Los Angeles Panel Upgrades: A Safe Choice
Electricity puts a house in function. It plays a vital role in serving food, keeping us warm from the weather, aiding us in daily tasks and providing comfort with many variables of entertainment. Without it, a house ceases to function effectively. It is with this thought that the electrical service panel is a very essential part of the house. Neglect of this can lead to major problems with short circuits or electrical overloading that may lead to loss of electricity, damage to property or at worse, loss of life.
Encountering flickering lights or appliances that cannot function appropriately are tell-tale signs of an electrical system problem. This situation may require that one seek professional help immediately other than just sizing up the problem yourself that may require more complicated steps to figure out the problem. These are situations that no one would like to encounter in the near future which is why it is necessary to check your electrical service panel for Los Angeles panel upgrades.
However, panel upgrades need not be based only on imminent or impending danger. Los Angeles panel upgrades can be required on less important reasons such as house renovation or remodelling or an installation of an appliance that would require some fiddling around with regard to wiring or simply with the electrical system.
Panel upgrades require understanding of electrical wiring, systems and function. While it may be basic understanding at some point, more concepts ought to be dealt with by licensed electricians for safety and security. On this matter, it is recommended that one seek professional help from a licensed electrician or contractor in the business. Being a licensed professional in the field may not guarantee great craftsmanship but can assure the client that this individual has passed the standards required. This may include having the know-how in securing a permit when necessary and the above average knowledge and expertise. Aside from recommendations, the internet is the best venue to find the professional contractor that can suit your needs. There are a whole lot of companies to choose from. Whereas most Los Angeles panel upgrades contractors offer an electrical check-up free of charge, some would have added bonuses such as a system follow-up to ensure quality of service and peace of mind as well to the client. Some packages would also boast of their technicians’ impressive track record to gain the trust of the client. Some contractors can go on to be a convenient venue to sell some electrical equipment should there be a need for one.
In the end, electrical problems that require Los Angeles panel upgrades need not be much of a worry anymore. All one needs to do is to be knowledgeable about the house by heart (system), know the superficial problem, get to the net and find out more about the immediate or long-term causes of the problem (educate oneself) and lastly, research on the best contractor around to give back that peace of mind you deserve. After all, a good and efficient licensed electrician is the answer to these problems.
Outlets Not Working
If it does not resolve the issue and more than one of your GFI outlets is not working, you may have tripped the GFIC (ground fault interrupter circuit) circuit breaker in the main electrical panel box. These are also commonly known as GFCI, or ground fault circuit interrupters. The GFIC/GFCI circuit breakers protect all of the GFI outlets in the home. A tripped breaker may also be the cause for several GFI outlets not working. The GFIC/GFCI circuit breakers are found in your home's breaker box. Check to make sure the GFIC/GFCI circuit breakers are in the "on" position. Turn them completely "off" and then "on" again.
The bathroom, basement, outside and garage outlets stopped working?
A single GFCI breaker or GFI outlet in your bathroom, garage or basement may be the reason that all of your bathroom, garage and outdoor plug quit working. One GFI breaker or outlet can control or protect up to 10 other outlets around the house.
1) Common reason GFI's tripping is that water gets into the outdoor outlet or extension cords going to Christmas lights, water fountains or landscape lighting. Try unplugging them and let them dry out for a while as this may take care of the problem. Push the test and reset button to restore power.
2) The GFCI breaker or GFI outlet has just stopped working altogether. Age of the device, power surges and near by lightning strikes are common reason of the GFI not working due a malfunction in the device itself.
3) Sometimes just finding the tripped GFI outlets can be an adventure. Look behind a stack of storage boxes in the garage or basement. A set of kitchen plugs may have gone out because of the tripped GFI hiding behind a kitchen appliance or china cabinet in the dining room. Searching around for GFI outlets may save you an electrician service call.
4) If the GFI will not reset contact your electrician for repair or replacement.
