Chad – Page 51 – Turn It On Electric

Lighting

5 simple bathroom/kitchen lighting upgrades

28May2018

If you’re on the lookout for home improvements that make your home more livable and enjoyable, consider lighting upgrades for the kitchen and bathrooms. When light in these rooms is ample and carefully placed, everyday tasks are easier to accomplish.

1. Recessed or Can Lights

Installing recessed lights in your kitchen or bathroom gives them an inviting and warm feeling, especially if the rooms have a raised ceiling plate. Lighting upgrades like these are far enough from the floor to diffuse the light to create even light at the counters, lower cabinets, and drawers.

Of all the lighting upgrades, installing recessed or can lights is best left to the professionals at Turn It On Electric. Besides precise cutting, the electricians have to snake wires through the walls and ceilings and make sure that the fixtures are tight and insulated.

It’s especially important if they protrude into the attic to have a tight fit to prevent air from leaking into the attic. Bathrooms are particularly humid and electrical work, even for simple lighting upgrades, should be made by an expert.

2. Under Cabinet Lighting

Putting lights or LED ropes under the cabinets makes the kitchen so much more functional on cloudy days and at night. The two options include a battery or hard-wired lights. Of the two, hard-wired lights are much more convenient since they provide a consistent amount of illumination and never need a battery change. Unless you use rechargeable batteries, battery-powered lights have a high cost over the long term since they deplete their batteries fairly quickly.

3. Spot Lighting

If you’ve added any work areas to the kitchen or the original lighting is inadequate, use lighting upgrades that will better illuminate those areas. Spot lighting over a kitchen island and the sink makes using them so much more efficient. See more clearly when cooking and cleaning in the kitchen.

4. In-Cabinet Lights

One of the most welcome lighting upgrades might be lights inside a dark linen closet or a deep, dark kitchen pantry. These spaces provide convenient storage, but without an adequate light on each shelf, they’re inconvenient to use after dark. A lighting specialist from Turn It On Electric can help you choose the types that work best for you.

5. Change the Color Temperature

All bulbs have a color temperature that you can change with lighting upgrades. LED bulbs come in several different color temperatures that affect how things look in a room. Bathrooms are particularly important rooms to have lighting upgrades that allow you to see things more clearly. If the color temperatures aren’t compatible with your workplace, your makeup may appear differently at home and the office.

LED bulbs give you the widest variety of color temperatures, ranging from warm white to sunlight, a hue that emits a bright white appearance. It’s challenging to know how a light will look in your home if you\’re browsing the aisles at home improvement centers. The best way is to invite the pros from Turn It On Electric to your home. We will help you choose from different colors and types of lighting that best match your needs and surroundings.

Let the professionals at Turn It On Electric help you choose lighting upgrades and install your new lights so you can spend time enjoying them.

Electric Bill

Using timers for maximum energy efficiency

28May2018

Saving energy in your home is an effective way to help the environment, but it offers other benefits as well. When you improve energy efficiency, you’ll save on your utility bills. Installing timers for different appliances and devices in your home is a simple way to reduce the amount of energy you use on a regular basis. This results in significant savings on your electric, heating and cooling bills throughout the year.

Types of Timers

There are several kinds of timers available for Phoenix homeowners to use for better energy efficiency. Some of these include timers for hot water heaters, lighting, and smart thermostats. These timers provide you with an easy way to control the amount of energy your home uses.

Water heater timers allow you to reduce the amount of time your water heater runs during the day while lighting timers give you more control over how often your lights come on and how long they stay on. Smart thermostats have timers that can adjust your thermostat settings based on your daily habits for better energy efficiency. For example, your smart thermostat timer can raise the temperature in summer when you’re normally out of the house.

Appliance timers improve energy efficiency. These are separate timers that you can use to control a specific appliance or device, such as a coffee maker. If you want it to only be on for a certain period of time, you can install a timer for this purpose. Timers will turn off the appliance, preventing you from forgetting to turn them off when you’re not using them.

