All Tech Electric & Contracting LLC: electrical- common problems in older homes

All Tech Electric & Contracting LLC: electrical- common problems in older homes: Common Problems Found in Older Homes Inadequate Amount of Electric Service Too Few Outlets & Not Enough Circuits Few or N...

All Tech Electric & Contracting LLC: Electrician Overland Park

All Tech Electric & Contracting LLC: Electrician Overland Park: Always Hire A Professional!!!!

All Tech Electric & Contracting LLC: Installing Saunas - check us out first - save thou...

All Tech Electric & Contracting LLC: Installing Saunas - check us out first - save thou...: A very hot gift for a very cool lady....or a cool gift for a very hot lady...her 50th b-day and she was TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY...After deliver...

Installing Saunas - check us out first - save thousandsof $

A very hot gift for a very cool lady....or a cool gift for a very hot lady...her 50th b-day and she was TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY...After delivery, set up takes half a day....
12 Best in Class Carbon Heaters
Online wellness program to track progress
Simple Magne-Seal™ Assembly process
Premium Blaupunkt Sound System
Deeper Benches & SO Sound Capable
Removable Backrest
Energy-Efficient LED Lighting
Soft Interior Lights & Pure Air Vents
Programmable Timer
Lifetime Warranty
Exterior: 61.0" D x 36.0" Side x 35.0" Front x 75.6" H
We now have one set in our basement. It is my paradise!! ipod, music and the best lighting to rejuvenite collegen. I plan on working backwards as  I age....
If you are interested we can save you thousands of $ over store purchase/order. I am serious!!
Wood Options
Hemlock
Cedar

Interior lighting

We install high quality recessed lighting, directional lighting to highlight your special artwork, fireplace, etc., as well as under cabinet lighting.
Lighting is one of the most important elements to consider when decorating.

Consider installing dimmer switches on all lights so the ambiance of a room can easily be changed. What is the feel you want when you walk in your front door? Remember, you can use lighting to help you achieve it.

Landscape lighting

Landscape Lighting Has Real Benefits

One of the most popular trends in outdoor home improvement is the addition of landscape lighting. From New York to California, homeowners recognize the dramatic affect that well planned landscape lighting can have on your home. Whether it is in the front yard, backyard, or both, landscape lighting provides a safe, secure and welcoming environment that the whole family can enjoy! Besides creating breathtakingly beautiful environments landscape lighting also has other benefits.
Full Use of Your Yard, Garden or Patio
With its ambient effect on trees and gardens, a well-designed landscape lighting plan can enhance your yard or garden at night without flooding the neighbors with bright white light. There is also a very practical side to landscape lighting. Decorative landscape lighting can be used to mark pathways and garden areas transforming your backyard into a fully functional area that is perfect for outdoor entertaining!
Shed Light on Those Dark Areas
Are there corners of your yard that you just don’t venture toward night? Well placed landscape lighting can have the wonderful effect of illuminating all of your yard. Besides the beauty it brings, landscape lighting can also aid your home security. A well-lit yard at night at is typically a safer yard. Landscape lighting is an affordable, effective deterrent to residential crime.

Electrician Overland Park

Always Hire A Professional!!!!

Electrical Safety

Electrical Safety

                             

Is your home up to the standards of the National Electrical Code?

Many home-owners are unaware of the potential risks and dangers that are currently unnoticed in their homes. Problems such as burning inside outlet/panel boxes, lack of GFCI protection, lack of plastic coating on high/low voltage wires, along with a giant list of hazards, put a large number of home-owners at risk everyday without their knowledge!

At All Tech Electric & Contracting LLC, we take great pride in helping home-owners stop these potential dangers proactively by implementing surge protection, arc fault protection and ground fault protection for their homes, keeping their electrical system up to date with the current National Electrical Code, and encouraging regular electrical inspections and maintenance

Real-Life Examples

The photos above illustrate the potential dangers that may manifest in an electrical system. Photos were taken at a customer's house as  an electrical inspection was performed. Luckily,  all dangers were fixed so they did not lead to bigger problems.

Wiring- interior electricial

Materials for wiring interior electrical systems in buildings vary depending on:
Intended use and amount of power demand on the circuit
Type of occupancy and size of the building
National and local regulations
Environment in which the w...iring must operate.