Other Causes for Outlet Failure
Dust or bugs collecting in the outlet housing can also cause outlet failure. If you need to examine the internal housing of any outlet, be sure to turn the power off before working on the faulty receptacle. If you have any doubts on how to turn the power off, call an electrician to help you.
Note: All of your GFI outlets need to be tested monthly. This is done by pressing the "test" button and then the "reset" button on all of your GFI outlets.
A useful item to have around the house is a plug tester. These can be purchased at your local hardware store and are very easy to use. They just plug into any outlet and can tell you if there is voltage present and even if the outlet is wired correctly. Warning! If you use a plug tester and find that one or more of your outlets in or around the home are not wired correctly, you must immediately call an electrician! Faulty wiring can cause a fire!
If you have tried all of the solutions given above, and you are still having problems with your outlets not working, you will need to call an electrician to replace them promptly. Do not try to replace an outlet on your own if you are unfamiliar with electrical work. Only an electrical contractor can replace a faulty plug safely.
For a free estimate, please contact Electricians Los Angeles today!
GFCIs or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters
They're required in new houses. Should I install them in my older house?
I'm told that if I were building a house today, I'd be required to use ground-fault circuit interrupters. What about an older house? It is a good idea to upgrade the wiring to include this type of outlet -- and, if so, how are they wired into an existing circuit that doesn't have a separate ground?
You're right about ground-fault circuit interrupters - better known as GFCIs. In new construction they're required in kitchens and bathrooms and in other areas that might get wet -- a garage or basement or around a pool, for instance. At Los Angeles Electric Services, we can install, repair, and replace ground fault interrupters for your home or business in Los Angeles, CA and the surrounding areas.
GFCIs are designed to trip when they sense even a minor imbalance in current between the hot (black) and neutral (white) legs of an electrical circuit. They shut off power to the receptacle in a fraction of a second -- fast enough so a potentially fatal shock is avoided.
They make just as much sense in an old house as they do in a new one. And they're easy to wire into an existing circuit so there's no reason not to tackle this upgrade.
And it's not the only requirement. Since 2002, the National Electric Code also has required devices called arc-fault circuit interrupters in bedroom circuits. That's in new construction, not existing houses.
Not all electricians think they're such a great idea. You may want to think twice before investing in an AFCI upgrade for an older house.
Wiring in a GFCI to an existing circuit
There's no such thing as too careful when you're working around wiring. (I know this because I once cut through a 240-volt line after my father, an electrical engineer, told me the line was dead. It wasn't.)
Start at the main panel by turning off the power to the outlet you want to upgrade. Then use a circuit tester to make sure the receptacle you're about to dismantle is really dead.
Disconnect the wires from the back of the old receptacle and wire in the new GFCI -- black wire to the gold colored screw, white to the silver screw. There are test buttons on the front of the receptacle to make sure it works.
The process is about that simple.
Many old houses have antiquated wiring systems with no separate ground -- that's the bare wire you'll find in modern cable along with the white and black wires.
A GFCI works just fine without that ground and will still protect you against shock.
Protect the whole run of receptacles
One other thing to remember. Branch circuits usually include a number of receptacles, one wired to the next. You can give all of them GFCI protection by wiring in a single GFCI receptacle at the start of the branch circuit.
In the outlet box, connect the black and white wires that come from the main panel to the screws marked "line" on the back of the GFCI receptacle. Then feed the next outlet from the screws marked "load."
Downstream receptacles will now behave just like GFCIs. If you get "line" and "load" mixed up, this will not be the case.
You can also use a GFCI circuit breaker to protect all of the receptacles on a branch circuit. It replaces a standard breaker in the main panel. Of course if your electrical system has never been upgraded from fuses to circuit breakers you're out of luck.
AFCIs work differently
When current jumps across a gap it's called an electrical arc. That can produce very high temperatures and result in a fire.
An AFCI is designed to sense an arc and turn off the power before it can cause any harm. It replaces a conventional breaker in the main panel, so if you've got an old fuse panel you're not a candidate for this upgrade.
Some electricians think that AFCIs have limited value in ungrounded wiring systems -- knob and tube, for instance, or non-metallic cable without an integral ground.
