Author: dennis

Tips for Passing an Electrical Inspection

If you are considering attempting your own electrical work on your next project, I implore you to apply for electrical permits from your local government.

Applying to do my own work was a simple process.  In this case, all I did was fill out a couple of simple forms where I stated my name, address, the scope of the work being performed (adding 4 recessed lights) and the estimated cost of the work related to the permit.  After about two weeks, the township called me and let me know my permit was approved and ready for pickup.  I paid a $61 fee to the township and got started on the rough-in work.  Once I complete the rough-in work, I schedule the inspector and he pays me a visit.

The most anxiety inducing part of this process is the rough-in inspection, but if you follow these general guidelines, you’ll be much more likely to pass the first time.

1. Ask the Inspector First. When you schedule the inspector, try to actually have a conversation with him or her about what they expect to see and what pitfalls you can avoid.  All inspectors should be looking for the same checks, but some have additional requirements or pet-peeves that can fail you.  Checking with them first is a great way to establish a name to a face and get a sense of their general requirements.
2. Don’t Add Any Devices. During the rough-in inspection, there can’t be any devices on the circuits you are adding. No outlets, no lights, no switches, nada, nunca.  If you are adding an outlet to an existing circuit, then the NEW outlet should also not be installed either.  The rest of the outlets on that circuit that were originally there are probably fine, but if you disturbed the wiring in any outlet, it shouldn’t have a device for the inspection.
3. Tie Your Grounds Together. In each outlet or electrical box location, the ground wires should be tied together.  This is something my inspector noted today.  Don’t tie anything else together though.  The hot and neutral leads should remain separate.
4. Fire Block. Any holes or penetrations from one floor to the next or from one wiring passage to the next needs to be blocked so as to prevent a fire using the hole as a breathing hole or chimney.  Typically, you can use fire block expanding foam (which is bright orange in color) or regular fiberglass insulation to fill or plug these kind of holes.
5. Plug Holes in Boxes. This one was new to me and I’ll have to fix it.  The electrical box I used have these bendable tabs where the cable enters.  Well one of these tabs snapped off.  The inspector told me I need to plug it.  I’ll probably use insulation and jam it in the hole here.
6. Use Correct Breaker. Another correction I’ll have to make is the circuit breaker I installed.  The breaker in this application needs to be an 15 amp Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) and I had installed a regular 15 amp breaker.  The AFCI’s prevent arcs and are required on all circuits that feed living spaces (I think).  You can buy AFCI’s in any hardware store and they are several times more expensive than regular breakers.
7. Don’t Power the Circuit. Although the wires for the new circuit can be tied into the new breaker, the breaker needs to remain off or unpowered.  It shouldn’t be powered up until all the devices are installed.
8. Cover the Wires with Wire Nuts. All the wire ends need to have wire nuts on them even if they don’t have any exposed conductor.  Same goes for the ground wires.
9. Secure Cables with Staples. Cable runs need to be secured to framing every so many feet with cable staples.

Checking the Wiring and Connections

Whereas it is impractical to rewire an entire house, an electrician can replace outlets and wall switches with newer, safer models that will work better with aluminum wiring.

Once you have determined what type of wire is used, check the wires coming into the circuits. Each circuit should have only one wire connected to it. If any circuits have more than one wire connected to them, it could cause the breaker to overheat and should be noted.

Also, check the wires connected to the busboard. Multiple grounding wires can be under each bonding screw, but you cannot have more than one neutral wire under a bonding screw. If you find multiple neutral wires under a bonding screw, you must note this because it is unsafe.

What does a home electrical system inspection involve?

Inspection Certification Associates (ICA) of Chicago, Illinois, which provides national online training and certification of home inspectors, says electrical inspectors must examine several segments of your home’s electrical system, including:

• Service panels and subpanels (what some people may call a circuit breaker or fuse box):
• They’ll typically remove the cover, noting that nothing inside the panel is humming or hot—and that there are no fuses instead of circuit breakers. They’ll also check for loose wires, that wires are the right gauge for the breakers, and that the main breaker is the right size. (Smaller than 100 amps is not enough for the electrical needs of a modern family, ICA says.)
• Outlets (or receptacles): They’ll use a handheld device, a multimeter, to probe the outlet and check the voltage and ground wire.
• Light switches and fixtures: They’ll take a representative number of installed lighting fixtures, receptacles, and switches.
• ​GFCI circuits and arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs): The absence of GFCIs, AFCIs (which interrupt the circuit when it detects an electric arc), or other “overcurrent protection devices.”
• The type of wiring: such as aluminum, knob-and-tube, or copper, and whether any of it is exposed or loose.

