At times, building codes can seem like a hassle that only create more work. But the truth is that these codes are put into place to keep us safe. Just like how a poorly formed foundation can cause massive damage to your home, cutting corners in electrical wiring could cost you your entire house. Whether you’ve purchased a new home, are trying to sell your existing home, or you just don’t know, its a good idea to bring your home up to the electrical code.

The best way to start bringing your home up to code is to target critical areas. These are places that see heavy electrical usage and potentially hazardous situations. Areas such as bathrooms and kitchen are very important to have up to standards. In the bathroom moisture can eat corrode wires and outlets which can cause electrocution. The kitchen also uses the largest, energy using appliances in your home. These outlets should be safe and grounded; if they are not, it can cause fatal injury.

In addition to these locations, there are several other places that should be targeted:

The best way to ensure that your home is up to code is to have a home inspection by a professional. With the long list of potential problems, only a professional can identify the work that needs to be completed. Especially when buying and selling a home, it is important to bring it up to code.

Taking on a Thanksgiving get-together is no easy task, and if you’re going to do it, you might as well make it something guests will remember. Fortunately, making it memorable doesn’t have to be complicated. We have some simple LED lighting ideas that will help you dress up your home for the holidays.

Being a home owner comes with more responsibility than some people realize, and it can get overwhelming. There are certain aspects about your home that you may have overlooked, or just thought wasn’t important, like your HVAC system. Not paying attention to your HVAC can become very troublesome for your home and cause several issues.

There's nothing more important than protecting your home and its contents – including, of course, your family. That's why it's crucial to take steps to guard against lightning strikes, which can cause major damage to your home’s electrical work and can even start a fire. Fortunately, there are several measures you can take to reduce the chance of lightning harming your home, possessions or family. Read on to learn how to keep these powerful forces of nature at bay.

Stop Surges in Their Tracks

Chances are, you won't ever have to experience a direct lightning strike to your home. For that, you can consider yourself lucky, but that doesn't mean that lightning can't affect you in other ways. If the bolt hits anywhere in the immediate area, especially to an electric line or something else connected to the power grid, a power surge can strike your home and destroy or damage your electrical work and electronics. One strike can be enough to ruin your new computer or television, or at least subtract a few years from their lifespans.

Fortunately, you can add layers of protection to your electrical work so your devices and appliances are less vulnerable to power surges. The first step is to purchase surge protectors for all your expensive devices in lieu of plugging them directly into your wall outlets. You can also have an electrician install a comprehensive surge protector in your circuit box which will protect the electrical work for the entire home.

The Importance of Staying Grounded

Beyond surge protection, you do need to protect your home from direct lightning strikes as well. Your local building code mandates that homes be grounded so that high levels of electric charge can escape into the Earth, dramatically reducing the risk of a fire or damage to your electrical work. If you live in an older home, it's a good idea to have an electrician evaluate your grounding system and upgrade it to modern standards if necessary.

Finally, if you live in an area with frequent thunderstorms, or your house is particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes, installing a lightning rod on the roof is a good idea. These rods stretch high above your home, attracting any lightning likely to strike nearby and conducting the charge into the ground. They can be a life saver if, for example, your house is isolated from other structures and set on the top of a hill.

Keeping Your Family Safe and Sound

With a few extra layers of protection, you can reduce the danger of lightning damage to your home and family to a minimum. If you need help setting up a system to protect your home electrical work from lightning strikes, contact an expert electrician today.

Creating an eye-catching storefront doesn’t have to be complicated. There are several LED sign lighting options that are quick and easy to install, and they’re available in a wide variety of colors and intensities that will help you achieve the look you want. LED strip lights are perfect for illuminating storefronts, window displays, channel letters, and light boxes for indoor or outdoor signage. Both types are similar in operation, but they’re different in design; because of this, one might be a better fit than the other depending on your application and desired look.

Much like LED sign modules, these lights are perfect for storefront windows, light boxes, and sign backlighting. Strip lights consist of a series of LEDs that cover the length of the strip. These LED strip lights are available with different types and numbers of LEDs. High-density strip lights have more LEDs than a standard-density strip and are usually brighter depending on the type of LEDs on the strip. The strip you choose will depend on how bright you want your sign or window to be.

 

Depending on the LED strip lights or sign modules you choose, there are options for adjusting brightness, color, white color temperature, and color-changing modes. In the accessories tab on each of our product pages are compatible controllers and dimmers that include anything from in-line controllers and RF remotes that let you control multiple light zones to Wi-Fi hubs for light operation from your cell phone or tablet. Make sure to check the specifications of any controller or dimmer to ensure that they will work with your LED lights.

LED sign modules and strip lights will also require a power supply. Compatible power supplies are listed under the accessories or power supplies tab on each product page.

 

If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call us toll free at 866-590-3533. Our customer service and technical support teams are available from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT on Friday.