Timer Strips and Phantom Power

Timer strips can help you boost your energy efficiency and lower your utility bills. These strips look like regular power strips, but they have a timer on them that lets you control when they turn on and off. This helps prevent several devices, such as computers and TVs, from drawing “phantom” power when they’re plugged into the strip but not on.

Phantom power refers to the power that electrical devices and appliances use while they’re not in use. These items will still draw a low amount of power if they’re plugged in. While it might not seem like much, this phantom power lowers your energy efficiency.

Tips for Using Timers for Energy Efficiency

How can you make the most use out of your timers? You’ll need to determine when these timers should be set to turn on and off. This depends a lot on your daily routine, such as when you’re usually asleep or out of the house.

For example, you might set lighting timers to turn on and turn off for a certain period of time at night. This cuts down on energy usage that results when you leave lights on, even when you’re not in a room. Keep in mind that you can save energy and money by converting to LED lighting in your home.

Timers, in general, should prevent appliances, lights, devices, HVAC equipment and other sources of energy from turning on when they’re not needed. They should be used for ensuring that these items aren’t left running for extended periods of time.

Turn It On Electric has the experience to install all types of timers to help homeowners in the Phoenix area improve energy efficiency.

Electrician

Preparing your house to sell

28May2018

Putting your home up for sale involves a good deal of thought and planning, especially if you’ve lived in it for a while. As you’re preparing your house to sell it, it’s important to critique its appearance and make improvements where you can. When making electrical upgrades, it\’s important to consider the wiring behind the walls and the new fixtures you select.

Adding light fixtures. No one knows better than you do where you need more light in your home and yard. Once you start preparing your house to sell, make a list of places where you’d put more lighting if you were staying.
Upgrading electrical fixtures. Over time, ceiling and accent lights go out of style. It may be time to change them as you’re preparing your house to sell it. If yours are dated or damaged, look online or at home improvement centers for current styles.
Adding outlets. The overuse of power strips is a sure sign that you need more outlets. Unless you’re the exception, chances are the people who buy your home will too. Older homes aren’t wired to accommodate all the electronics we use today. The licensed electricians at Turn It On Electric can help you decide where to put them and install them for you.
Updating outlets. Changing old outlets and dated switches to contemporary fixtures is a good idea when preparing your house to sell. Newer homes in all price ranges use rocker switches that make it much easier to turn a switch on and off. Install USB-charging outlets or receptacles in each bedroom, the kitchen and the family room. These offer much more convenience than having to search out a computer or charger to keep portable devices charged.
Adding AFCIs. Adding arc fault circuit interrupters gives your home an extra layer of safety as you\’re preparing your house to sell it. Some municipalities in the valley require them whenever an existing home is sold. They’re now part of the electrical code for new homes, but not every municipality in the metro area requires them in resale homes. Regardless, they are an affordable way to reinforce home electrical safety.

Getting a Leg Up

If the people who buy your home plan to finance it, they’ll have to have a thorough evaluation of all its mechanical systems by a licensed home inspector. The inspection will include electrical safety.

It makes sense to have an independent electrical inspection performed when you’re preparing your house to sell, especially if you’ve experienced any of these issues regarding your electrical system:

Circuit breakers that trip for no apparent reasons. Circuit breakers are safety devices that will shut the power off to a specific area or appliance if the wires are generating too much heat. A breaker or breakers that turn off at random times could signal a wiring problem.
Flickering lights. You might have too many appliances, computers, or devices plugged into one or more outlets on a particular circuit. Hair dryers, toaster ovens, microwave ovens and some garage tools use a significant amount of electricity. Have an electrician from Turn It On Electric evaluate the circuit when you\’re preparing your house to sell.
Discolored switches or electrical outlets. Anytime you see soot – a black stained outlet, receptacle or a light switch; it’s time to call Turn It On Electric even if you’re not preparing to sell your home.

Fixing any hazardous electrical issues should be at the top of your list. If you\’re making electrical upgrades as you prepare to sell your home, call Turn it On Electric.

Electric Bill, Electrician, Maintenance

How your home electrical system works

9May2018

As crucial to life as we know it, a home’s electrical system is a mystery to many. It’s easy to see the obvious about electricity, from towering power poles to the boxy transformers that sit in residential and commercial neighborhoods. Once inside the house, the electrical system is all but hidden from view and unnoticeable, until something goes wrong.