If you're really interested in adding AFCI protection, get some guidance from a licensed electrician first.
For a free estimate, please contact Los Angeles Electricians today!
Easy Electrical Cord and Plug Repairs
And, because the risks and dangers are so great, there is really no easy repair to cord and plugs. At Electrical Services Los Angeles, we can install, repair, and replace electrical cords and plugs.
Some signs that your cords and plugs need to be repaired include products not working, no power, or frayed and split cords.
This is when a professional, licensed, insured Los Angeles electrician is needed to determine the source of the problem. The typical do-it-yourselfer is quick to discover that many modern products are fit together so tightly, that it is often difficult to get objects apart in order to replace cords and plugs. If you attempt the repair or replacement yourself and there are problems, you could be held accountable.
For instance, if you repair a cord or plug and then there are complications or a fire, you may not be covered under your insurance. When a professional Los Angeles electrician handles your cord and plug repairs and replacements, you also have the assurance of knowing that you have a warranty to cover your project. This provides you with the confidence that if anything were to go wrong, you would not be held liable.
Locating An Electrical Short In The House
In case you happen to be experiencing tripped circuit breakers or blown fuses in your home more frequently than you should, than it is likely that you have an electrical short. It can be common to hear a popping sound, which is often fairly loud, whenever the circuit becomes activated. A short circuit occurs when you develop an erroneous connection within one of your circuits, which happens when an electric path has developed accidentally within the circuit. If you believe that somewhere within your house there’s an electrical short, then it has to be located and repaired without delay. If not attended to, an electrical short could potentially cause wire damage because of the insulation melting, circuit damage, or even a fire. You can locate and repair an electrical short on your own if you’re comfortable dealing with electricity. Otherwise, calling a licensed electrician is the ideal option. 
What To Check First
If you are trying to find where the electrical short is, the first good step is to look at your appliances. If you know which appliances you were using as soon as the short occurred, unplug these appliances. Then, change the fuse or reset the breaker which is linked to the circuit that supplies electricity to those appliances. Turn back on the circuit and make sure the circuit breaker hasn’t tripped or the fuse has not blown. If your circuit trips and you have no appliances plugged in, the chances are you have got a short within the wiring or the receptacle. If everything is fine, then chances are there is an appliance creating the problem. Should this be the situation, you will want to test each one of the appliances individually. If you are able to discover the one that was creating the problem, you’ll need either to repair it or remove it.
In Case You Have a Short In Your Wiring
Unless you find an appliance which is creating the short, chances are you have got a wiring problem. The first thing that you must do is always to switch off the circuit that has the trouble. Before you can proceed, you need to use a volt/ohm meter to check the voltage and ensure that this circuit is turned off. When you verify that your voltage is showing as zero on the meter, you can remove the receptacle, pulling the wires out with pliers and a screwdriver. Adjust the volt/ohm meter so it is set to measure ohms. You now must connect one of the leads to the bare end of the white wire, and then the other lead should connect with the bare end of your black wire. In the event the reading you get with your meter shows O.L. (infinite ohms), this is the sign that this receptacle itself needs to be replaced. If the volt/ohm meter indicates continuity, then the short is probably in the circuit breaker or perhaps the wire. If you discover this to be your problem, you will need to turn off the main breaker so that you can investigate further. At this time, calling an electrician is usually your best option in the interest of safety. The electrician can tell which fuse or breaker connection is causing the problem and remove the wires The electrician will be able to repair your shorted wire or defective breaker safely, and next check it out to be sure that your trouble has been solved.
Now that you know how to identify an electrical short in your house, you can better protect your home and family from a catastrophic fire caused by an electrical problem.
If you’re looking for a great team of Los Angeles electrician, then check out Los Angeles Electrical Services. They’ll be sure to help you with all your Los Angeles electrical services needs! Give us a call today!