Electrical Pre-Inspection

An electrical pre-inspection can be done  by the homeowner on switches, receptacles, and GFCI’s. A homeowner should not inspect the electrical panel, leave that to a certified home inspector.

Receptacles can be tested with a receptacle tester that has a GFCI test button. This tester shows if the receptacle has power and if it is wired correctly. If plugs fits loosely in a receptacle, it should be replaced.

1. Homeowners usually knows if the switches are working, any switches that are normally not used should be tested.
2. Test all GFCI receptacles by pushing the button on the tester to see if power shuts off (an audible click can be heard). Press the reset button to restore power. If the  test or reset button does not work, and there is power at the GFCI, the GFCI has failed and needs to be replaced.
3. While testing GFCIs, see if you lose power to other GFCIs. If another GFCI loses power, it should be replaced with a standard receptacle. See GFCI Connected to the Load of Another GFCI.
4. In kitchens, bathrooms, outdoors, etc, test all standard receptacles with a receptacle tester to determine if they are GFCI protected. Insert the tester into the receptacle and verify it has power, then press the GFCI test button on the tester. If power shuts off, the standard receptacle is GFCI protected. If the power does not shut off, it should be replaced with a GFCI receptacle.
5. Test all other standard receptacles with the tester to see if they are wired correctly.

Two Rounds of Electrical Inspection

The most comprehensive inspections occur when electrical work requiring building permits is being done, such as during construction of a new home or major room addition. Major remodeling work to a kitchen or bathroom also requires permits and electrical inspections. The goal of the inspections process is to make sure that the applicable electrical codes are being followed, to ensure that the installation is safe. In these instances, an electrical inspector will need to visit you on at least two occasions.

The first is called the rough-in inspection. This takes place when you have installed all of the electrical boxes, cables, conduit, and wires to the point that you are ready for the walls to be closed up by surfaces. This inspection needs to be done before the insulation is installed, so that the inspector has a clear view of all of the wire runs from service panel to fixtures and appliances.

The second inspection takes place when the house is complete, but before you are allowed to begin using the space. This inspection is called the final inspection. At this point, all of the walls are closed in, painting is finished, floors are complete and you are ready to install the furniture. Be sure that all of the circuits are functioning and every light fixture has been hung and is connected. If the inspector approves your work now, it means that it meets professional standards and that it is up to code.

tips for choosing the right light bulb

The light bulb market has gone through enormous change since traditional incandescent bulbs were removed from the market and replaced with energy-saving bulbs. Below, we walk you through what you need to know to buy the best bulb for your needs

Choose a light bulb with the right fitting

Many a shopping trip has been thwarted by the lack of this critical piece of information. There are an awful lot of fittings to choose from so, if you can, take the old bulb you are replacing to the store with you. But if you can’t do that, then use the graphic above, which shows some of the most common fittings. You will need to write down the fitting reference number and take it along to match with the packaging on the box of your new bulb.

Don’t be put off by the upfront cost of LED lights

They could save you hundreds in the long run. There are three main types of regular light bulb – CFLs (compact fluorescent lamp – the standard type of energy-saving light bulb), halogens or LEDs.

CFL annual running

CFLs are cheap and widely available in a range of sizes and outputs. Some older CFLs were slow to brighten, but this has improved considerably in recent years. They are four times more efficient than incandescent bulbs and quickly pay for themselves in energy savings – but not everyone likes the light they emit.

Halogen annual running

Light from a halogen bulb is similar to an incandescent in colour and quality, as both use a tungsten filament. There’s little difference between the two in the amount of energy used and halogens are significantly more expensive to run than other energy savers. With an expected life span of less than two years, a halogen bulb is unlikely to pay for itself before it fails.

Guide to Buying LED Lighting

LED lighting. You know what it is. And you know that it’s the way of the future—if not the present—when it comes to illuminating everything from our homes to public spaces to indicator lights on our electronics. But with the technology advancing more and more each year, LED lighting has allowed for more flexibility in design, greater efficiency in use and a host of other benefits that affect our daily living

Efficiency

Compared to conventional incandescent lamps, LED lighting lasts longer, is more durable, and is over five times more efficient. LED bulbs typically use only 2 to 10 watts of electricity

Brightness

LED lighting is measured in lumens, not watts

Cost

LED lighting fixtures have a higher upfront cost, but will have a greater lifespan in the long run

Design

The compact size of LEDs make them an ultra-flexible design element, which has allowed designers and manufactures to create shapes, silhouettes and technologies that simply weren’t possible before.

