We live a world that is very plugged in. All of gadgets that keep us updated with work, play and family require a charged battery that can only be achieved by plugging the unit into the wall. We have an electrical appliance for just about any task we have. All of this means we are very dependent on the electricity we are so lucky to have. Sometimes, our needs surpass the supply. How many times have you had to dig out an extension cord because you were short on outlets or you needed to charge your laptop while you were in an area that didn’t have an available outlet? It happens a lot. You need the services of an electrician, like those at The Electric Connection.

Additional outlets installed in your home or office can make life easier. It allows you to streamline your work space whether you are cooking dinner or working on a big project for work. You don’t have to figure out what to unplug so you can plug in another device. You can have it all with the help of an electrician in southern California. It doesn’t take a lot of work and there won’t need to be a complete remodel to add the additional outlets.

In some cases, the electrician may need to add an additional breaker to support the new outlets. This is generally when you want to run a large appliance, like a refrigerator or stove, or when you already have a number of appliances on the same breaker. This is something that will be evaluated before any electrical work is started. An additional breaker is usually not an issue. In rare cases, a panel upgrade may be necessary. This is usually for older homes that have limited breakers or outdated wiring. Give The Electric Connection a call today and get started on your way to electrical outlet freedom.

When a home or commercial building needs electrical work, many owners make the mistake of only getting a single estimate for the job. Getting multiple estimates may take longer than just having one Denver electrician visit the premises, but this extra time could lead to substantial savings and a better quality of workmanship.

There are several important aspects of any project that should be included in an electrical  estimate. Both material costs and labor costs should be specified. Any special fees for work permits or city inspections should also be listed. Sales tax and hazardous material fees should be indicated as well. In addition, the estimate should include a date that the amount is guaranteed through as well as a “not to exceed” price point.  . Any estimate should allow home and business owners to compare the quality of the materials used by different electrical contractors and getting multiple estimates in writing can help property owners compare the hourly labor rates of contractors as well as any other service fees.

Do you have a smart phone? What about a smart watch? Tablet? Laptop computer? Backup battery? Each of these devices needs frequent charging, which means the charger will take up a precious electrical outlet somewhere in your home for hours at a time, and could prevent you from having to plug in something else that you may need. What’s worse, what happens when you lose your charger and are left with nothing more than a typical USB cable? You can’t plug that into the wall, so what good will it do?

Well, that’s not exactly true anymore. In recent years, because the USB platform has become so popular for smartphone and other device charging, electrical component companies have begun to make wall sockets with USB plugs already built in! These combo outlets give you the best of both worlds, allowing you to plug in your devices with a regular USB cable while keeping your electrical sockets open for additional plugs.

A USB combo outlet is remarkably simple, and can be retrofitted to fit nearly any already-existing outlet. Essentially the two electrical outlets are exactly the same, but they also have two USB outlets squished right in between them. When the electricity is fed to the outlet, it also feeds directly into a step-down circuit, which brings the voltage down from 110 volts to about five, which is the standard for that particular plug technology.

The other benefit is you don’t have to worry about a large or bulky charger potentially blocking up the other outlet. While most manufacturers have gotten pretty good about keeping their wall chargers small, some larger units can take up a big chunk of space on your wall, potentially hindering access to the other charging unit. Getting rid of these units entirely and charging off a USB port keeps both plugs free and open for other uses.

Think something like this would be far too expensive? Think again. The average cost of a USB wall socket is generally anywhere between $10 and $25 each, making them remarkably cost-effective. When you consider you don’t usually need any more than three to four of these outlets, you can make this switch for at most about $100.

That is, provided your home can support these new devices. A wall outlet sits inside a small metal case that’s mounted inside your wall, known as a junction box. Most modern junction boxes are fairly large, and upgrading to these new outlets isn’t a big issue. But some older homes were built with smaller junction boxes that won’t be able to fit the increased size of a USB outlet, which is normally roughly twice as deep as a traditional standard outlet.

Your local electrician can handle a wide variety of jobs including powerpoint installation, switchboard upgrades, outdoor lighting, installation of electrical fixtures, CCTV installations and a lot more. While they handle all these jobs expertly, they can also handle new wiring installation and wiring upgrade projects. Here are some signs that indicate the wiring on your property needs an upgrade:

If you live in an older home which has wiring that’s over 15-20 years old or have moved into a home and have begun noticing too many current fluctuations, it’s important that you call in a skilled and licensed electrician to check the wiring on your property. If you have lived in the same house for over a decade and can’t recollect when you last got the installations inspected and tested, don’t defer calling in an electrician to conduct a thorough inspection.

Take a look the outlets in your home; check whether they are 3-pronged or 2-pronged. If you find there are various 2-pronged outlets on your property, it’s time for you to call in an electrician. These outlets are undergrounded and can pose a fire-hazard. You would have to get these replaced with 3-pronged ones and ensure that these are grounded. The other alternative is to replace these with GFCI outlets as this will help protect your property. Your electrician will be able to evaluate your property’s needs.

Many homes that were built in the 1960’s & 1970’s had aluminum wiring instead of the safer copper wiring. The former is prone to loosen over time and this increases the fire risk in your home, whenever any outlet is in use. When you get the wiring on your property inspected by an electrician, he would be able to tell you if there is any risk and will provide a suitable solution to the problem.

Modern day appliances are power-guzzlers and modern wiring systems are specially designed to bear these loads. However, any installation that is a few decades old is unable to bear the load of modern appliance such as washing machines, dishwashers etc. If you have more than one heavy appliance operating on one electrical circuit in your home, that can pose another problem. The excess load causes the older wiring to get heated which in turn melts the insulation around it. This exposed wiring results in arcing (hissing, humming sounds). If you ignore these signs and don’t get the installation checked in time, it can result in an electrical fire.

In most instances, wiring upgrades go hand-in-hand with switchboard upgrades. This is because decades’ old wiring systems also had older switchboards with fuse installations. If you find that the fuses in your home keep blowing very often, that’s another indication that your electrical wiring may need to be upgraded.

The electricians will replace the fuses with modern safety switches/circuit breakers. This improves the safety aspect of the electrical installations in your home. When you are getting any electrical work done on your property, it’s important that you hire the services of experienced and licensed professionals that provide guarantees for their work.

If you have noticed any of the signs we just discussed and feel your property may require a wiring upgrade, call AllRound Electrical without delay. Regardless of whether you want to get an electrical fixture installed or need complete rewiring done on your property, we are the professionals to hire. For any information about our services, feel free to call us at 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address.

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