Wiring systems in a single family home or duplex, for example, are simple, with relatively low power requirements, infrequent changes to the building structure and layout, usually with dry, moderate temperature, and non-corrosive environmental conditions. In a light commercial environment, more frequent wiring changes can be expected, large apparatus may be installed, and special conditions of heat or moisture may apply. Heavy industries have more demanding wiring requirements, such as very large currents and higher voltages, frequent changes of equipment layout, corrosive, or wet or explosive atmospheres. In facilities that handle flammable gases or liquids, special rules may govern the installation and wiring of electrical equipment in hazardous areas.

Wires and cables are rated by the circuit voltage, temperature rating, and environmental conditions (moisture, sunlight, oil, chemicals) in which they can be used. A wire or cable has a voltage (to neutral) rating, and a maximum conductor surface temperature rating. The amount of current a cable or wire can safely carry depends on the installation conditions.

Electrical Conduit Kansas Electrician

Electrical conduit provides very good protection to enclosed conductors from impact, moisture, and chemical vapors. Varying numbers, sizes, and types of conductors can be pulled into a conduit, which simplifies design and construction compared to multiple runs of cables or the expense of customised composite cable. Wiring systems in buildings may be subject to frequent alterations. Frequent wiring changes are made simpler and safer through the use of electrical conduit, as existing conductors can be withdrawn and new conductors installed, with little disruption along the path of the conduit. A conduit system can be made waterproof or submersible. Metal conduit can be used to shield sensitive circuits from electromagnetic interference, and also can prevent emission of such interference from enclosed power cables.
When installed with proper sealing fittings, a conduit will not permit the flow of flammable gases and vapors, which provides protection from fire and explosion hazard in areas handling volatile substances.
Some types of conduit are approved for direct encasement in concrete. This is commonly used in commercial buildings to allow electrical and communication outlets to be installed in the middle of large open areas. For example, retail display cases and open-office areas use floor-mounted conduit boxes to connect power and communications cables.
Both metal and plastic conduit can be bent at the job site to allow a neat installation without excessive numbers of manufactured fittings. This is particularly advantageous when following irregular or curved building profiles.

The cost of conduit installation is higher than other wiring methods due to the cost of materials and labor. In applications such as residential construction, the high degree of physical damage protection is not required so the expense of conduit is not warranted. Conductors installed within conduit cannot dissipate heat as readily as those installed in open wiring, so the current capacity of each conductor must be reduced if many are installed in one conduit. It is impractical, and prohibited by wiring regulations, to have more than 360 degrees of total bends in a run of conduit, so special outlet fittings must be provided to allow conductors to be installed without damage in such runs. Some types of metal conduit offer a useful bonding conductor for grounding (earthing), but wiring regulations may also dictate workmanship standards or supplemental means of grounding for certain types. While metal conduit can be used as a grounding conductor, the circuit length is limited. A long run of conduit as grounding conductor will not allow proper operation of overcurrent devices on a fault, for example.

Ceiling fan remote

Ceiling Fan Remote Control Wiring and Settings
		A typical ceiling fan remote control is wired as shown in this wiring diagram. The power coming in is connected to the Black and White AC Supply wires. The Ceiling Fan Control Wires are - Black for the Fan Motor, Blue for the Light Fixture and the White Neutral wire is shared for both the Fan Motor and the Light. The Green or Bare Copper wire is connected to the Green wire(s) of the Ceiling Fan.
		The ceiling fan remote control Code Settings at the hand held transmitter remote control and the ceiling fan receiver module must be the same for operation. Multiple fans can be controlled by one remote control. Ceiling Fans in separate rooms must have different codes. Labeling the hand held remotes will avoid confusion. Don't forget to install a 9 volt battery as required for most units.

300 watt replacement

300 watt plug replacement the plug to my large air conditioning unit had a short(I assume) as the two flat prongs are black and the plastic is scorched.The flat thick cord has 300 watt on it. Can I safely replace the plug?Will the AC unit be ok to use if it is now plugged into a surge protector and the right socket?

ddouce4

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#2 Today, 12:04 PM

Re: 300 watt plug replacement NO. The short answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT. Unless there was physical damage to the plug that you know led tot he short, then the problem is in the ac itself and it must be repaired or replaced. It could be as simple as a shorted start capacitor which led to a high inrush current. It could also be due to a bad compressor or motor. Since the terminals of the plug have only a knife edge contact with the receptacle, this would get hot and burn first. You need to have the AC checked out first, if it is a small portable window unit and it is more that a few years old, it might be cheaper to just replace it with a more efficient new unit. If you are in need of air-conditioning for a larger area, a less efficient unit obviously is not the answer.  Hire a professional! Do not attempt this at home!!