Types of Circuit Breakers
Electrical circuit breakers work as safety devices to protect your home from electrical overloads and possible fires. The circuit breakers live inside your electrical panel, and every electrical circuit originates and ends at a circuit breaker. At Electric Services Los Angeles, we install, replace, and repair circuit breakers for your home or business.
When older types of circuit breakers tripped they moved to a halfway position between on and off, and were sometimes hard to determine if they had tripped, causing frustration for the homeowner. Newer circuit breakers have lights that appear when the breaker is tripped; making it easier to see which breaker has tripped.
Every company that makes an electrical panel makes circuit breakers designed to fit the panel’s configuration and size. They are usually not interchangeable, so make sure that the circuit breakers that you buy correspondent to the style and size of electrical panel that you have in your house.
There are different types and amperage ratings for circuit breakers, each designed to do a specific job.
Circuit Breaker Ratings
15 Amps – Use with 14 gauge wire for lights and light duty appliances
20 Amps - Use with 12 gauge wire for heavier appliances and kitchens and baths
30 Amps - Use with 10 gauge wire for heavy duty appliances or rated heaters
50 Amps - Use for rated appliances or to supply a sub-panel, use appropriate wire
>50 Amps - Supply sub-panel or use as main breaker in main panel, use appropriate wire
This is what will happen to the wires in your house if you overload a circuit that doesn't have a circuit breaker or fuse. Fire!
Types of Circuit Breakers
Single Pole – Standard 120 volt breaker used in house wiring
Double Pole - Used to provide 240v electricity to an outlet requiring 240v
Tandem - Also known as half size breakers, allow 2 circuits in the space of 1 standard sized breaker
GFI Breaker – A circuit breaker which provides ground fault protection for the whole circuit in wet areas
Main Breaker - The main breaker, through which all the electrical supply to the house runs. It is a double pole 240v breaker, which acts as the main shutoff of electricity to the entire house.
It is important to use the proper circuit breaker for each circuit that you run. Any electrical handbook with help you in determining the style and rating that you need for each application. Use the proper circuit breaker to protect your house and family from possible electrical hazards.
For a free estimate, please contact Electricians Los Angeles today!
Recessed Lighting is More Efficient Than Ever
Recessed light fixtures are unique because they penetrate and are mounted in the ceiling of a room. From an energy conservation standpoint, this is not an issue when installed in the first floor ceiling of a two-story house. However, if fixtures are installed in the second-story ceiling or the first floor ceiling of a one-story house, a hole is created between a conditioned living area and the open, unconditioned attic area.
Without an efficient design and proper installation, a recessed lighting fixture can allow conditioned air to leak out of the house. This is particularly true during winter, when the warmer air inside a home naturally rises to the ceiling. This not only wastes energy, but may create a chilly draft in rooms where cold outdoor air leaks indoors.
There are new energy-efficient recessed light designs that meet Energy Star standards. All of these fixtures use fluorescent light sources instead of inefficient incandescent bulbs. This fact alone reduces electricity consumption by 75 percent. The inside surface of the new fixtures is also more reflective, which reduces the amount of light trapped and dissipated inside a fixture before ever getting into a room.
For fixtures in ceilings where indoor air leakage seems likely, select a new airtight design with a sealed canister. When installed properly, this unit forms an airtight seal between the ceiling and the fixture. These types of fixtures are most often used in ceilings beneath an unconditioned attic, but they are also effective for unheated basement ceilings, minimizing drafts between floors.
As a safety note, if you already have recessed lighting in your home, do not go into the attic and wrap them with insulation to try to save energy. Wrapping older fixtures with insulation can hold in too much heat, particularly when standard incandescent bulbs are used. These fixtures are not designed to be airtight and the excess heat buildup can become an electrical or fire hazard.
If recessed lighting will be installed in a ceiling under an insulated attic floor, select an insulation contact-rated (IC) design. These are designed to touch insulation without overheating the fixture. When installing new non-IC fixtures, the insulation must be kept away from the canister. This insulation void increases heat loss from the room below even if the installation is airtight.
