Because of the rich history of home ownership that we have in the United States, the country is still the home to any number of homes that were built before most Americans were even born. Through preservation and careful maintenance, there are even homes that were built in the Victorian Era and prior. Although these homes are often prized for their historical significance, the electrical systems within can be very dangerous if they have not been brought up to date with current standards. Testing electrical outlets for proper operation and flicking light switches on and off is typically not a sufficient level of testing for an electrical system, especially when the electrical system is potentially very old.

Most homes built prior to the 1940s were constructed with knob and tube wiring, that has not been used for many years. Whenever you move into a home, you should not take it for granted that the previous owner took the time and care to have all of the electrical components upgraded to safer, more current technologies. This is one of the reasons why you should have your own electrician in Pasadena come out to do a full home safety inspection.

A full home electrical safety inspection can end up saving you and your family extensive time and money in the long run, especially if it is able to identify any key problems with your current electrical system. During an electrical safety assessment, a technician from The Electric Connection will come out and do a full check on your electrical system. During this time, we will discover whether or not you have any outdated wiring systems, an ungrounded electrical system, or an undersized electrical panel. If we discover any issues, we will put together an action plan to address these issues.

For more information on getting in touch with our team, or to learn more about the potential issues you could be facing, read through the resources at The Electric Connection website at ww.theelectricconnection.com.

Fans in the attic? The idea at first may sound odd. We usually think of fans as blowing somewhere in our home where we can feel their effects, like hanging from ceilings or mounted in windows. Few people spend more time in their attic than they absolutely must, so it seems useless to install fans there.

However, attic fans can form an important part of maintaining the overall efficiency of your air conditioning system. If you’ve taken all the steps you can to keep your HVAC system working its best (regular maintenance, duct cleaning, changing the filter, proper insulation), attic fans will take you a step beyond. We’ll explain why putting in attic fans will benefit you.

Attics are both heat traps and heat escape routes. You can use insulation to stop heat from escaping in winter, but what about summer, when heat gathers in the attic and creates excessively high temperatures that will seep into other parts of your home? (Go up into your attic on a hot day and see what it’s like. It can be miserable. You don’t want any of that to get to rooms you actually use.) To stop summer attic heat, you’ll need attic fans.

Attic fans should be wired to a thermostat that will turn the fan on based on the temperature. This saves energy since you won’t have to keep the fan on constantly or continually check on it. The movement of air in the attic will lower the high temperature.

The first benefit is the most obvious: your home will not get as hot during the summer. On average, the temperature in the attic will decrease 50 degrees with a fan, which means a drop of 10 degrees in your house.

This not only translates into comfort, it also means savings on your energy bills. A cooler house requires less work from an air conditioner to cool it. You’ll spend less, and your air conditioner will not receive extra stress that will lead to repairs and possibly an early replacement.

Attic fans will also extend the life of your roof. Rising moisture in your home will get into the roof, eventually creating mold in the insulation and the roof material. In winter, the freezing moisture can be extremely damaging. Attic fans move moisture away and keep it from settling.

We’ve seen LED rope lights transform a staircase handrail, and accent outdoor This homeowner created an inspiring word art installation on the wall of her son’s playroom. She used the screw-in mounting clips that come with the product for wall hanging.

One great tip for a project like this is to place weights (or other heavy objects) on top of your rope light to shape it properly. Often our customers say that Image via www.prettyhandygirl.com

2. A Crocheted LED-Lit Rug:  This one blew us away! The single strand of LED rope lighting was crocheted into a generic spiral pattern to create this rug. For anyone who wants to emulate, the original Image via www.wonderhowto.com

3. A Backlit Bedroom Headboard:  Image via www.removeandreplace.com

Where are you seeing LED rope lighting used lately?