Absolute Electric, INC

GFCI’s save lives

GFCI plug outlets sometimes are a pain to have your electrical system. However, they can save your life. If a GFCI is tripping then the device is telling you something. You have a faulty tool or cord and or situation. Make sure you test your GFCI plugs monthly.

Time to replace the old panels.

Here is a video showing how the breaker under a electrical load is not tripping when it should be. Don’t this happen to your electrical panel, (also know as “fuse box”). Federal Pacific, (FPE), and Zinsco panels are known for this to happen 60% of the time. These breakers will not trip when needed thus causing fires and damage to equipment. A common thread with home owners is their panel looks good. Even home inspectors say it looks good. They are not giving you all the facts about what you may have in your home. Get an electrical contractor/ electrician to look over your electrical for the best advice.

What is surge protection?

What is surge protection?
A surge protector (or surge suppressor) is an appliance designed to protect electrical devices from voltage spikes. A surge protector attempts to regulate the voltage supplied to an electric device by either blocking or by shorting to ground voltages above a safe threshold.
Many power strips have surge protection built-in; these are typically clearly labeled thus. However, sometimes power strips that do not provide surge protection are erroneously referred to as surge protectors.
Appliances over looked for surge protection are: Wash machine, dryer, refrigerator, freezer, phones, alarms, microwave, X-box, other games, televisions, stereos, clocks, wine coolers, and any other electronics that are plugged in.
Home owners have to replace appliances due to a surge that came from the power feeding their home and sometimes coming from inside the home. A whole house surge protector can help prevent this from happening.

Can I turn my Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) on and off frequently?

The question is:
Can I turn my Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) on and off frequently? I’ve been told I have to turn it on and leave it on all day.

Answer:
Turning a CFL on and off frequently can shorten its life. To take full advantage of the energy savings and long life of ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs, it is best to use them in light fixtures you use the most and are on for at least 15 minutes at a time. Good locations include outdoor light fixtures, indoor fixtures in the living room, family room, kitchen, bedroom, recreation room, etc. This is not to say you should leave your lights on all day if you use ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs. It is still a good habit to turn the lights off when you leave the room for an extended period of time.
You may also have heard that CFLs use a lot of energy when turning on and off. While there is a brief surge in energy use when a CFL is turned on, with today’s starting technology, that surge usually lasts about a tenth of a second and consumes about as much energy as five seconds of normal operation. So, even when turned on and off frequently, a CFL uses less energy than its incandescent equivalent. But because turning a CFL on and off more frequently can shorten its life and CFLs are more expensive than incandescents, we recommend consumers use CFLs in applications where they are on for at least fifteen minutes. (This a reprint of information from the http://Energystar.gov website. There is a wealth of information there on how to save energy).