Transformers

Your neighborhood probably has one transformer sitting in someone’s front yard. The transformer receives the power from the incoming high voltage line and converts it into a level more suitable for residential purposes, like 120 or 240 volts. If your home were in a retail, commercial, or industrial area, the voltages available would be much higher.

The Electrical Meter

All the power you use goes through a meter that the power plant sends to your home. Every watt you use goes through the meter and the electricity provider keeps track of how much you use. For convenience, power companies measure usage in kilowatts, which are multiples of watts.

Before smart meters came along, you could literally watch the dial turning to get an idea of how much power your electrical system was using. It moves at a snail’s pace until the cooling or heating systems or the pool pump turns on. Electric meters hardly ever fail or have false readings, but it is possible. If you suspect a bad meter, call customer service for help.

As SRP and APS switch their systems to digital, you’ll have to monitor your electric system usage by checking online. Besides making meter reading easier, the digital meter conversion also helps power companies manage peak load distributions, which, when mishandled, can cause brownouts and blackouts.

While the loss of power is inconvenient, the power surges that occur during the recovery process can harm your electrical system or damage appliances. The best way to protect your appliances, including the HVAC system, is by having Turn It On Electric install a whole-house surge protector.

Panels and Circuit Breakers

The electricity enters your home from a cable and immediately enters a panel with circuit breakers. Instead of running the same amount of power to each electrical receptacle and switch inside your home, the breakers divide it into service areas and only allow a certain amount of amps to be drawn.

Instead of labeling the breakers with volts, the electrical system measures in amps, another way of expressing the capacity of a breaker. A 20-amp breaker may be used for lights, while a 40-amp breaker may be used for kitchens and laundry areas. High power consuming appliances have their own breakers, like electric stoves, water heaters, and HVAC systems.

As their name implies, circuit breakers break or stop the power going through a circuit whenever a problem with the electrical system is present. Problems with the electrical system can create heat, and when a breaker gets too hot, it trips, which reduces the threat of fire. If you have a breaker that trips often, contact Turn It On Electric for a diagnosis and repair.

Outlets and Switches

If your electrical system is working as it should, the outlets and switches are your only point of use. While most receptacle problems occur behind the scenes, a few are caused by plugging in a malfunctioning appliance.

Whenever you see a discolored receptacle or smell smoke, unplug the appliance immediately and turn off the circuit breaker. The pros at Turn It On Electric can replace the receptacle and help diagnose the problem. Switches are less prone to overheating but do wear out.

Every system can break down, so it\’s important to maintain it. If you notice anything malfunctioning in your electrical system, contact Turn It On Electric.

Baby Proofing, Electrician

Childproofing checklist – making your home safe

9May2018

Your children are the most precious part of your life, so it’s understandable that you want them to be as safe as possible. Unfortunately, there is a wide range of potential hazards in your own home. In order to protect your children from harm and reduce the risk of falls, poisonings, burns, electrical shocks and other common causes of childhood injuries, it’s important to go through your entire home and do some childproofing. Keep the following checklist in mind, so you can make sure that your children live in a safe environment.

Poison Prevention

To lower the risk of accidental poisoning in your home, childproofing should include:

Keep cleaning products, medications, and other toxic or potentially dangerous items out of children’s reach, such as in a childproof cabinet.
Don’t keep toxic plants inside your home where your children can get to them.

Furniture Safety

To prevent cuts and potentially serious injuries from falling objects, you should take the following childproofing steps:

Put corner guards on tables and other furniture items that have sharp edges on them.
Attach bookcases and other heavy items that can fall over to the wall securely. This helps prevent them from tipping over onto your children.
Mount flat-screen TVs to the wall rather than putting them in or on an entertainment center where they can easily fall over.

Sharp Objects

Sharp objects can be a serious hazard to children. Take these childproofing steps to prevent this from happening:

Put locks on drawers where knives and other sharp objects are kept.
Store other sharp items in storage bins and other containers that are kept out of your children’s reach at all times.