LEDs are dramatically more cost-efficient over the long run.

For instance, a single 10-watt LED that puts out 800 lumens of light (lumens are units of brightness for a light source — more on that in just a bit) will add about $1.20 per year to your power bill if used for 3 hours a day at an average energy rate of 11 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). Under those same parameters, a traditional 60-watt incandescent bulb that puts out the same 800 lumens will cost about $7.20 per year. That’s more than the cost of replacing it with a basic LED like the one described above. Multiply that by the total number of bulbs in your home, and you’re looking at the potential for some pretty significant long-term savings, especially if you live in area with above-average energy rates

LEDs are also rated to last for tens of thousands of hours, which can translate to decades of use. Compare that with the year or so you typically get out of an incandescent, and you can begin to see why so many people find these bulbs appealing. With some options now as cheap as $3 per bulb, that 10W LED would pay for itself in energy savings within a few months, then keep on saving you money for years if not decades to come

First, it’s important to understand that LED lights typically don’t “burn out,” the way that incandescents do. Instead, they undergo “lumen depreciation,” which just means that they gradually grow dimmer and dimmer over a very long period of time. The test that the IES uses to determine a bulb’s longevity is known as the LM80, and it calculates how long it will take for an LED to fade enough for you to notice it

In the LM80 test, engineers run the bulb for 9 months straight in order to get an accurate read of the light’s rate of decay. Using those figures, they can calculate the point at which the light will have faded to 70 percent of its original brightness — the point where you’ll start to notice that things aren’t quite as bright as they used to be. This point, known as “L70,” is the current standard in LED longevity. If an LED says it’ll last 25,000 hours, it’s really saying that it will take the bulb 25,000 hours to fade down to 70 percent brightness

This isn’t to say that LEDs don’t fail. They definitely do. As with any device relying on tiny, delicate electrical components, things can go wrong. Fortunately, more and more LED bulbs come with multiyear warranties for cases of mechanical failure. Some manufacturers, like GE and Cree, offer affordable LED bulbs with 10-year warranties. Consumers with a healthy dose of skepticism regarding LED longevity claims should look for bulbs like these, made by manufacturers willing to put their money where their mouth is

FACT SHEET: A CONSUMER’S GUIDE TO BUYING QUALITY LEDS

Light-emitting diode light bulbs and lighting fixtures are known as LEDs. LEDs can have varied designs with a range of looks for many different uses. From the outside, many look like old-fashioned light bulbs and are available to replace a wide range of inefficient halogen and incandescent lighting.

Quality LEDs are now in most cases the ‘best buy’ in terms of electricity costs to run, frequency of replacement and overall lifetime costs. LEDs are quickly gaining popularity as they become more available at lower prices, however, evaluation of LED products currently available in the marketplace indicates a wide variation in quality and efficiency. This guide provides some practical tips to purchasing a quality LED product.

Not all LEDs are the same

Unlike Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs), LEDs are currently not regulated for energy efficiency – or characteristics such as colour. This means you may experience greater variation in their performance

Quality LEDs – cheaper in the long run

Quality LED light bulbs last 5 to 10 times longer than halogen light bulbs and consume a quarter of the energy to produce the same light output

Figure 1 A 10W LED bulb would cost $39 in total to buy and run over 10 years. Over this time, five 42W halogen bulbs would need to be used at a total cost of $148, or two 12W CFL bulbs would be used, at a total cost of $48. These figures are based on lifetimes of 6000 hours for CFL and 2000 hours for halogen; an LED price of $10, CFL price of $6, and halogen price of $3. The electricity rate is 28.55¢ per kilowatt-hour (kWh

things to consider when buying LED

As your incandescent fittings or light globes burn out, it’s a good time to consider switching to LED fixtures. LEDs have an impressive lifespan (20-something years!) and are very cost-effective in the long term. Now’s the right time to switch to LEDs. These bulbs have made significant advances over the last few years, finally delivering the warm light incandescent have comforted us with for decades. Because there are so many LED varieties, choosing an LED is entirely different from picking up an incandescent. Before you head to the store, find out what you need to know about choosing the right LED light or fitting to suit you requirements and the benefits it will provide

Lumens, not watts

When shopping for bulbs and lights, you’re probably accustomed to looking for watts, an indication of how bright the bulb will be. The brightness of LEDs, however, is determined a little differently.

