Fluorescent lighting in cold weather applications has been used for some time now. Typically you have cold weather ballast and cold weather rated lamps that have been used in freezer applications without a problem. They come in T12, T8 and T5 HO series these are the long skinny lamps that you see every where they come in two and four foot lengths. The problem occurs when one or more of the components are not listed for cold weather use.

CFL’s or compact fluorescents that you buy at your local hardware store to replace your incandescent light bulbs are not rated for cold weather use and cannot be used in cold weather applications due to their inability to start in cold weather.

LED lighting is unaffected by cold weather and is the recommended choice for optimum choice for energy efficiency. LED’s have draw backs as well. The number one drawback is cost LED’s cost more but the typical life expectancy is 50,000 hours which will make up for any cost differential and are more robust in nature. As the LED field expands and with consumers demanding more colors and brightness levels LED’s will be the one to bet on in the future.

In any case you will want to contact a local electrician to explain your options for your particular application as every lighting scenario is different.

Green today gone tommorow

With all the talk you here about green this and green that CFL’s, LED’s, GFCI’s, AFCI’s, Whole house surge protectors, Networking, Cat 5, Cat5e, Cat6, etc.. It can leave the consumer lost in information overload.

Technologies are being invented faster than we can consume them, which in effect causes a learning gap in how the new products are to be used and which ones are best.

Even as an electrical contractor in Seattle I struggle to keep up with the technologies and products being produced today. This opens up a new category or specialty for the contracting world. As an electrician I remember my roots back in Chicago, where we wire all are homes in pipe the old fashion way. Its simple install the conduit and pull the conductors through the pipe, connect a device or two and you were done. If a new circuit was ever needed you just simply pull through another circuit through the conduit and you are done. Now with romex or type nm cable you can save a lot of labor installing these cables and of course no pipe to add to the costs of installation. However if you need to add a circuit to an existing home or office it usually requires some drywall repair and more labor than just pulling over a new circuit in pipe.

As a consumer I like to pay for performance. Why should I spend all this extra money on these new “Green Technologies” Because they save you money in the long run and they protect you and your family from fires that are caused by electrical malfunctions.  Just see for yourself, look at your utility bill and see your electrical usage then go to your local hardware store and purchase some compact fluorescent lamps “CFL’s” in place of you incandescent lamps and see the difference in wattage use. You will be surprised. Oh, they usually don’t tell you but try to dim the fluorescent lamps oops that oscillating light looks terrible. Now you need to buy a new switch to replace that old dimmer you bought to save energy. Look, this is why you should always research before you buy into a trend. You can dim a fluorescent however you may need to consult with an electrician first.

I will tell you one thing and that is we are heading in the right direction and while not all technologies are practical for your application there are many ways to improve your comfort and safety. I personally would stay away from electrical products that seem cheap or are just too good of a deal to pass up. After all these products are going into your home and the cheap products are usually the first round design for the manufactures and are made of cheaper components to get them to market faster.

In the end I believe that LED lighting, solar energy and wind power are going to be more trendy as we look forward to 2010 and beyond the prices Will have to come down before the general public excepts these products as a standard replacement to older technologies.

Let’s make 2010 a safe year and educate ourselves to better understand these ever changing technologies and to use them wisely so as to protect lives and promote high standards for others to measure.

Think about it.

Tangent Electric LLC provides electrical repair, electrical service, electrical contracting, and electrical installation to residents of Western Washington. Seattle electrical contractor 206-878-1139

This is not the same as a short circuit, although both can give off sparks. A short circuit happens when the hot wire touches the neutral or ground wire, and normally the circuit breaker or fuse will trip, shutting off the power.

Arcing can occur for hours, days, weeks, even years, and it will never trip a conventional circuit breaker. And arcing can cause enough heat buildup to start a fire. When in doubt call a licensed electrician.

Because a portable generator uses a combustion engine to generate electricity, it must have several regulators on board. The engine must turn at 3600 rpm in order to generate the standard 60 Hz of alternating current in North American homes. In order to control engine speed, a portable generator uses a ‘governor’ which mechanically keeps the engine from spinning too fast. A voltage regulator also keeps the output at 120 volts, which keeps electric motors from burning out.

For safety reasons, a portable generator must be operated under dry conditions in a ventilated outdoor area. Carbon monoxide fumes can build up from the exhaust of the generator’s engine, so indoor use is strongly discouraged regardless of the ventilation system. Touching a working portable generator with wet hands can cause electrocution. A canopy can be placed over the generator to protect it from the elements, but the ground below it should be dry.

A portable generator is designed to be a temporary electrical generator, measured in hours of use instead of days. Size does matter when it comes to the capacity of any portable generator. The key measurement is total wattage. All electrical motors need more power to start than to run. Before plugging appliances into the generator, add up the total number of watts all of them will require. This information should be found on a plate near the plug. Compare this number to the wattage rating of the portable generator. The generator needs to produce an equal or higher amount of wattage in order to work safely. This may mean sacrificing the use of an air conditioner in favor of a refrigerator. A bigger portable generator with a higher wattage rating means more available power for higher wattage tools and appliances.

How often is a house directly hit by lightning? Not very often, but strikes in the proximity of a home can cause surges in the electrical, telephone or cable television lines that can cause severe damage to electronics. A nearby lightning strike isn’t the only risk. Downed power lines, the cycling on and off of equipment at a nearby factory and even the cycling on and off of appliances in the house can cause damaging surges.

Selective coordination as required by Articles 620.62, 700.27, 701.18, and 708.54 has been amended by the SEC. Fault current calculations provided by a licensed electrical engineer may be selectively coordinated for faults with a duration of 0.1 seconds or longer. The calculations will be required to be wet stamped by a licensed Washington State electrical engineer. All other calculations will be required to be calculated to infinity and will not be permitted to utilize adjustable trip breakers to achieve selective coordination.

Arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) are fairly new in the electrical industry. Similar to ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI), they are designed to shut off the electricity to a circuit when a specific type of problem is detected. AFCIs are specifically designed to detect certain arcing conditions, which is a common cause of electrical fires in our homes. They are placed in the electric panel.
As with the GFCI outlets in our kitchens and bathrooms, the AFCI breakers in the electric panel also should be tested monthly to ensure that they are working properly. Each AFCI breaker is labeled and has a test button on it. AFCI circuit breakers typically protect all the electrical outlets and switches in the bedrooms.

If AFCI breakers trip regularly, consult a qualified electrician immediately to determine why the tripping is occurring.