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Here is some valuable information from the Leviton Institute on making sure your home is safe:

"The trend to upgrade and remodel our homes is an indication of how much we value the creature comforts and security of home. But how safe are we in our homes? Last year 7 million Americans suffered disabling injuries and another 27,000 died as a result of injuries sustained in their homes.

Now is a good time to take stock of how you can prevent hidden electrical dangers from becoming disasters. It is recommended you have a professional electrical safety inspection performed every ten years and that you conduct your own inspection of your home and exterior grounds annually.

Here's how:

1. Examine outlets and switches to make sure they have no cracked or broken parts. If they do or if they are hot to the touch, make sure you have them replaced immediately. Also check for loose-fitting plugs which can be a shock or fire hazard.

2. Outlets are designed to accommodate a certain amount of amperage, generally 15 or 20 amps. If you overload an outlet with too many appliances you can exceed its amperage rating and create a fire or shock hazard in your home. Unplug the excessive appliances from the outlet and plug them in elsewhere in your home.

3. Never tape over a damaged electrical cord. Make sure cords are not frayed or cracked and never run them under carpets or rugs. Replace taped, frayed or damaged cords immediately.

4. Never force a plug into an outlet and never remove the ground pin from the plug to make a three-prong plug fit a two conductor outlet. If plugs fit loosely in an outlet and begin falling out, the outlet must be replaced.

5. Fuses should be properly rated for the circuits they're protecting. Always replace a fuse with the same size you are removing. Check to ensure that the circuit breakers in your home are working properly.

6. Make sure you have GFCIs installed in your kitchen, bathrooms, workshop, basement, garage and outdoor areas where water and electricity are likely to come in contact.

7. Test your GFCI once a month. Plug an appliance or nightlight into it and turn it on. Press the "TEST" button and see if the appliance or the light switches off. Press the "RESET" button and the appliance or light should go back on. If the appliance or light doesn't go off when you push the TEST button or if it doesn't go back on when you press the RESET button, the GFCI isn't working properly and should be replaced.

8. When using an extension cord, always plug an appliance into the cord before plugging it into the outlet.

9. When using extension cords outdoors, always use a cord rated for outdoor use.

10. Never install a high wattage light bulb into a lamp socket rated for a lower wattage bulb."

If you need to find a local Electrician, post your request with Construction Deal. We'll match you with a master electrician to inspect your homes wiring and electrical capabilities. It's a free service to find a qualified pro in your area.

Labels: Electircians, Electrical Safety

Landscape lighting is a great way to enhance the time, money, and energy you've put in to your home and the surrounding landscape. If you're ready to improve your curb appeal, make the area around your house more safe and comfortable, and increase your home value it might be time to contact a low voltage lighting expert or electrician.

Low voltage lighting around your deck, pool, and landscaping can highlight all these features during the evening for very little effort and usually very little money. Here are some of the types of lighting features you can use around your house -- and if you have additional questions, you can consult with your lighting design professional:

Up Lights
Up lights are the lights placed on or near the ground to illuminate areas above. These lights are key to any landscape lighting design. They can spot trees, bushes, plants, sculptures, or fountains around your house and landscaping with low voltage lights. These lights not only cast light, they also create shadows that can be used for dramatic effect. Too much light or lights placed in the wrong spot can ruin the shadow effect.

Down Lights
Down lights are the lights suspended from above, to spotlight a particular area or provide more light to a general area. These lights can be attached to the house, to trees, to architectural pieces in the yard, and more. Too much overhead light, or obvious glare from down lights, can ruin the effect of the up light or general ambient light in the space. So down lights should be used sparingly or with dimmers to reduce any problems. Down lights can be used effectively to shine down on a patio table, down on flowers or plants, on fountains and other architectural features in the landscaping.

Path Lights
Whenever you've got a walkway or stairs, you'll need to install path lights. They're also great at illuminating the surface material for aesthetic purposes. Path lights are also perfect for balancing all the lighting pointed up into the air. These lights can be hidden in the plants or features. They can also be embedded in the surface of your path or walkway or in the stair or step for more safety.

These are the major components of low voltage landscape lighting. The design is the most important stage, so plan carefully before making everything permanent. Because landscaping is natural on nonlinear, it's important to mix up the location of the lights - vary the positioning to avoid a uniform look.

Also, lighting can be hidden carefully for a more natural look, you can get lights that are camouflaged to look like rocks or other landscape features, and the lights can be prominently featured (so you can choose from a variety of metals, finishes, colors, and styles to match you home and landscaping.)

When you want to talk to a landscape lighting electrician, post your project with ConstructionDeal.com. We'll submit your request, for free, to our network of electrical professionals and they'll contact you about the job. This will save you plenty of time. And having multiple bids from several electricians will also save you plenty of money!

Labels: Electricians, Landscape Lighting

Recessed lighting is a great lighting choice for any home. It can give you a multitude of light options in a room without visible lamps, cords, or lighting fixtures. Recessed lighting can be used to highlight pictures, furnishings, wall colors, countertops, and more.

Recessed lighting fixtures have come a long way. There are models that offer low voltage options to save on energy and others that can come in direct contact with insulation above (labeled "IC" for insulated ceilings.) There are a variety of shapes, finishes, and designs that are perfect for any room of the house. It used to be that you needed to install recessed lighting during construction, but there are now models that can be retrofitted into an existing home.

Plan ahead to get your lights in the right spot. Measure your room, add in furniture, counters or features, and any wall-mounted feature you want to accent. Decide what your overall goal is with the recessed lighting package. For example, you may want to provide accent lighting for some artwork, add task lighting over your cooking areas or improve overall room lighting. Show your lighting diagram to your electrician to make sure it is feasible and safe.

Your electrician will know the right lamps to use, where to wire everything, and the placement of your switches. You may also have the electrician install switches that allow you to have a variety of programs or settings for several lighting packages and looks.

If you need to find an electrician to add recessed lighting to your kitchen, living room, or any other rooms in your house, contact ConstructionDeal.com. You can post your lighting project with us - for free - and have several electricians contact you... instead of trying to find their numbers and call them all yourself. It will save you time and money.

Labels: Electricians

Do you need a home electrical inspection? Good question. If you've lived in your home and there hasn't been an inspection of the house wiring in more than 10 years, or if you've never had one, it would be a good idea. If you're moving into a home that is 30 or more years old, bringing in a licensed electrician would be a good idea.

Faulty or old wiring can be anything from an annoyance to a deadly fire hazard for a homeowner. Making sure that your house is safe from frayed wires or overloaded circuits is always a great idea. It's something people don't see on a regular basis and tend to take it for granted.

What are some signs that you should have your home wiring checked, and possibly re-wired?

• Your lights are constantly flickering
  

• Your breaker trips on a regular basis
  

• Electrical outlets are not working
  

• Lighting or power runs dim or brightens
  

• If you're receiving even a slight shock from an outlet or switch

The problems can be anything from tripped breakers, to blown fuses, to faulty wiring coming in to the house or within the house itself. If you're not sure how to handle any of these issues on a reasonably confident basis, find a local electrician to come check out the problems.

If you do handle any of these issues yourself, please make sure you never do any work to a live circuit. There should be no power coming to the device, outlet, or electrical component you're working on. Again, if you're not sure if there's power, leave it to a professional.

When you're ready for a home inspection by a master electrician, keep ConstructionDeal.com in mind. Our network of electricians are ready to help diagnose any problems you might have with your home's wiring system.

Labels: Electrical Inspection, Electrical Safety