Posts Tagged ‘landscape lighting repair’

Fall off your ladder

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

How many people do you know that have been injured by a ladder accident?

Don't let this fall be an accident

Summer then Fall

 The chances of being injured or even killed are greater than you might imagine. Learn how to properly use a ladder and then don’t take a chance. Make sure you have stable footing for the ladder and don’t reach out too far. If you climb too high on a ladder, the ladder will become unstable. If you don’t have stable footing, an extension ladder can slide and you will ride this ladder to the ground. ( OUCH)

If you call a handy man to do the work, check and make sure they have insurance. In many states, if a worker is injured on your property, they can sue you and take your money and property in a court settlement. ( it has happened many times) So how much money can you save on a temp worker vs hiring an insured professional?

As always, the choice is yours. Now you have more information so that you can make a decision on how much do you really want to spend for these festive lights.

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.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in That Is Shocking! | Comments Off

Most HOME burglaries

Sunday, July 24th, 2011

According to FBI statistics, 65% of burglaries take place at residential structures. And most of these could have been prevented because of lack of planning or knowledge.  Here is a list of simple things to keep intruders from your home.

  1. Shrubs and trees that obscure windows are attractive entry points for burglars. Keep them cut back.
  2. If ladders must be stored outside, then lock them down.
  3. Always keep bicycles, equipment, and tools locked up in the garage or shed.
  4. The door leading from the garage to the house is a favorite access point for burglars because it’s often unlocked!
  5. When you are away, make sure someone collects your mail and newspapers daily.
  6. Burglars hate exterior lighting. Dimly lit properties make their job so easy.
  7. Don’t. Please Don’t tell the world you will be gone and tell them what days you will be not be home. (FACEBOOK)

The part I can help with the most is the lighting. “Motion sensors can be a good start. If installed properly, and not easily reached, they will alert you to people ( and large animals ) in your yard.

Better yet, a low energy landscape lighting system will beautify your home and send the intruders packing to a dark house. They hate light.

better and safer lighting

You can buy and install your own lighting. The instructions from the manufacturer seem simple enough. BUT.

I am here to tell you, that most of the homeowners that install their own lighting are very unhappy with the results and within a few months, the lights start to quit working.

I can offer you a lighting package with a lifetime warranty on the fixtures, transformer, and the installation. You will not only have a great looking home, but you can enjoy the peace of mind knowing the bad guys are looking for someone else’s home.

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.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in That Is Shocking! | Comments Off

Landscape lights and fire ants

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Spring is here, the weather is shaping up to be quite nice and everyone is working in their flower beds.  And if your yard is anything like mine, you run into fire ants!  

Now you might ask yourself, why is an electrician blogging about flowers and fire ants?  Well I, Sarah Terry, have worked at Jeffries Electric for 11 years now, and I decided this was an important issue to me so maybe it would help inform the next master gardener of what to look for when lighting their beautiful flower beds.

 Did you know fire ants are one of the main causes for service calls this time of year for landscape lighting repairs. 

 They are attracted to the warmth of the electric  lights, and the resulting magnetic  field can causes an abnormally high growth rate for the ant eggs.  They love to nest in transformers and air-conditioner units.  These little insects cause millions of dollars of damage each year to commercial and industrial equipment.

When a customer calls and says their landscape lighting isn’t working one of the first questions I ask is, Do you have any fire ant mounds around the light fixtures?  Most of the time customers haven’t checked, or they have regular pest control and say they shouldn’t.  However we have found that 75% of the time even with regular pest control maintenance the ants still manage to make their way into the light fixtures and damage them.

One sign of fire ant infestation is a light fixure that looks to be filled with dirt or mud. Your fixure may still be working and just packed with the fire ant nest. Packed solid so that no light gets through.

Spring gardens and fire ants

They may not produce a  mound such as this one. The mound may be inside the fixture. Be careful when you open the fixture. The bites are painful and they may swarm and leave multiple bites.

This litte bugger will sting

Once they have made their way into the light fixtures we can’t even begin to make repairs until they have all been killed.  This means two trips, the first to put fire ant killer out and the second to begin repairing the lights.  Hopefully the landscape lighting fixtures haven’t been damaged beyond repair, but if they have Jeffries Electric can help.  We offer life time warranties on landscape lighting fixtures and we have lighting designers on staff!  If you would like to see our landscape lighting portfolio simply visit us at www.jeffrieselectric.net and click on the landscape lighting tab, located under lighting J.

I hope you find this helpful for the next time you would like to light up your colorful corner of the world.

Enjoy!  

Sarah Terry   Operations Manager at Jeffries Electric

2010 Super Service Award

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

Tags: , , ,
Posted in That Is Shocking! | Comments Off

Flower Mound electrician talks about outdoor lighting

Monday, January 17th, 2011

This post will help you save on your outdoor lighting costs. the info is availabe from the DOE. public domain. 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.

Outdoor Lighting Design

When designing outdoor lighting, you need to consider the purpose of the lighting along with the basic methods for achieving energy efficiency.

Outdoor lighting for homes generally serves one or a combination of three main purposes:

  • Aesthetics

    Illuminate the exterior of the house and landscape.

  • Security

    Illuminate the grounds near the house or driveway.

  • Utility

    Illuminate the porch and driveway to help people navigate safely to and from the house.

Here are some basic methods for achieving energy-efficient outdoor lighting:

  • Security and utility lighting does not need to be bright to be effective.
  • Use fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, or low-pressure sodium lights unless incandescent lights are automatically controlled to be on for just a few minutes each day.
  • Consider incandescent flood lights with combined photosensors and motion sensors in the place of other security lighting options.
  • Use photosensors with fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, or low-pressure sodium lights.
  • Make sure outdoor light fixtures have reflectors, deflectors, or covers to make more efficient use of the light source and help reduce light pollution.
  • Use timers and other controls to turn decorative lighting on and off.
  • Use outdoor solar lighting where and if applicable

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. 

Lighting Motion Sensor Controls

Motion sensors automatically turn outdoor lights on when they are needed (when motion is detected) and turn them off a short while later. They are very useful for outdoor security and utility lighting provided by incandescent lamps.

Because utility lights and some security lights are needed only when it is dark and people are present, the best way to control might be a combination of motion sensor and photosensor.

Incandescent flood lights with a photosensor and motion sensor may actually use less energy than pole-mounted high-intensity discharge (HID) or low-pressure sodium security lights controlled by a photosensor. Even though HID and low-pressure sodium lights are more efficient than incandescents, they are turned on for a much longer period of time than incandescents using these dual controls.

Jeffries Electric is a GSA schedule holder.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Reference / Specifications | Comments Off

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.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Electrical lights and plugs, etc | Comments Off