Archive for the ‘Electrical lights and plugs, etc’ Category

400 Watt Metal Halide lamp replacement

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Want to keep those industrial lights in your warehouse or highbay business, and save lots of electricity?

I just left the supply house and my suppliers demonstrated a new folded flouresent lamp that is a direct replacement for the popular 400 W metal halide lamp. It uses 175 watts. 

The 400 watt MH actually uses 450 watts. This new lamp will save you more than half in energy costs. Call us and we can help you with the conversion to the new lamp.

electrician in Frisco talks about a gfci- 2

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Jeffries electric has great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches. we are your Denton electrician, Coppell electrician, lewisville electrician, highland village electrician, Frisco electrician, Plano electrician, corinth electrician. We fix gfci plugs and repair breakers. We install whole house surge protector. Licensed electrician and insured electrician. Add phone outlets. We repair landscape lights. We fix light switches. Install ground rod. Electric repair work should be performed by a licensed electrician. Be safe and turn off the breaker first.Jeffries Electric is a GSA schedule holder.

GFCI repairs and problems

It is possible (if this new GFCI receptacle was replacing a regular receptacle) that the GFCI receptacle has been added into a three-wire circuit where the neutral is “shared” (before it splits to 2 two-wire circuits). A simple GFCI receptacle will only work on two-wire circuits: one “Hot” and one “Neutral”.
Also there may or may not be a “Ground” wire. If there is one, it is a protective wire and is not counted as a circuit wire.
If you know that the GFCI is good, then a heater or other appliance that you are plugging in has a ground fault condition. This means that the bottom (ground) prong on the plug is carrying current, instead of the neutral. A GFCI measures the current coming in from the hot and compares it to the current going out on the neutral. If they differ from each other, the GFCI will trip. In your case the heater may have a fault to its frame and some of the current is going to the ground wire. Either find the fault by taking the heater apart, or buy a new one and toss the faulty one before it causes a serious problem.
Assuming you have pressed the ‘RESET’ button but the GFCI always trips again immediately, there are several possible things that will have to be checked very carefully.
The newly installed GFCI could be tripping because of a neutral-to-ground short circuit, called a “neutral-to-ground fault”, somewhere in the circuit it is monitoring. Here are some possible reasons for such a fault:
1) There is something plugged in to one of the outlets, that has a neutral-to-ground fault. Any plugged-in appliance which has a neutral-to-ground fault will always cause the GFCI to trip even though the appliance’s own “on-board” on-off switch may be off. So remove all appliances from the outlets and try to reset the GFCI. If all is well, plug in each appliance in turn until you find the one with the neutral-to-ground fault.
Add phone outlets.We repair landscape lights.We fix light switches.electrican plugs and repair breakers. we install whole house surge protector. licensed electrician and insured gfci electrician. we fix corinth electrician,plano electrician, frisco electrician, highland village electrician, lewisville electrician,coppell electrician, denton electric does great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches.
Here are other things that can trip the GFCI:
1. Foreign matter in an outlet box (I found dead roaches in one case)
2. A noise suppressor power strip or power line filter

3. A guitar amp with a ground reverse switch
4. A water leak in the wall dripping on wiring
5. Older electronic devices made before GFCI became common
6. Some older vacum cleaners
7. Devices that make sudden power surges

jeffries electric does great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches. we are your denton electrician, coppell electrician,lewisville electrician, highland village electrician, frisco electrician, plano electrician,corinth electrician. we fix gfci plugs and repair breakers. we install whole house surge protector. licensed electrician and insured electrican.Add phone outlets.We repair landscape lights.We fix light switches.Current GSA schedule holder

Electrician in Frisco talks about landscape lights

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

Jeffries electric has great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches. we are your Denton electrician, Coppell electrician, lewisville electrician, highland village electrician, Frisco electrician, Plano electrician, corinth electrician. We fix gfci plugs and repair breakers. We install whole house surge protector. Licensed electrician and insured electrician. Add phone outlets. We repair landscape lights. We fix light switches. Install ground rod. Electric repair work should be performed by a licensed electrician. Be safe and turn off the breaker first.

