The terms Journeyman Electrician and Master Electrician are essentially progressions on the level of license to be qualified to carry out electrical work in the United States. The distinction is somewhat akin to that between someone with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy, and a Master’s Degree in Accountancy. Both are qualified to be accountants, but the latter has considerably more training and experience.

Specifically, if you look at the electrical licensing codes for different states then the difference is that whilst aJourneyman Electrician would be expected to have the skill necessary to wire up and install electrical equipment and wiring, a Master Electrician would be expected to be able to take that process one step further and actually be able to both plan out and organize how an electrical installation should take place, as well as being able to supervise otherJourneyman Electricians as they completed the work.

So in large part, the designation comes down to experience and being able to manage other people.

If you hire a Master Electrician then this is likely to be someone with ten years plus of experience, and a work record that has exposed them to a number of different challenging electrical environments. And they will also most likely have supervised other electricians and acted as mentors. Whilst a journeyman electrician may have four or five years’ experience, and whilst they can do most electrical jobs that are thrust their way, they don’t have the same breadth of experience, and may still potentially need to ask for advice in tricky situations that they haven’t come across before.

In such circumstances, it would be a Master Electrician that they would be likely to turn to for advice.

In most states in the United States the distinction between the two grades of electricians is carried out by bracketing them into Class A and B licenses, of which there would usually be both for Journeyman Electricians and Master Electricians.

Class A and Class B Master Electricians

These electricians will generally have had to have met the specific requirements for that individual state, which will normally include passing a written exam, possibly appearing in front of a board to answer questions, as well as meeting certain minimum levels of work experience.

Class A and Class B Journeyman Electricians

Again, certain specific state requirements will have had to have been met and exams passed. A journeyman electrician of either class would be expected to have less experience and skills than a master electrician of either class.

The distinction between the classes in both cases is that a “Class A” license carries no restrictions (within the context of the skills that it is licensing), whilst a “Class B” license does come with some restrictions.

It is a cold October evening and you are preparing dinner. You are in full motion with all your appliances working overtime to get the meal done as soon as possible – and the power shuts off. Not only are you frustrated because you are set behind schedule but now you have to try to fix the problem. This happens to people on a daily basis and is a nuisance that can be avoided with the right electrical usage and correct setup. Lets walk where you should go from here.

As we have discussed in the past, the electrical panel (or breaker) is an integral part of the home’s electrical system. It regulates all incoming electricity and manages it throughout your house. When a breaker shuts a circuit off, or it “trips”, it is protecting you and your home from a potentially dangerous situation. The breaker will shut off that circuit because it has detected high voltage, high temperature, or another internal problem. If the breaker does not trip the circuit that is affected can overload and create an electrical shock or electrical fire.

To get your electrical breaker back on, identify the circuit that is in the off position and flip in back to the on position. With a properly labeled electrical panel it can be easy to quickly identify the affected circuit. If the breaker feels hot the touch or the circuit immediately trips again, do not attempt to turn it back on and call an expert electrician. Sometimes a circuit could trip due to a high amount of usage and may only be a minor problem with no repercussions. But if the breaker immediately trips when turned backed on or it trips regularly, there is a larger cause and the problem should be addressed as soon as possible.

There are a number of reasons why breakers could trip. The circuit that is being turned off could potentially have too much load and being overloaded. There could also be a problem in the wiring itself that is causing electrical surges and shorts that the breaker is detecting. It could also be a problem with the breaker itself. The panel may be old and reaching the end of its functionality. It may be time for the panel to be replaced.

It is not a good idea to keep turning on your breaker if it continuously trips. If you cannot identify a pattern in your routine that is causing the trip you should contact an Expert Electrician. They will be able to tell you if the problem is originating from the wiring or within the panel and even fix the problem for good.

Don’t put up with tripping breakers, it will become more than just an inconvenience. Get the right help and have peace of mind that your home is safe and dinner will get finished on time.

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Are you having power go out intermittently? Are some lights and receptacles working in some rooms while others are not? Are some outlets going out randomly, then coming back on again?

You may have a problem with corrosion at the meter main distribution panel outside.

Our salty air combined with humidity causes the aluminum wire connections at the panels to collect salt crystals and break down the conductive wires and termination points, causing weak conductivity or a break altogether. This could be a fire hazard. There could be a hot spot from an electrical arc or exposed live wires, not just the lights going out.

Solution? After determining that indeed the problem is the above with a diagnostic check; first, we need to call the utility company and have an on-call service man to come out and turn off the power coming in from the pole. Next, one of our licensed electricians will be there to clean off the metal parts inside the meter panel box. He will scrub the corroded aluminum electrical metal parts with a wire brush, cover the metal with a special spray to inhibit future corrosion, and then apply an antioxidant material to the jaws of the meter clips and wire screw down points. Finally, tighten everything up and have the utility man plug the meter back in.

Now that should do it.