Contrary to common belief, wattage isn’t an indication of brightness, but a measurement of how much energy the bulb draws. For incandescents, there is an accepted correlation between the watts drawn and the brightness, but for LEDs, watts aren’t a great predictor of how bright the bulb will be. (The point, after all, is that they draw less energy.)

But don’t bother doing the math — there isn’t a uniform way to covert incandescent watts to LED watts. Instead, a different form of measurement should be used: lumens.

The lumen (lm) is the real measurement of brightness provided by a light bulb, and is the number you should look for when shopping for LEDs. For reference, here’s a chart that shows the watt-lumen conversion for incandescents, halogen, fluorescent and LEDs

Making The Most Of Electrical Maintenance

With simple maintenance and prevention methods, you can feel better about the safety and efficiency of your home’s electrical system. This includes making sure your appliances are running smoothly and all of your outlets are safe to use for everyday needs, such as charging devices and plugging in lamps.

Just one mishap could spark an electrical fire, so be sure to keep these steps in mind for proper electrical maintenance:

1. Remember the golden rule: Safety first

You should never start any home maintenance or repair work without proper preparation and safety tools. When working with electrical items, make sure to unplug the unit or turn off the power to the specific circuit. Don’t forget that water and electricity don’t get along, so make sure to unplug anything electric before cleaning. Never use a metal ladder when performing electrical tasks.

2. Use electronics accordingly

It’s important to be smart about how you’re using electronics. Avoid plugging in too many things into one circuit, which can overload it and cause a power outage. Be mindful of where you place small appliances and electronics, such as toaster ovens and hair dryers. Make sure they’re not under any vents that could potentially drip on them or are too close to a source of water, such as sinks and showers. Further, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends installing ground-fault circuit interrupters for all of the outlets in wet locations, such as kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms. They’re designed to turn off electric power immediately in the event of an incident, which can be a potentially life-saving feature.

3. Be mindful of plugs, outlets and wires

Treat your plugs kindly and don’t force them to fit into outlets. Don’t try to bend and adjust the prongs, as this could cause an electric shock. Alternatively, if it’s loose inside the outlet, it may be time to replace the cord for a fresh plug. Replace old outlets with new electric sockets with advanced safety features, such as built-in surge protectors. Unplug extension cords when you’re not using them to avoid an electric and fire hazard. When you’re outside, only use cords and electrical items that are specifically for the outdoors.

4. Schedule routine professional check ups

Electricity can be dangerous, so never hesitate to call a licensed electrician for help. In fact, one of the most important steps in good electrical maintenance is having a professional inspect your system at least once a year. An electrician can check your electric panel, replace damaged wires and test circuit breakers.

Simple steps to resolution

Stepping through further checks, the technician can review the breaker’s programming, such as LSI overcurrent settings, using easy to navigate graphical screens. There may also be a ‘state of health’ view that can quickly reveal any service warnings. This might indicate that a backup battery that needs replacing, or the amount of breaker service life left.

If a bar code is provided on the front of the breaker, scanning it with the smart phone will connect to the device’s online maintenance history. Not only will this confirm that the correct equipment needing servicing has been identified, it will also reveal any previously logged data or service notes to help determine the appropriate next steps.Simple steps to resolution

Stepping through further checks, the technician can review the breaker’s programming, such as LSI overcurrent settings, using easy to navigate graphical screens. There may also be a ‘state of health’ view that can quickly reveal any service warnings. This might indicate that a backup battery that needs replacing, or the amount of breaker service life left.

If a bar code is provided on the front of the breaker, scanning it with the smart phone will connect to the device’s online maintenance history. Not only will this confirm that the correct equipment needing servicing has been identified, it will also reveal any previously logged data or service notes to help determine the appropriate next steps.

How to Improve Your Electrical Maintenance Strategy

When it comes to maintenance strategies, mechanical assets tend to receive more care than electrical control and distribution systems. Electrical systems can run for years without problems, making it tempting to focus on systems where wear and tear produce more frequent, and more noticeable, issues. Mechanical maintenance staff usually outnumber electrical system staff, whose electrical maintenance training is seen as less mission critical than staying up-to-date on advances in equipment technology.

Reactive Electrical Maintenance

Like mechanical equipment, electrical systems benefit from preventative maintenance. Reactive responses to electrical problems results in longer down times, expensive repairs, and loss of productivity.