Before you decide to replace or repair your lights, check the GFCI outlet or plug. you may not have any power to the lights.

A basic system includes uplighting on prominent features such as large, leafy trees, whose canopies will act as a lantern once lit from below, or downlighting to shine light from above on specific areas, especially entrance-ways. More sophisticated systems include well lights within shrubbery and flower beds, as well as evenly spaced garden path lights.  you’ll find a range of cost- and energy-efficient outdoor landscape lights that use low-voltage fixtures with LED or halogen bulbs. Timers will help ensure that the lights shine only when you want them to, so no energy is wasted. Dont’ down light hard surfaces. Landscape lights work best on sidewalks when you bounce the light off a wall or trees onto the hard surface.

For a low voltage system, you do need a transformer. It is the power console for your landscape lights that converts the voltage of household outlets at 120 volts to 12 volts. Remember that the light fixtures will not plug into a standard outlet.We recommend you get a transformer that will allow you to add fixtures at a later time. Since the transformer will be the most expensive part of your investment, it’s a good idea to plan ahead. Quite a few clients have come back and wanted to add to their landscape lighting.  you only pay for the electricity  that you use. Just because a transformer is rated for 300 watts doesn’t mean it is continually using 300 watts.

Unique landscape fixtures have  a lifetime warranty.guaranteed Repair landscape lighting. Good design will work properly for years. Malibu connectors will fail soon after installed. Replace lamps and check voltage. Hub wiring system can have a lifetime guarantee. Unique lights have lifetime warranty.

LED is an abbreviation for Light Emitting Diode.  Like traditional light bulbs, LED bulbs need electrical power to generate light.   LED technology is not new – it’s has been around for several decades.  

LED’s are very energy efficient when compared to most traditional forms of lighting.  For instance, LED lights consume only about 10% of the energy of halogen bulbs, which can reduce electric power consumption dramatically – even up to 90% in some cases!  

In addition to being energy efficient, LED lights are cost effective because of their long bulb life of 40,000 to 100,000 hours or more.  You may not need to replace the bulbs for many years, if ever, which will save you money over time.

Environmentally Friendly   

Besides the energy efficient and cost effective attributes,  LED lights are also environmentally friendly.  LED’s do not contain mercury or other hazardous materials that are present in some other types of bulbs such as CFL’s.  Because of this, LED’s provide a great way to illuminate your landscaping in an ecologically responsible way.   With LED lights you can save the planet and save money at the same time!

One of the first things that you need to choose is the type of LED landscape lighting that you are going to be using. Since all LED landscape lighting is low-voltage, your two main choices are going to be whether you’re going to use solar power or if you’re going to be using a low-voltage wire. Solar will not last as long as wired fixures. They are very cheap and will not last.

you want to make sure that any LED landscape lighting that you choose is going to be bright enough for what you want it to do. Lighting  with only one or two diodes is going to be perfect to throw off a soft glow, but you may want to try something that is a little bit brighter if you’re going to want to light a pathway. Make sure that you look into these options in advance, it will make a difference in the overall project. A good design will last for many years.

wall plugs -test voltage -draft

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

The 15A, 125V Receptacle is used in your home. your standard receptacle that powers everything from your toaster to your TV. If you are replacing or adding a receptacle, here’s how to wire them.Always ensure that the power is off before working on any electricity.
When installing or replacing a receptacle, connect the ground wire first. When removing an old receptacle, disconnect the ground wire last. The ground or bonding wire should be connected to the bonding screw in the device box, and either pig-tailed (in the case of more than one conductor) Connect the neutral wire (s) next. Then connect the black (or red) hot wire .
In your home, most of the receptacles will have at least two cables entering the same box. The second cable is usually feeding another receptacle, however, it could also be coming from a light or switch.
If you have only one cable entering the device box, tighten the unused screws to avoid them coming in contact with the metal box (if using a metal box), or to mitigate the risk of the unused terminals coming in to contact with the bare ground wire when installing the device in place.
There are many other types of receptacles that you may find around the house, like 20A, or 15/20A, 125V Receptacles, GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) Receptacles, electric Dryer Receptacles (30A, 125/250V), and electric Range Receptacles (50A, 125/250V)
jeffries electric does great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches. we are your denton electrician, coppell electrician,lewisville electrician, highland village electrician, frisco electrician, plano electrician,corinth electrician. we fix gfci plugs and repair breakers. we install whole house surge protector. licensed electrician and insured electrican.
Wiring electrical outlets for Range and Dryer Power Outlets in flush mount, surface mount and panel mount versions come equipped with heavy-gauge, double-wire copper alloy contacts. To ensure correct wiring, . Flush mount receptacles fit a wide range of wall plates and mounting hardware. The new code requirements of the 4-wire 220 volt outlets for clothes dryers provide for the required separate neutral wire.  electrical wiring connection with a 3-wire plug and a 4-wire plug.

