Electrical Tips

Electrical Tips and Strategies

Messing around with your electricity can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. Don't start on any electrical project without getting professional advice first. If you require information that our Electricians web site doesn't cover, please don't hesitate to call us 24 hours 7 days a week ( 1-800-Any-Tyme - Remember to dial Y in Tyme ) or you can also fill out our 30 second Service Request Form, or chat live with a Electrical Technician.

Service Entrance Panel and Distribution Center
The wires from the master connect to the service entrance panel, the control center for your electrical service. Housed in a cabinet or box, the panel is often located outside your home, below the electric meter. Or it can be on an inside wall, directly behind the meter. In this panel you'll usually find the main disconnect - the main fuses or main circuit breakers to which the wires connect.

After passing through the main disconnect, the wires enter a distribution center housed in the service entrance panel or in a separate sub panel. Here the current is divided into branch circuits, each protected by a fuse or circuit breaker. The branch circuits run to lights, switches, receptacles, and permanently wired appliances.

Wire Connections
Connections between wires are made inside plastic or metal boxes mounted in the walls or ceiling. Switches, receptacles, and wall or ceiling-mounted light fixtures all have their own boxes. Individual wires are wrapped in color-coded insulation for easy identification. Though hot wires are usually black or red, they may be any color other than white, gray or green. Neutral wires are white or gray. Grounding wires are bare or green.

Safety Tip
Occasionally, a white wire will be used as a hot wire. For easy identification, it should be taped or painted black where it's close to terminals and splices.

Safeguards in the System
The service entrance panel and distribution center in your home are equipped with either fuses or circuit breakers. These are the weak points of each circuit - the safety devices that keep the branch circuits and anything connected to them from overheating and catching fire. If there's an overload or a short circuit, a fuse will blow or a circuit breaker will trip, shutting off the flow of current.

Random Facts and Tips about Electrical Systems:

• If you don't have a circuit-breaker system, always shut off power at the main disconnect before working inside a fuse box.
  
  
• Did you know? In the event of a short circuit, your home's grounding system ensures that all parts of the wiring system and any metal items connected to it are maintained at zero volts.
  
  
• It's a good idea to tape over the empty fuse socket or switched-off circuit breaker while you're working. Keep any fuses you've removed in your pocket and leave a note at the box telling others to leave it alone.
  
  
• Did you know? John Chamberlain introduced the first automatic washing machine at a county fair in 1937. His model S required only that you load the laundry and detergent and set dials twice during the wash cycle.
  
  
• Use mineral oil to lubricate kitchen appliances and you won't cause any health or taste problems with your food.
  
  
• If the wiring in your home appears to be a silvery metal instead of copper, you have aluminum wiring and should consult a licensed electrician before attempting any work or repairs.
  
  
• Never reach into a circuit or fuse panel with both hands, you could short a circuit across your heart. For safety's sake, keep one hand in your pocket whenever dealing with your panel.
  
  
• A ball of yarn can help you fish a wire through conduit. Tie one end of the yarn around a pencil and use your shop vac to suck the other end through the conduit. Tie the free end to your wire and pull the whole thing back through.
  
  
• Bathtubs sometimes sink a bit when they're full. Because of this, the caulking surrounding the tub will last longer if, before you caulk, you fill the tub with water and keep it full until after the caulking has cured.
  
  
• You can use mirror clips to attach a small wastebasket to the inside of your bathroom's cabinet door.

       -› More Electrical Tips and Guides

• If your electrical utilities bill has been more than you can handle lately then please view our Electrical Energy Saving Tips section. It contains some very useful tips, tricks, and hints to help you save money every month. You won't be sorry you read this!
  
  
• If you don't know how your system works, please check out our Electrical Basics page. It will explain which tools to use for which jobs and how to detect if you do actually have a problem you can handle yourself.
  
  
• Fooling around with electricity can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. View our Electrical Safety Tips to make sure you don't do anything you might regret later.
  
  
• If you are one of those people who like to be prepared for everything like a possible power outage or any case that could leave you stranded without power. then you should check out our Generator Basics page. It should help you decide which generator you might need for your application.
  
  
• Not sure which tools to have handy in case you have an "electrical emergency?" Our Electrical Tool Tips should give you plenty of ideas of which tools to have around.