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1. Where do I need GFI’s?
GFI’s need to be located within 6 feet of any water source inside and outside of your home. Typically this includes the kitchen sink, the bathrooms, outside plugs, wet bar sinks, roof outlets, garages, unfinished basements & near a pool.
2. How often do I have to change my smoke detectors?
As per manufacturer’s recommendations. Each manufacturer is different. But it can be as
often as every 5 years, but never more than 10 years
Batteries should be changed with daylight savings time changes twice a year.
However, Select Electric has a smoke detector that has a 10 year lithium battery.
3. Can I connect my hot tub to any outlet?
No, your hot tub should connect you hot tub to a dedicated circuit. A dedicated Circuit is
a source of power that will only be supplying power to your hot tub. With hot tubs you also need to have a GFI disconnect within sight, but not closer than 5 feet.
4. How can I save on my power bill each month?
There are so many ways Select Electric can help you save on your power bill,
HERE ARE A FEW!
A. We can install a "Power Save" unit. These can help cut your utility bill up to
20%.
B. We can install motion sensor lights outside your home. These lights only come
on when they detect movement. When movement ceases, they turn off.
If you need light on all night, we have sensors that will turn on and off lights as
the sunsets and the sun rises.
C. Select Electric can install occupancy sensor switches in your home. When you
walk into a room, the lights come on. Shortly after you leave the room, the
lights go off.
D. Select Electric does all kinds of Energy Efficient lighting, such as Compact
Fluorescent Lighting
5. How can I tell if my outlet is not safe?
There are 4 indicators of an unsafe outlet.
A. If an outlet can no longer hold a plug snuggly
B. If an parts of the outlet are broken
C. If the outlet feels hot to the touch
D. If the outlet is discolored
6. Can I hang a ceiling fan in a spot that has a regular light fixture in place now?
Yes, but there are several things to consider. First you should make sure that the electrical box that is in place is rated for a ceiling fan. This box must also be properly braced. Select Electric carries a wide range of ladders on our trucks and can handle any ceiling fan job, whether it be replacing a light fixture or installing one in a new location.
7. If my Circuit Breaker trips, can I just reset it?
Fuses and circuit breakers are designed to interrupt the power to a circuit when the
current flow exceeds safe levels. For example, If your toaster shorts out, a fuse or breaker
should "trip", protecting the wiring in the walls from melting. As such, fuses and breakers
are primarily intended to protect the wiring. UL approval supposedly indicants that he
equipment itself won't cause a fire.
Breakers are fairly complicated mechanical devices. They usually consist of one spring
loaded contact which is latched into position against another contact. When the current
flow through the device exceeds the rated value, a bimetallic strip heats up and bends. By
bending it "trips" the latch and the spring pulls the contacts apart.
Breakers can be reset a finite number of times, each time they trip, or are thrown when the circuit is in use, some arcing takes place, which damages the contacts. Thus, Breakers should not be used in place of switches unless they are specifically designed for that purpose.
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8. Why use Breakers and why do I need to replace my fuses with breakers?
Statistics show that fuse panels have a significantly higher risk of causing a fire than
breaker panels. Fuses are prone to explode under extremely high overload. When a fuse
explodes, the metallic vapor cloud becomes a conducting path. Result? From complete
meltdown of the electrical panel, melted service wiring, through fires in the electrical
distribution transformer and having your house burn down. Breakers won't do this.
9. My dimmer switch is hot!
Dimmer switches restrict the flow of electricity and can become slightly warm to the touch. If a switch, dimmer or outlet feels warm or hot, it is a serious condition and should be looked at immediately.
10. Why is one prong wider than the other?
Polarization - Nowadays, many two prong devices have one prong wider than the other.
This is so that the device could rely (not guaranteed!) On one specific wire being neutral,
and the other hot. This is particularly advantageous in light fixtures, where the shell should
be neutral (safety), or other devices which want to have an approximate ground reference (i.e. some radios).
11. How do I get a Casablanca Fan repaired?
If you live in our service area, you can request an electrician to remove the fan an take it to
our repair shop. OR you can bring the fan in or ship the fan to our repair shop. Call our office for more details. 1-800-549-5828
12. What is a Whole House Surge Suppressor?
Today’s homes have many devices and appliances that use sensitive solid state
components. Most new major appliances (refrigerators, dishwasher, clothes dryers, etc ) as
well as smaller appliances (VCR, microwave, telephone, etc) have electronics that can be
damaged by voltage surges.
Although you are not aware of it, there can be hundreds of very short duration 1,000 plus-volt surges in a typical home’s wiring everyday. The frequency and intensity of the surges depend on your specific location.
Surges are usually caused by lightning or when electrical equipment, often large motors in nearby commercial businesses, switches off. They can even be generated inside your own home when you air conditioner or your dishwasher stops running.
Although small plug-in surge arresters help, they do not provide the best protection. Even if the voltage surges are not strong enough to destroy the electronic components, frequent smaller surges can slowly break down wiring insulation.
This can cause premature device failure or just faulty operation. Microwave ovens have been known to start on their own. Your computer may get glitch. Your telephone answering machine may miss messages.
A combination of high-quality whole house surge suppressor and small plug in units (on sensitive electronics) provides the best protection. If you have a computer, VCR or any newer appliances, you should install a whole house unit.
To understand how they work, think of a large "electric sponge". When a voltage surge hits, instead of burning out your equipment, the sponge absorbs the energy. Since the surge is of very short duration, the sponge dries out and is ready for the next surge. A bigger sponge can absorb a bigger surge without being fried itself.
Be sure to talk to your Select Electric representative about your needs. There are significant differences in the level of protection of the many surge suppressor models available. You cannot judge a unit’s quality and level of protection by just looking at it
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