Within the construction industry is a continued need for highly qualified specialists in many areas, including carpentry, plumbing, and electricity. All are well-paying fields, but in particular the trade of master electrician can give a person a good standard of living and considerable career flexibility. The path to earning the title of master electrician is somewhat long and requires many hours of trade school or college coursework but is very well-marked with the apprenticeship experience required. Of course, as with any profession, the level of education and practical experience needed depends upon the state or territory within which you wish to learn such a valuable trade.

High school courses rich in math and science are a must if you wish to do well in your path to master electrician certification. These courses will give you a great background in which to be able to successfully complete trade school or junior college courses in physics (electricity) as well as safety and industrial maintenance. Most states require some up-front training in a trade school or college before beginning your on-the-job training as an electrician. Checking with your particular state or territory is necessary in order to assess the exact requirements for certification.

In addition to any classroom work, you will be required in most cases to fulfill at least two years of apprenticeship work with a licensed master electrician. It is during this time that you begin to learn this profession fully and gain a proper understanding of the responsibilities involved. The International Brotherhood of Electricians supports all apprenticeship activities, including helping potential apprentices find qualified master electricians with whom to learn. You should expect any master electrician you work with to be highly knowledgeable as well as very demanding as to what he or she expects from you. Be prepared both physically and mentally for a challenging two year period as you complete your apprenticeship.

After a total of four years between trade school and apprenticeship training, you should be prepared to take the licensing exam for journeyman electrician. If you pass this exam, you will be certified as a competent journeyman electrician. However, in many states, a journeyman electrician must still work under the direction of a master electrician. It will take on average another three to four years to gain enough experience before applying for the license of master journeyman electrician, or more simply, a master electrician.

In the United States, most licensed master electricians can expect between $40,000 and $70,000 per year as an average wage. Though pay is currently lower on average than over the past few years, this is expected to improve as the economy recovers and homebuilding rebounds. Also, some master electricians decide to open their own electrical business or consulting firm and can expect in many cases to out-earn the average expectation in most states. With such a certification, you are only limited by your willingness to work on both residential and commercial sites.

Purchasing a new home can be both an exciting and stressful experience. While you may like what you see on the outside, we all know that there can be problems hidden behind the walls. When it comes to electrical, not only can improper work cost you lots of money, but it can also be dangerous. If you are browsing for a new home, make sure you are cautious of possible issues that can arise.

As we have written about in the past, the main service panel is a critical part of the home electrical system. This is what controls the electricity in the entire home. Over the years these panels can become old and worn. Sometimes additions may have been made to the panel, but not done correctly. When looking at a service panel it is important to look for any loose or wires and connections into the panel. The wires should be tight to avoid electrical outages and flickering. Loose wires can also cause sparking and lead to fires. An expert electrician can also identify the amount of wires going into each circuit breaker and the organization, which can help with safety and efficiency.

One concern many people have is what kind of wiring is behind the walls. Many of us have heard of aluminum wiring and that we should avoid it. The problem with aluminum wire is that the wires can become loose more easily and also heat up, becoming more prone to electrical fires. Old knob-and-tube wiring can also become weak, break easily, and cannot function at today’s standards. It is a good idea to have an expert electrician inspect the wires in your prospective home to make sure they are safe or whether they need to be upgraded.

Outlets in the home should also be easily tested. Check to make sure that none of the electrical outlets look burnt, dirty, or are loose. Outlet testers can be test to make sure that they are properly grounded and being fed electricity properly. It may appear that the outlets function properly and can continue to do so without being properly grounded. But in the event of a power surge, especially in a major appliance, the electricity will not escape through the grounded wire and can cause electrocution.

These are just some of the potential electrical problems that a home can have. In order to protect yourself and your investment, have a home inspector visit the home. If you have just purchased a home, have an electrician inspect it for any possible issues and for a more thorough analysis.

A lot of people dismiss using a ceiling fan on the grounds that such devices do not actually cool the air within one’s home. Of course, this is true: ceiling fans do not actively cool the air. However, you should not be so quick to dismiss them, as they can actually help you to cut down on how much you rely upon your AC. You see, ceiling fans are able to help move cooled air throughout the house. This, in turn, helps your AC to cool your home more evenly, thus cutting down on its overall run time. The result is great comfort, and at a reduced price, as ceiling fans use far less energy than air conditioners do to operate.

You may think it counterintuitive to run a ceiling fan during the winter season. However, doing so allows you to supplement your heater in much the same manner as you have your air conditioner. Heat rises, remember. By flipping the switch that most ceiling fans have on the body of the fan, you can reverse the direction in which the blades spin. This allows the fan to force heated air back down into the living space. Contact us to learn more.

constant-current LED driver or constant-current driver is used to regulate the amount of current that is supplied to an LED or LED array to maximize LED lifetime. If current is not regulated, LED brightness can fluctuate and life span can be shortened. The constant-current driver is used for LEDs or light fixtures that require a stable output current and operate within a range of voltages. Most finished LED products already have a constant-current driver or resistors to regulate current. If you’re building an LED fixture or replacing a constant-current driver, it’s important to verify that the output current and voltage of the driver is compatible with the LEDs’ current and voltage. If your LED product already has a constant-current driver or uses resistors in the LED array, you might need a constant-voltage power supply.

If your LEDs are dimmable and you want to change their brightness, choose a Magnitude Dimmable Power Supplies. These dimmable power supplies work by varying the power on the AC input side of the power supply by means of a TRIAC dimmer. This change in power on the AC input side will vary the voltage on the DC output side and control the intensity of the LEDs. TRIAC dimmers are common hardware store and household dimmers, which include brand names such as Lutron and Leviton.

Pulse-Width Modulation Dimming: Pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming can be used to control dimmable power supplies such as Mean Well LPF Series. This type of dimming control adjusts the output current based on the duty cycle. As the duty cycle increases, current will increase and the LEDs will be brighter. Conversely, if the duty cycle decreases, the current will decrease and the LEDs will be dimmer. Pulse-width modulation for these drivers is based on a 10-volt signal level with a frequency between 100Hz-3KHz. The MLD-5A are compatible for this application.

Resistive Dimming: Resistive dimming can be used to control dimmable power supplies such as 12-Volt Mean Well HLG-40-240 Series or 12-Volt Mean Well HLG-600 Series or here.

The efficiency of a power supply or driver indicates the percentage of power that goes toward making your LED product function. An efficiency of 80 percent or higher is recommended for operating LEDs. 

When choosing a driver or power supply, the size of an LED product’s housing or area of installation is important. If you wish to put a constant-current LED driver inside of a product, the driver must be small enough to fit in the product’s housing. Similarly, if the driver or power supply is used outside of the product’s housing, it should fit the area of installation. Drivers and power supplies are available in a variety of sizes to suit your needs.

A Class 2 driver or power supply is in accordance with limited power levels defined by the National Electric Code (NEC) and fulfills the requirements of Standard UL 1310. Output is limited to 60 volts DC and 100 watts. Because power sources with this rating have limited output, it might not be possible to power as many LEDs or lights as those that don’t have a Class 2 rating. However, these power supplies and drivers provide protection from fire and electric shock.

A Class II rating refers to a double insulation layer between AC input and DC output wires. These drivers and power supplies do not require a ground connection.