If you ever spend any time studying your electrical equipment, something that you probably come across time and time again is reference to the NEC or National Electrical Code. Whether or not you consider yourself a home improvement expert, or you call an electrician in Beverly Hills with every problem you encounter, it is important to know more about what the NEC is and how it affects you as a home or business owner.

Essentially, the National Electrical Code is a standard for safe installation of wiring and equipment in the United States. It is not a legally binding regulation in and of itself. However, it is regionally adoptable meaning that many states, municipalities and counties have standardized their enforcement of electrical practices by choosing to use the NEC as their code of standards.

The NEC is actually part of the National Fire Codes series of regulations that is published by the NFPA. Since it may or may not be in force in your locale, it is important that you find out before you install an electrical device or change the wiring in your home or office. Because of this, many people find that even if they do have the knowledge that it is easier to call a Beverly Hills electrician—such as one from The Electric Connection.

Electricity is a complex matter and regulations such as the NEC are developed to protect you and help make certain people not injured when working with the wiring around you. The details of the NEC may be a bit complex for some do it yourselfers, but it is worth reading over it and at least trying to understand the basics. This can help keep you safe and make certain that you are in compliance with the regulations in force in your particular community.

It gives you a good feeling to take on do it yourself projects. You are saving money, and it is nice to know that you have a direct part in helping your home look its best and stay in good repair. While you may not want to take on large electrical projects—for those you would call your electrician Beverly Hills, Electric Connection—you can learn to handle the smaller, simpler electricity-related jobs yourself. If you plan to take on these jobs, it is important that you have a good understanding of the process and that you have the right tools to get the job done right. Consider adding these tools to your toolbox, if you plan to take on any electrical jobs.

Basic Hand Tools

Power Tools

Testing Equipment

Safety Equipment

As you can see, there are a lot of tools that are necessary for completing an electrical job. In many cases, it is actually more affordable, and certainly more convenient, to call an electrician in Beverly Hills. If you are unsure who to call, consider utilizing the services of the skilled electricians at Electric Connection. Our technicians are all properly certified and understand what it takes to get the job done right. There is no need to risk your safety or the electrical items in your home by taking on a job that you are not comfortable with completing. If you have any questions or concerns, give us a call and we will be happy to help you in any way we possibly can.

Electricity exists everywhere, from high voltage power lines to phones and computers. Understanding the basics of how it works remains essential to using it safely and efficiently.

When electricity travels from a positive lead to a negative lead in a circuit powered by a battery, it is considered direct current. This type of current powers electronics, LED lights, and cars. Alternating current is generated from rotation, usually by a generator. The direction of the current and the voltage flips as the generator completes a rotation. The faster the generator spins, the faster the flipping of current direction occurs. In North America, the typical frequency of AC power is 60hz or 60 alternations per second. The advantage of AC power is that the voltage can be stepped up easily by use of a transformer, which allows high voltage transmission. AC power is also useful for electric motors.

Specifically, power is a measure of energy usage over time. The standard unit of power is the watt and calculated as P (watts) = V (volts) x I (amps). Utility companies sell electricity in units of kW*h (kilowatt hours), which is simply one kilowatt of power delivered continuously over one hour.

In our last blog, Power Surge Protection: How it Works, we uncovered what a power surge is, that we should use a surge protector to protect devices from these power surges and how surge protectors work. Now we will take a deeper look at where and how you should be using these surge protectors and how to purchase a quality surge protector.

Where to Use it

With the advancement in technology in recent decades, devices are now made much smaller and more delicate than components in older machines. This makes them even more sensitive to power surges than in later years and can be easily damaged with a sudden increase in voltages being passed through the device. Determining which devices should be connected to a surge protector has a lot to do with the importance of the device and the sensitivity of its components. You wouldn’t bother using a surge protector on all your light bulbs considering they are fairly inexpensive to replace and it will only affect one component whereas, your computer is consumed with numerous different components that are highly sensitive to voltage variation.  Damage to a device like this is highly expensive, and many times the data held on it is irreplaceable. Use your own judgment to determine the importance of your device and whether you believe that it should be protected with a surge protector. We recommend considering all of your high-end electrical devices.

Purchasing Tips

It is difficult to determine the effectiveness of a surge protector and because of this, it makes it difficult to ensure that you are purchasing one of quality. We recommend starting your search by comparing prices, as with many other purchases, higher price indicates higher value. Of course, we know that this is not a guarantee and therefore need to be aware of other possible quality determinants. Thanks to Underwriters Laboratories (UL), an independent, non-profit organization that tests electrical products, including surge protectors, for safety, we can determine recognize quality through certification. Surge protectors with both a UL listing and a transient voltage surge suppressor listing ensures that the device meets industry performance standards and is rated on the basis of the surge protectors capability to protect your devices.

For more information on power surges and how to protect your equipment, contact the experts at Expert Electric. 604-681-8338

The bathroom serves as a place for many different activities. Your morning and evening routines start and end here and you rely on it to keep you looking your best. The importance of this room comes with the need to keep it looking, feeling and smelling clean. The best place to start with a clean bathroom is to install a bathroom exhaust fan.

You have most likely seen a bathroom fan in the past. The switch to them can usually be found next to the bathroom light switch. The reason they are so common in bathrooms is because of the activity that happens there. A bathroom without an exhaust fan can be airtight and offer little to no air circulation. When you add a hot shower and running water to this mix, you have a significant amount of humidity and moisture. If you do not deal with this moisture it can lead to mold and mildew, which can affect your health. The exhaust fan sucks the air from the bathroom and draws in new air, eliminating moisture and humidity in the process.

You can see the urgency and need for having a bathroom exhaust fan installed. But here are a few more reasons you might want to consider having one installed.

In many areas it is a requirement to have a bathroom fan installed, but that is not always the case. If you have a bathroom in your home without a fan then it is time to consider installing one before the damage is done. Because of the high moisture in the air you want to make sure that the exhaust fan’s electrical work is done correctly to prevent contact of moisture and electricity.