Signs of a reactive electrical maintenance strategy include:

• Electrical failures not recorded in CMMS
• Electrical maintenance supplies no readily available
• Electricians on staff not up-to-date on electrical maintenance training
• Few to no electrical planners on staff
• Little to no documentation of electrical maintenance tasks
• No standards for electrical schematics
• Technical information on electric systems not centrally located.

Towards a Proactive Electrical Maintenance Strategy

In contrast, a preventative electrical maintenance strategy protects both employees and electrical assets. Careful planning maximizes uptime, while improving energy efficiency and extending the service life of electrical distribution systems. Steps towards preventative electrical system maintenance include:

• Acknowledging the current system is flawed, but can be improved.
• Developing a vision for the future, including new hires, maintenance strategies, and electrical maintenance training.
• Understanding which equipment is mission critical, and creating regular maintenance schedules.
• Discussing the need for improvements with work team, who may raise issues or solutions that would otherwise go unnoticed.
• Documenting all processes and gathering data on which components could fail and what the effects of such failure could be.

Report your findings to management and fight to get the management team on board with your efforts.

• Developing preventative maintenance inspection and tasks for all system components.
• Gathering all strategy documents, schematics, and manuals in a central location.

Electrical Preventive Maintenance

Too many people mistakenly think a lack of moving parts means little can go wrong with electrical systems. In fact, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) reports that the failure rate of electrical components is three times higher for systems without preventive maintenance programs.

The two top causes of electrical distribution failures — loose connections and parts and exposure to moisture — account for nearly half of all electrical losses. And both problems can be corrected with a comprehensive electrical preventive maintenance (EPM) program. Consider these five factors when planning a program for your organization:

• Qualified Personnel
  The people who perform your EPM program must be properly trained for the specific equipment being maintained or tested. They should have a thorough understanding of electrical safety practices and procedures.
• Scheduled Maintenance
  Inspection, testing and servicing of equipment should be done on a regular basis — at least once every three years and more often for critical components.
• Informed Decisions
  You want to make informed, responsible decisions about how best to correct any problem conditions. That can only be accomplished if personnel reviewing test reports have a thorough understanding of the specific subject matter.
• Performing the Work
  There is little point in testing and inspections if you don’t intend to fix the problem. Ultimately, a scheduled outage is necessary to perform the work.
• Record-Keeping
  A clear, concise and complete record-keeping system will help make sure that all work is done when it should be. Tracking test results over time also can often identify a potential failure that can be corrected before it happens.

Electrical preventive maintenance is cost-effective in many ways, improves equipment efficiency and reduces utility bills. Don’t neglect your electrical distribution system. Consider an EPM program — before a costly failure occurs.

Why Routine Electrical Maintenance is Important

The electrical wiring of your home is out of sight and it is one of the important reasons why maintenance is often set aside.  The wires suffer wear and tear over time and its impacts on the appliances and equipment that operate on the circuit. You will eventually have to deal with electrical problems that you used frequently. The best way to avoid these type of complications is to hire electrical services in Sylvan Lake for regular electrical maintenance.  After you find a good electrician, it will be easier to perform an annual inspection of your property’s power system.

Here are 4 benefits of regular inspection of your property’s electrical works.

Reduced Energy Costs

If the appliances are working properly, it uses less energy which will save your money. The outdated electrical system and faulty appliances may need to sue more power to work continuously. It can drive up your electric bill automatically. If you let the electrician perform maintenance works regularly, the electrical items at your home are kept in the best working condition. The electrician can also suggest some ways to save energy with the use of technological advancements.

Fire Safety

Electrical incidents and wirings spark home fires. Outdated electrical systems, fixtures, and wirings are the root cause of these types of accidents.  So having an annual checkup of the power system will make sure that the power source, wirings, electrical lines, and outlets are functioning properly and up to date.

Protection of Appliances

Whether you are using a four-door fridge or a mini-fridge at your home, you have spent quite a good amount of money for it.  So obviously you would want to make good use out of it.  If you don’t do regular maintenance, it means you are waiting for your appliance to die before its lifetime. Every piece of equipment you have at your home comes with a manual that states that their recommended maintenance works and how often it should be done.  Make sure you discuss all of this ­­­­­­­ with the electrician so he can schedule the visits accordingly.

Continuous Productivity

If you want to maintain control of your home or the productivity of your business, a major electrical problem can cause a major problem for you.  Electricity runs all your appliances that include the important ones like refrigerator, desktop, and air conditioning system.  If the damage has worsened, then it can take some days to get the power working again.  It means less productivity for those people who are working from home. It can discomfort them at times when you should actually be relaxing after a long tiring day.