Burn Prevention

To reduce the risk of burns, which can send children to the emergency room, make sure that you follow these childproofing steps:

Install a plastic stove guard to prevent children from being able to get to the burners.
If you have a fireplace, make sure that there’s a screen or doors in front of it that are securely in place when you have a fire going.

Electrical Hazards

Electric shocks can be deadly for children, so it’s crucial to do these childproofing tasks:

Use outlet covers or safety plugs in all outlets throughout your home. You can easily remove these in order to use outlets, but make sure that they’re back in place when you’re done. Better yet, install tamper-resistant outlets.
Secure electrical cords out of children’s reach. In addition to the risk of an electric shock, these cords can be a strangulation hazard or a tripping hazard for children.
Unplug small appliances that are not being used, such as hair dryers, and keep these out of your children’s reach.

Fall Prevention

Falls are one of the most common causes of hospitalization of children. You can protect your children from falls with the following childproofing steps:

Block off stairs with safety gates, especially if your children are old enough to walk or pull themselves up.
Use window stops and screens to prevent children from falling out of windows. Keep in mind that you should also keep long cords for blinds out of your children’s reach.

Childproofing Your Home

If you need help childproofing your Phoenix home when it comes to electricity, contact Turn It On Electric. We can help ensure that your children are safe from electrical hazards.

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Chuck P

01:46 23 Jan 25

Friendly, communicative, and professional.High quality work.

Renee Delu

18:10 11 Jan 25

Mike you are the best!! God bless you for comming out saturday when I blew my fuse trying to vacumm and shout out to Josh who although not have sat office hours called me anyway after I left a voicemail. .Bob Best was here and gave me amazing information that NO OTHER electrician had. .!! I'm happy to say this is an amazing caring company...and I'm a customer for life!! Please recognize and reward Mike And Josh for them saving me on Saturday as my security system had no power and my smoke alarm had been beeping for hours. These men deserve kudos. .if you are looking fir honest and highly qualified electrical work. This is where to go. I'm thankful and grateful. Bob is now an instructor ..I'm happy to know future electricians are being schooled and trained by him. Thanks to you all

Wally Johns

01:31 11 Jan 25

Good work and very polite guys.

Rebecca RB

01:03 21 Oct 24

This company literally saved us! We had some electrical issues discovered that were rather alarming and created an issue with the garage door opener completely lost power as well as our outdoor dusk to dawn lighting and the interior garage lights. Mike the electrician came to the rescue! He listened to the issues in my non electrical language (haha) translated it and solved everything with confidence! Knowledgeable, Friendly, prompt, professional and efficient! Highly recommended! Will definitely call for future needs!

luci redmond

15:28 12 Oct 24

Great customer service & a job well done!

Samuel Heffner

17:04 14 Aug 24

I called TIO Electric because a friend referred them and they did not disappoint. I had an issue and it was rough identifying the source of the problem. Miguel and Conrad worked together to identify and solve the problem quickly. As a services based business it was extremely important to get the repair done quickly and the team stayed to ensure the job was done before they left. I expected to have to schedule another visit due to the complexity of the case, but they understood I needed to be back up and running as soon as possible and got the job done in just a few hours. They were very professional and personable and the cost was in line with what I expected.Update 8/14/24: TIO helped me again. This time with an issue I was having at my home. Marcus was very nice and knowledgable and was able to identify the problem and make the repair in quick time. I had a secondary issue I wasn't too worried about, but Marcus took care of that as well. These guys know what they're doing. Still highly recommend.They did a great job. I would definitely recommend them for projects big and small.

Caren Zellmer

12:46 03 Jul 24

Excellent service!! Marcus has been to our house a couple of times and completed the work doing an AMAZING job. He was very polite, professional and explained every process to us. His work was also completed in a timely manner. It is very rare to find anyone with great work ethic anymore! This company is very lucky to have him. We would definitely recommend and use Turn It On Electric again.

Bob

14:42 10 Jun 22

They were on time, clean, friendly, professional and did an amazing job. I would have to say that the price was fair considering the amount of work done. Highly recommend Turn It On Electrical!