Old Wiring

Illustration: Ian Warpole



Old Wiring: Is It Safe?
Today's standard household wiring is a plastic-sheathed, insulated three-wire cable, universally known by the trade name Romex. But the vintage copper wiring in many older houses works just as well as the new stuff, as long as it's in good condition and hasn't been altered in a way that violates code. Here are some wiring systems you'll find in older homes.

Knob and Tube

The earliest residential wiring system has a cloth-covered hot wire and a neutral wire, which run parallel about a foot apart. Ceramic knobs anchor the wires to the house framing; ceramic tubes are used where wires cross or penetrate framing.

Caveats: Cannot be grounded or spliced into a grounded circuit. Its soldered connections may melt if too much current flows through them. Rewire or disconnect any circuits covered with building insulation; it causes this wiring to overheat.

Armored Cable (Bx)

The successor to knob and tube. A flexible steel sheath covers hot and neutral wires, which are insulated with cloth-covered rubber. The sheath provides a ground, so grounded receptacles are easy to retrofit.

Caveats: Sheath must be anchored securely to a metal outlet box. Check condition of insulation every five years or so; it degrades over time, as shown above, or if too much current is allowed to flow through the circuit.

Two-wire plastic-sheathed cable

An early PVC-insulated (Romex) wire.

Caveats: Plastic is easily damaged. Grounded receptacles cannot be retrofitted to this wire.

electrical- common problems in older homes

Common Problems Found in Older Homes

• Inadequate Amount of Electric Service
  
• Too Few Outlets & Not Enough Circuits
  
• Few or No Grounded Electrical Outlets
  
• Worn or Undersized Electrical Wiring

WARNING: When working with electricity, removing covers, or examining your wiring, be certain to turn the power OFF first. The main power box may not have a disconnect and you may have to call the power company to pull the meter or turn off your electricity at the pole.

CAUTION: Depending on the local building codes and laws, some or all of your work must be done by a licensed electrician. In some areas, the homeowner is allowed to do some or all of the work when supervised by a licensed electrician. Most likely, the work will have to be inspected by a local building inspector and if any of the work fails to pass, it will have to be replaced and done correctly.

Inadequate Amount of Electric Service

Newer homes are normally required to have a minimum of 200 amp service. This is considered a minimum amount. If your home has electric heat, you may need a larger service. Larger homes may require 400 amp service or greater.

When upgrading your electrical service, you may need to check with your power company for placement of the service entrance. It's possible that you will need to move it from where it's located now. You may want to have it somewhere else, or the power company may require it to be located in a different spot.

The service entrance includes the masthead, conduit, and wiring from the top of the masthead into the building. The service panel or breaker panel is normally located as close as possible to the service entrance, however in some cases you may need to locate it farther away — check with local building codes before doing this.

Some breaker panels do not have as many "slots" for breakers. Normally, the price is similar no matter how many slots there are, so it's best to get one with the most slots. Be sure the brand is popular in your area. I recommend going to the hardware store and pricing different breakers. Some brands only accept one type of breaker, and they may be very expensive.

Breakers v Fuses is an old argument and modern breakers are actually better than fuses. The breaker has two protections: too much current will "trip" the breaker off, and if it fails to trip, or the current is extremely large, there is a "fuse-like" strip inside that will burn out.

Electrician- rewire properly

Rewire Properly

When it comes to re-wiring, the most important aspect of your project is safety.
A rewiring project should always be performed under the experience and guidance of a professional, licensed, insured electrician.
When wires are faulty and homeowners attempt to rewire their home themselves, they run the risk of causing fires.

3 Phase Wiring

3 Phase Wiring Basics

3 phrase wiring, in electricity, refers to the timing that magnets pass over electrical coils.
3 Phase is simply single-phase wiring that has additional coils.
The difference is found in the fact that with 3 phase wiring, the wires are out of phase or are 120 degrees out of alignment with one another.
In single-phase wiring, the coils are in alignment.

Electrician- save money

Save Money: Combine Electrical Repair Jobs

If you need electrical work performed, it’s a great idea to group all the projects together and have everything done at one time.
Money can also be saved by having regular inspections of your wiring and electrical system.
By having your home or business regularly inspected by an electrician, all of your repairs can be done performed at one time.

Blown Fuses

If you want to be safe, turn off the power to the fuse box before replacing a blown fuse.
After replacing the fuse, you can restore power to the box and the house.
It’s important that you only use the exact amp size in the fuse slot.
If you are contently blowing fuses, do not use the next size up to solve the problem.