When installing recessed light fixtures yourself, first determine your lighting goals. To brighten an entire room, downlighting can be quite effective. In a normal-height ceiling, a 4-foot spacing provides an even lighting pattern at floor level. Typical 6-inch-diameter fluorescent fixed vertical fixtures work well for downlighting. If you’d like to dim some of the lights, consider installing a second circuit and dimmer switch with incandescent bulbs in those fixtures.
For task lighting, a single fixed vertical unit directly over the work area seems effective. Wall-wash recessed lighting can be used to accent a painting or other wall hangings. An eyeball recessed light is best for this application because the light path can be adjusted. For a sloped cathedral ceiling, install an angular recessed fixture—preferably an IC model, since it will contact with ceiling insulation.
It’s not difficult to install recessed lighting fixtures by yourself. For an attractive, efficient installation, cut the mounting holes the exact size recommended by the manufacturer. This makes it much easier to create a good seal between the fixture and the ceiling. Before drilling and cutting holes, make sure your fixture layout clears all the floor joists.
For a free estimate, please contact Los Angeles Electricians today!
Which is better protection: Fuses...or breakers?
Either can be effective; here are some points of comparison
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY protection? We mean prevention of damage. We do not mean fault prevention. No protective device can function until a fault has occurred, triggering device operation. And a fault, by definition, represents some sort of damage. At Los Angeles Electric Services we install, repair, and maintain circuit breakers and fuses.
In a motor circuit, one type of protection is furnished by the starter overloads. They don't prevent overloading, blocked ventilation, or other causes of winding overheating or overcurrent. What they do is sense excessive current and act to take the motor off the line before damage results.
The second type of protection, with which we're concerned here, comes into play when overheating, a voltage surge, or some other condition causes a fault within the motor winding. Without circuit breakers protection, the resulting "fault current" would quickly escalate the damage. That could occur either within the winding itself (possibly complete burnout with core damage), in the motor starter, or in the circuit wiring. Attention in recent years has centered particularly on preventing that starter damage, by providing what the International Electrotechnical Commission has called Type 2 circuit protection.
Type 2 circuit protection involves what the National Electrical Code (in Section 430.1) defines as "Motor branch-circuit short-circuit and ground fault protection." Immediately upstream from that protective function, the Code also mandates a "Motor disconnecting means." These two functions are normally combined in one of two packages: either a fused disconnect switch, or a circuit breaker (see diagram, next page).
Again-this is not "motor protection." Some types of fuses will indeed respond to fault current within a winding. But no such current can exist until a damaging fault has already occurred; all the fuse can do is prevent additional damage beyond that. Hence, either the fuses or the breaker are customarily considered "circuit protection."
Which method is better? Properly designed, either is effective, making the choice usually a judgment call. In some industrial installations (especially utility generating plants), breakers are favored because operators cannot readily determine fuse integrity. When fused equipment is supplied, some
plant personnel have been known to replace fuses with solid copper rods
(and add upstream circuit breakers) so no question of fuse condition will arise.
For decision-making on more objective grounds, here are some points of comparison:
1. Favoring fuses:
a. Lower cost.
b. No moving parts; contact welding not a problem.
c. No need for periodic "exercising" to verify capability.
d. Current-limiting capability to 300,000 amperes.
On the other hand: repeated motor starts can fatigue fuses.
2. Favoring breakers:
a. Common trip bar eliminates single-phasing possibility; all phases trip together.
b. More compact.
c. Many can be fitted with electric shunt-trip attachments for GFI protective schemes.
d. Can be reset following a fault; no need to replace.
e. Not subject to accidental operation through fatigue.
f. May operate faster than fuses at low levels of fault current.
On the other hand, re-setting a tripped breaker can be dangerous because it may be reclosing on a fault.
Other concerns affecting either alternative: Individual fuses may be replaced with an incorrect item; the same is true of the smaller circuit breakers. Also, fuses are subject to high resistance connections, resulting in overheating and unbalanced downstream voltage, at their mounting clips. Circuit breakers, using screw lug connections instead, have been subject to the same problem (particularly where aluminum/copper interfaces exist). A sound maintenance program will include periodic infrared surveys of all such connections. Knowing when the device has operated once required testing of fuses, whereas the breaker's status could be seen from its operating handle position. However, "blown fuse indicators" are now widely available.
