In general, if you have a mechanical aptitude you can perform some minor electrical work as do-it-yourself projects. At the very least, you can remove the covers on your switches and outlets to paint, and you know how to check your circuit breakers when power goes out. However, most homeowners are going to need a licensed electrician on occasion for a number of reasons.

When you need electrical power but the nearest outlet is too far away for your device to reach, an extension cord can bridge the gap and bring the socket to you! Extension cords come in numerous shapes and sizes, and are intended for many different applications. However, are you choosing the right cord for your needs? Believe it or not, not all extension cords are created equal, and depending on the amount of energy you need and where you need it, you should carefully consider what cord you’re using. Check out our blog now to learn about the different types of cords and which one you should choose for the job.

While extension cords are great because they let you bring power virtually anywhere you need it, you should also think very carefully about where you will need this power, and where you plan on drawing the electricity from. Longer isn’t usually better, and in fact, the longer your extension cord is, the lower the delivered voltage will be. The more distance electricity must travel, the weaker it will be when it reaches you. This is because every cable has a certain amount of resistance, which causes your voltage to drop as well as produces heat. If you can help it, don’t use a 100-foot extension cord if you only need power about 20 feet away. You’ll bring better voltage over a shorter cable, and have less cable to manage during use as well.

On a related note, if you do have to bring electricity to a further-away distance, never link two extension cords together. This is a recipe for disaster. If you must bring electricity to a further-away distance, always upgrade to a longer cord that will meet your needs.

If you pull too much power through too small of a cord, you will draw too many amperes (or “amps” for short), and the cord itself being too small or having too much internal resistance will get hot and possibly fail, which could result in melting, sparks, and even a bad electrical fire. A device that uses more electricity, such as a major appliance like a stove or electric grill, should always be plugged into a larger-gauge extension cord, whereas smaller gauge cords are generally safe for use with things like laptop and phone chargers, low-energy lamps, and more.

Extension cords are a huge trip hazard, and the more you use one, the more likely it is that someone will eventually get tangled up and fall because of it. Be very cautious where you run your extension cords, and always make sure you secure them down with tape or cover them with a large carpet or rug to make sure nobody will accidentally become tangled in one.

If you own a business and find you are in constant need of an extension cord to a particular spot, you may want to consider calling a Marietta electrician and having them permanently install a new electrical outlet to get rid of the need to use an extension cord all together. This can significantly improve worker safety even save you money on your electric bill by helping your devices get the voltage they need easier.

With over 1 million homes in the Dallas area over 20 years old, older home electrical safety is a major concern that should be assessed by a licensed Dallas electrician. Many homes in the 70’s and 80’s were built with electrical wiring and breaker panels that have been known to be a fire and electrical shock hazards. If you live in one of these older homes, and it has not been updated, it is very important that you have a licensed Dallas electrician come out and take a look at the electrical system in your home, to ensure your family’s safety.

Any room, area, facility, or outdoors space you need to illuminate should be done so with quality lighting. The benefits of quality lights far surpass going cheap on your lighting fixtures just to save a few dollars. The importance of quality such as metal halide have a rather short lifespan compared to it’s competing technology, LED. LED gymnasium lights, and just LED lighting in general, prove to have a much longer lifespan. This lifespan can be 2-3 and sometimes even 4 times longer than other light sources such as metal halide.

This can allow for less frequent purchasing of new lights to replace old and burnt out ones, which will allow you to better realize a better ROI by investing in LED over metal halide or other similar technologies. This also indirectly reduces your maintenance costs by lowering the amount of time you have to pay someone to switch out burnt out bulbs. This can allow you to reduce your maintenance costs related to your lighting for gym areas by 2-3 times, which will just add on to the benefits that LED can bring to your facility.

While saving money through lighting efficiency, longer life spans, and less maintenance costs is great; it shouldn’t be achieved while decreasing the quality of light produced in your facility by your lighting system. Luckily, LED products allow for proper lighting in a wide range of applications, even your gymnasium. This allows you to create exceptionally safe areas that will keep visitors aware of all there surroundings.

Did you know that LED lights that are efficient called the DLC (DesignLights Consortium). This is an organization that qualifies commercial lighting products based on it’s quality and efficiency. There are both standard and premium qualifications, and premium typically yields higher rebates and thus higher ROI over standard qualified products. Although both are still good and are always recommended for any industrial lighting purchase because being qualified is better than not at all. Without being qualified, we recommend you stay far away from any light that isn’t DLC qualified for various reasons including it not being verified to be a “good” product.

If it isn’t clear by now, the answer is obvious. LED can, will, and should be bringing your gymnasium area all of the benefits that the technology offers.

From efficient, to quality and rebates; there is almost no reason why you should choose other gym lighting technologies over LED gym lights.

More importantly regarding safety of all visitors; LEDs will ensure your areas are properly illuminated with a wealthy amount of light, and won’t be under lit. Also since LEDs will never buzz nor flicker, you will never face that annoying issue that other technologies will do, not even near the end of it’s lifespan. And as you know, buzzing or flickering lights can cause annoyance and less focus, which is never good for a gymnasium environment.

Conclusion

There you have it, what quality LED lights can and will do for your gym. LEDs are also a great option for all of your other lighting needs, such as school rooms, hallways, write in to one of our professionals for some answers.