Meter Boxes

Meter boxes are read monthly by the utility companies to determine how much gas, electricity and water you are using in your home or business.
It is always wise to look at these boxes from time to time to see if they are working and to see if the meter is moving rapidly.
A rapidly moving electric meter could mean you have a faulty meter or something in your home is drawing a huge amount of electricity. This is a cause for concern.

Power Surge

A power surge can and often does damage electronic equipment.
For computer equipment, it is always wise to use a surge protector, which helps eliminate surges of power that can damage the circuitry in the computer.
This is true for almost all of your electronics including the new HDTV’s.

How many outlets per room?

How Many Outlets Should I Have In Each Room? »

Appliances

If you have a problem with an appliance, you need to do some thorough troubleshooting.
The motors that run appliances can wear out before the life of the appliance.
For instance, a dryer motor may wear out, but the dryer is still going strong. In some cases, you are better off replacing the motor instead of the entire dryer.

electricial home service- amp

What size service do I install in my home?

The minimum service in homes is 100 amps.
However, most of the new homes built today are have 200 amps. With all the new electronics and electrical devices, homes can easily use a 200-amp service. By putting in the 200-amp service, you have potential for future additions to the service panel.
To put the electrical service in your home, you need a professional, licensed, insured electrician or electrical contractor since the service loop has to be replaced.

Save Money

Save Money With Preventative Electrical Maintenance

One of the best ways to save money on your electrical needs is to have your home regularly inspected by a professional, licensed and insured electrician.
Have your home checked at least once per year to lessen the risk of suffering an emergency electrical problem.
Here are some tips to prevent serious electrical problems.

How To Find A Good Electrician

You are in the right spot for finding a professional electrician who is licensed and insured.
However, do not expect that your problems or needs will be diagnosed over the telephone.
A professional electrician will want to come to the site of the job and troubleshoot the problem. Always ask for an estimate and references before the electrician begins the job.

Underground Wiring

Underground wiring is used for running electricity to security lights, landscaping lights, ponds or other decorative landscaping ornaments and to storage sheds or outlet boxes.
If you are running wiring underground, you need to use conduit to protect the wiring.
The conduit should be at least twelve inches underground and GFI protected with no more than twenty amps.

Home Additions-

Additions

Building an addition and needing a professional electrician go hand in hand.
The services of a professional, licensed and insured electrical are needed for many reasons.
Even though you might be very handy and think you can do the work yourself, it is always wise to call a professional electrician.

Fuses To Circuit Breakers

If your fuse box is outdated, you will need to upgrade it to a circuit breaker box.
Circuit breaker boxes are installed in all new homes.
In some cases, before you sell or buy a home, the lenders will require that the wiring be brought up to code. If this is the case, you will need to install a circuit breaker box.

violations- electricial

Electrical violations are not something any homeowner wants to see.
Violations that deal with electrical work might include improper grounding, no covering for the electrical paneling, using an unlicensed electrician, not having a permit and not doing the wiring according to requirements.
These violation fines can be costly.

thr right lighting for your home- choosing and other considerations

Aluminum Wiring in Homes »

Choosing the Right Lighting for your Home

Good lighting in a home is something that everyone appreciates, but few of us put much thought into.
As long as we’re not sitting in the dark, we rarely think about the quality of the lighting.
But good lighting design is more than just chasing away the shadows. Effective lighting can transform spaces and make them multifunctional.

Light Fixtures

Trying to move or repair light fixtures is not a project that should be attempted by homeowners.
It is important that experienced electricians handle these projects, as the risks of becoming hurt or starting a fire are high.

Not having the skill or knowledge needed to make these repairs, can often lead to more harm than good.


When a light fixture is replaced, it is necessary to disconnect all of the wires that connect to the light. Without the proper knowledge and electrical experience it’s easy to often make the mistake of not knowing how to reconnect the wires. This is especially true if the fixture is an older model and uses different color codes for the wiring.

Since you will be working with live wires, it’s best to leave these repairs to electricians who are qualified for the job. A mistake could cause damage to your lights, your home, or injury to yourself.

If you want to have your light fixtures replaced, choose the new replacement fixtures, and have a professional, licensed, and insured electrician perform the installation.

When it comes to electrical work, it is better to be safe than sorry and to ensure that the work is done correctly, the first time around.

Directional lighting in homes
can add subtle beauty, enhance areas, draw the eye to key featutures inn the home...or just a subtle ambiance

Lighting- kitchen

Installing kitchen lighting

The proper lighting can not only enhance the appearance but assist in function of work areas