At one time, the fast-acting (generally in less than a quarter cycle) current-limiting capability of some fuses offered a clear advantage. Current-- limiting breakers have now been developed, however, with ratings up to 200,000 amperes. In most circuits, then, either fuses or breakers can limit let-through current and energy equally well.
Don't let such numbers fool you, however. A 300,000 ampere interrupting rating for a fuse simply means that the device will quickly interrupt the short-circuit current that can be drawn from a system capable of supplying 300,000 amperes. Actual current flow through the fuse never approaches that value. If it did, the fuse would be vaporized. The same applies to a circuit breaker.
With either type of protection, proper operation depends upon selective coordination between branch-circuit protection and what exists upstream. In addition, device function needs to take into account the protection requirements of the circuit conductors-- not just the motor rating.
For a free estimate, please contact Los Angeles Electrician today!
Generator Installation
Most websites will tell you that installing a generator for your home or office is just easy as pie. There are some sites that even give you DIY instructions. Please be careful. A generator that is not installed properly has the potential to be very lethal and can harm people and property. At Los Angeles Electric Services, we can install and repair generators.
Power outages in most cases cannot be avoided. Therefore, rather than lose business time, or online time, it is best to be prepared with a backup supply of electricity provided by a generator.
You can’t just “plug and play” a generator. You have to have in depth knowledge of electrical wiring and installations. The wisest step is hiring an electrician to do the job for you.
However, it is always good to know some general facts about installing a generator. Before the generator is installed, the transfer panel needs to be put in. This is the panel that signals the generator that the main source of power is off and it needs to come on as the auxiliary power supply. Most countries require you to be authorized or licensed to install a transfer panel and a generator so before you start on anything, you need to see that the electrical contractor you hire has these qualifications. If not, insurance will not cover any accident or damage to the property caused by faulty installations.
Your back up generator needs to have its own power supply in a secure location. Do not at any time connect your back up generator to a double male chord that is plugged into the dryer or stove. This is called back feeding and runs the risk of returning power to the grid causing very dangerous electrical fires.
Therefore, make sure your Los Angeles electrician installs a proper transfer panel to create isolation. Then make sure the generator is placed in a way that the carbon monoxide it emanates when in use does not penetrate living quarters. Be mindful of your neighbors as well as generators are most often very noisy.
For a free estimate, please contact Los Angeles Electricians today!
Generator Installation
Most websites will tell you that installing a generator for your home or office is just easy as pie. There are some sites that even give you DIY instructions. Please be careful. A generator that is not installed properly has the potential to be very lethal and can harm people and property. 
Power outages in most cases cannot be avoided. Therefore, rather than lose business time, or online time, it is best to be prepared with a backup supply of electricity provided by a generator.
You can’t just “plug and play” a generator. You have to have in depth knowledge of electrical wiring and installations. The wisest step is hiring a Los Angeles electrician to do the job for you.
However, it is always good to know some general facts about installing a generator. Before the generator is installed, the transfer panel needs to be put in. This is the panel that signals the generator that the main source of power is off and it needs to come on as the auxiliary power supply. Most countries require you to be authorized or licensed to install a transfer panel and a generator so before you start on anything, you need to see that the electrical contractor you hire has these qualifications. If not, insurance will not cover any accident or damage to the property caused by faulty installations.
Your back up generator needs to have its own power supply in a secure location. Do not at any time connect your back up generator to a double male chord that is plugged into the dryer or stove. This is called back feeding and runs the risk of returning power to the grid causing very dangerous electrical fires.
Therefore, make sure your electrician in Los Angeles installs a proper transfer panel to create isolation. Then make sure the generator is placed in a way that the carbon monoxide it emanates when in use does not penetrate living quarters. Be mindful of your neighbors as well as generators are most often very noisy.