Are you harboring unwanted guests in your home? Rats, mice, squirrels and even raccoons are notorious for taking up residence in people's homes without asking. In addition to being a health hazard to your family, rodents love to chew, and seem to have a particular penchant for the insulation on your electrical work, which can damage your home systems and even cause a fire. Read on for tips on how to prevent these furry pests.

Watch Out for the Telltale Signs of Rats

How do you know if you have rodents sharing your home? Try these tips to track them down:

Mice, Rats and Squirrels All Have to Go

When you do discover a rodent infiltration, you need to act right away to get rid of them before they can wreak havoc on your electrical work:

Don't Neglect to Repair the Damage

If you suspect rodents have been chewing on your electrical work, get in touch with an expert electrician immediately to assess the damage and perform any necessary repairs.

Unite to Light, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing low-cost solar lighting to global communities without electricity, and were humbled to learn just how much lighting is taken for granted. Recently, Mark and Valerie Malangko sent us a note of thanks along with heartwarming photos as the lights were handed out to the students at St. Augustine’s Secondary and Technical School, one by one.

We are proud to have played a small part in this huge effort to bring light to deserving students across the globe, and we thank all of our customers that celebrated with us by contributing to this terrific cause.

Learn about the Pegasus Lighting Bring the Light Campaign at www.unite-to-light.org.

We often find there is a lot of confusion between Lumens and Foot Candles and Lux. And even more confusing is how some represent conversion from traditional light sources like Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium in terms of watts, and not lumens. So why all the confusion. Well, it may be because those who represent this conversion are trying to avoid letting you know about the efficiency of the LED lights, so they claim you can replace X watts of Metal Halide with X watts of LED. What they should really say is that you can replace a 400W Metal Halide with X lumens, and their lights only need Y watts to produce these lumens. We’ll dive into this a little later, but lets first talk about lumens vs foot candles vs lux.

What is a lumen? A lumen is a measurement of light related to (1) fixture or bulb. So when we talk about lumens, we say that a fixture or bulb creates (X) lumens. These lumens are determined by sophisticated measurement equipment.

What is a foot candle? A foot candle is a unit of measurement at a specific location in a room or outdoor location that is created by 1 to many lights. It is a cumulative reading of 1 to many light sources at a specific location. It is both real and calculated. Real in the sense that you can take a light meter and walk to any location in a room or outdoor location and take a reading that represents the amount of light recorded from all contributing lights or fixtures. Calculated in the sense that you can use software to predict the foot candles of a space based on the placement of lights within the simulation.

What is lux? Lux is identical to foot candles. It is a measurement of real or calculated light, but it is done on a different scale. As a rough estimate, 1 foot candle = 10 lux.

So, simply stated, lights produces lumens, and the cumulative lumens of all lights are then determine the foot candle or lux measurement of light at a specific point in an indoor or outdoor space.

You have been tossing around the idea for years, and now the idea of remodeling your home is finally a reality. What an exciting time for you! Whether you are getting a brand new kitchen, complete with the latest and greatest appliances, or adding on that bedroom your expanding family so desperately needs, you will need an electrician. Burbank homeowners who are the DIY kind of person will need to think twice before trying to tackle such a big, technical job.

Why You Need a Professional

There are several reasons you may decide to do most of the remodeling work on your own, with cost typically being the biggest motivating factor. There is certainly nothing wrong with saving a few dollars on a remodeling job, but there are some things that need to be left to the professionals. Electrical wiring is one of those things.

Most building codes require a permit be obtained for any rewiring. Inspections will also be performed. A person who has no real knowledge of electrical wiring will likely be unable to perform the work up to code. You could end up costing yourself more money in the long run if an electrician in Burbank has to remove everything you did and start over. You are looking at money wasted in material that will need to be replaced.

There are certainly some minor jobs that you could do, as long as you have an idea of how to go about it safely. Replacing outlets or light fixtures is easy enough if you understand basic electricity work. However, adding outlets or the wires needed to put in light fixtures is best left to the trained professionals.

Although you may think you are saving yourself money, you are risking your safety and the safety of your family by trying to do a job that requires a professional. The Electric Connection has the experience to take care of these things for you.