’s a look at four specific examples that ElectricMan Inc. can help sort out.

Contact ElectricMan today to prevent a DIY disaster, or for any other electrical needs. ElectricMan is your trusted, local certified electrician with 27 years of experience. For more information, visit the ElectricMan website. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Electrical systems need to be maintained over the years to retain their functionality and safety. Because of that, it’s a good idea to have a Pasadena electrician take a peek at it every now and then. A poorly maintained electrical system is much more than a hassle to use. It can be a real hazard. Time takes its toll on everything, including electrical systems. As wires and connections age, there can be cracking, breaking, and assorted other little damages that interfere with function and safety. Extreme temperature changes or household pests moving around inside of the walls can contribute to damage as well.

Because so much of the action of an electrical system happens behind the scenes, in those out of sight and out of mind places — behind the walls, in the attic, in the basement — potentially hazardous damage often isn’t seen. The first clue that there is a problem is typically when something doesn’t work right. Sometime a person will make a repair, such as install new electrical outlets, but that may not really be the main issue. Why the outlets went bad is the real issue, something that an electrician Pasadena CA professional would probably recommend tracking down and repairing.

There’s a reason for that. Shorts in your electrical system can cause a lot of problems. Sensitive, expensive electronics can be damaged. Broken, sparking wires can cause house fires, as can overloaded circuits that allow wires to get too hot. Sometimes a broken outlet is just a broken outlet. Other times, however, it isn’t. A professional electrician in Pasadena, such as those at the Electric Connection, has the experience to know, and a deeper understanding of the overall system. The Electric Connection has been handling electrical maintenance and repair projects of all types throughout the region for 30 years.

If you’ve let your electrical system get a bit run down, and it’s time to consider electrical upgrades or perhaps even a whole house rewiring, the Electrical Connection can help. They offer a lifetime guarantee on all of their work, and they also offer a free home safety assessment with every job they do. During that assessment, they check your main electric panel, grounding, GFI protection, as well as surge protection, and smoke detectors, if they are wired into the main electrical system. Having smoke detectors installed like that is a good thing, as there are no batteries to worry about.

If having a large project, such as whole house rewiring, is more than your budget can bear, then it may be a good idea to have your electrical rewiring done a section at a time, as you can afford it. Be sure to keep an eye on the Electrical Connection web site, as they offer specials and discount coupons periodically. They also offer free over the phone estimates, based on what you tell them about the symptoms you are experiencing or the project you are considering. This Pasadena electrician company also offers free over the phone help and varieties of tips on their web site to help you better care for and understand your electrical system.

Excellent customer service is as important to The Electric Connection as is the fine quality of work they’ve become known for through the decades. If you schedule an electrical service call with a Pasadena electrician from the Electrical Connection and the technician that is handling that service call arrives late, your service call is free. That, however, is rare. What usually happens when you make an appointment with an electrician in Pasadena CA from the Electric Connection, is that your technician arrives at the appointed time, in a well supplied service vehicle, ready to meet the work goals of the day.

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By Clarissa Allison | February 13th, 2015

Bromi Design is a premier lighting brand that works to bring some of the most innovative designs and energy efficient light sources to any user’s space. Whether you are illuminating a cozy bathroom or a sizeable commercial space, you’ll find products that are  both functional and uncompromising in their high quality design. Bromi Design has an inspired approach to furnish and finish a space with a piece of architecture that can elevate the aesthetic of any interior motif.

Bromi has positioned itself as a premium brand that allows us to meet the evolving needs of more sophisticated style conscious buyers at prices that are affordable. Bromi Design… light with striking intention.  

Decorate your house with this gorgeous looking Bromi Design Lynch Opal w/Chrome Ring Flush Mount Ceiling Light from the Lynch Collection.  The diameter of the shade is 12 inches.

Infused with retro charm and contemporary appeal, the Bromi Design B7001 Douglas 1 Light Wall Sconce – 6W in. – Chrome makes a striking impression in your home. Crafted of solid metal accented by swirls of crystal and a diamond-patterned shade, this elegant, wall-mounted fixture is polished in shimmering chrome. This fixture requires one 40-watt E12 incandescent bulb, which is included.

This beautiful pendant is a new take on the mid-century modern theme. With clean lines and a black metal shade designed to cast light in a downward direction, this striking fixture is sure to turn heads and generate discussion. 

One of the most unique light paintings I’ve seen, this image has a fluidity that causes the brain to confuse light for matter. It is neato. What makes it neato? Well, I think it’s mostly neato because the way the lines are painted makes the light seem like it has taken form and is alive.

3. Sphere of the Open Water

I do not understand how some light painters are able to create such perfect perforated light beams. But I like it. Light painting is able to create such perplexing images. How is one to feel about the image of a lonely self-circling disc of multi colored light? It’s a little sad. But also a lot of fun. That’s weird. And maybe that’s the particular weirdness of light paintings.

5. Or, Then Again, Maybe This Is the Particular Weirdness of Light Paintings

At least, that’s what my two-year-old would call this photo. What a great idea to take a long exposure of a car and to keep it underexposed, knowing that the brightness of the light “paintbrush” would balance out the composition. I chose this example because it emblematizes the way light painting adds imagination to reality.

7. The Whole Light Paint Bucket

First of all, if you don’t get the title’s reference, then don’t worry about it. It’s a video game thing. Second of all, if you have any kind of interest in photography but spend a lot of time working indoors, you’ve probably tried taking pictures of inanimate things around your office. (OK, so I’m talking about myself.) Chances are, you haven’t had much luck. The pics were probably more fun to take than to examine, and they have probably been long since lost in the black matter of erased data. In other words, the photos weren’t good. But this one happens to be really awesome. It’s fun and very cool looking. Hadukin! Hadukin to bad office still lifes! Hadukin to darkness! Ha. Du. Kin.