Wire your plug with care. always test for voltage and turn off the breaker. wear safety glass and protective gloves. 120 volt plug is also called a duplex receptacle. the electric plug comes in many colors. the electric plug is used in the home and for landscape lights. the electric plug in kitchen is gfci plug. the gfci plug comes in many colors. replace the gfci plug when it quits working. follow the instructions . use a raintight gfci plug cover outdoors. read the instructions. please turn off the breaker before you work. replace federal pacific breakers. use lifetime warranty breakers. use lifetime warranty panels. use lifetime warranty surge protector. use lifetime warranty unique landscape lights. we fix plugs. we fix switches. we install 3 way switches.

GFCI outlets , 20 amp and 15 amp

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Adding or replacing a GFCI outlet, check out these devices.gfci-pdf
jeffries electric does great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches. we are your denton electrician, coppell electrician,lewisville electrician, highland village electrician, frisco electrician, plano electrician,corinth electrician. we fix gfci plugs and repair breakers. we install whole house surge protector. licensed electrician and insured electrican.
Thanks to Pass and Seymour for some great gfci outlets.

Many times a GFCI outlet (gfci plug) can malfunction and you will lose power. Sometimes the gfci will trip and the outlet and other outlets connected to it will lose power.

Most of the areas you find the gfci plugs are the garage, bathroom,outdoors, and kitchen counters. Many times your landscape lighting repair is as simple a s resetting the gfci plug.To troubleshoot,Remove all electrical devices from the GFCI outlet. Reset the trip button and, by process of elimination, plug in each electrical device until you are able to determine what is tripping the GFCI.To be more precise, an electrician is capable of using equipment to confirm if there is a ground fault (electrical malfunction) in the electrical device. There may be a malfunction within the electrical system itself.There quite possibly could be a problem such as a short in the wiring or a problem with the GFCI. This can be confirmed by plugging other electrical devices into the GFCI outlet to see if they trip the breaker. Call the electrician if the GFCI trips no matter what is plugged into it, since this indicates there is something wrong with the electrical supply.GFCI breakers are designed to cut the power in a very short time period if electrical imbalances of as little as .005 amperes are detected. Because the GFCI is so sensitive, it is more effective when wired to protect a single location. The more outlets any one GFCI protects, the more susceptible it is to phantom tripping – shutting off power because of tiny, but normal fluctuations in current flow. This last statement is not tru.GFCI breakers can also be tripped by occurrences such as electrical storms and by moisture causing internal circuit board malfunctions.. It is important that the outlets for the GFCI be kept dry and protected from the elements. Most GFCI’s rated for outdoor use come with a protective cover. The new National Electric Code requires special GFCI plugs that are rated for outdoor locations. This is due to the common failure of gfci outlets used outdoors. The new outlet has a membrane to cover the outlet openings when the plug is removed. You still need a raintight while in use cover.

Some GFCI’s are more sensitive that others.

It may be that the GFCI is too sensitive. It is normal for continuous running motors, such as pumps, to sometimes have small electrical fluctuations. Sensitive GFCI’s may detect this and falsely trip. You may want to have the electrician try a new GFCI or a different brand of GFCI if this problem persists.