What's New?
Over the next few weeks, you'll notice a more organized electrical guide site to make About.com Electrical more user friendly. After writing for over three years, I've compiled a vast amount of electrical articles and am sorry to say, become unorganized because of the amount of content produced. In the left column, labeled "Browse Topics", you'll notice a more organized list that will lead you to what you're looking for more easily.
One such topic is a more telling section labeled "What Is It?...Know Your Electrical". In this section, you'll find subtopics that break down electrical explanations into easy-to-find parts. After selecting the topic and then subtopic, you'll discover things like "What are Polarized Receptacles?", that is listed in the topic "All About Receptacles and Outlets".
I hope that with this addition, you'll be able to locate related articles to make your electrical project questions and needs more easily accessible. Bear with me and over time, I'll be asking for your feedback on the changes and ease at which the changes have made for your searching needs.
One more thing, if you have suggestions on electrical-related items and I haven't covered it yet, please email me and I'll try to get to it in the future. I appreciate all the kind words from my viewing audience and will continue to bring you do-it-yourself electrical tips, an electrical knowledge base, and everything electrical. Because I chose the electrical/electronic field many moons ago, I've seen and worked with many electrical devices, installations, and had to troubleshoot many problems over the years. Together, we can tackle the electrical installations, troubleshooting, repairs, and removal of older devices and wiring. Are you ready to take a look?
Electrified Valentine's Day Gift Ideas
Instead of the same-old, same-old on Valentine's day, consider giving the electrified gifts of choice. How sweet would it be for you to give him or her something besides flowers, candy, or cards that you just sign your name to? Pretty lame, don't you think? Well, I have the solution to get you sweetheart in the mood for a romantic evening and make you the greatest valentine on the planet!
Everyone has one type of electronic device or another, and now it's your turn to give that special someone something they're missing, an electrified gift. I'm sure they're missing one or more of the following gifts and who wouldn't want one of these fine electronic gifts. Are you ready to electrify their world?
Electrical Wiring Explained
Electrical wiring comes in many different voltage ratings, colors, and uses. It may be used for feeder wiring, low-voltage wiring, branch circuitry throughout your home, or eve grounding. The size and style of the wire that you're using dictates its usefulness on the project that you're trying to accomplish. Understanding electrical wiring is essential to a successful and safe installation in your home. Here are some great electrical wiring tips at a glance.
Recessed Wall Heaters
Recessed wall heaters are a great addition to a room that literally has no heat runs in it. They are easily installed on a bare wall and don't require large areas of room to be installed. They benefit the area by providing needed heat in areas like mud rooms and storage rooms.
Recessed heaters are electric heaters that run on 120- or 240-volt power and some can even be connected to existing wiring within the room. Let's look at why they are a benefit and how to connect them. Here's the scoop on recessed heaters.
Outlets...Is Cheaper Better?
It seems that I hear the same comments over and over about outlets while I'm shopping in the electrical isle at the store. Maybe some people don't get the difference between cheaply made and quality construction yet? I've always been told, "You get what you pay for!" That is all so true in most cases when it comes to the quality of outlets and the life expectancy of them.
But don't get me wrong, there is a market for cheaper things in our society. Maybe you buy green bean ends instead of the choice center cuts? Maybe it's mushroom ends and pieces, instead of whole mushrooms. Anyway, I'm trying to say, if they look the same, work the same, or in these examples taste the same, then they must be just as good, right?
Well, I'd have to argue that point with you and here's why. Let's just call it longevity and durability. Have you ever heard, "Do it right the first time?" Check out the rest of the story.
Watering Without Worrying..The Automated Way
How nice would it be to water your lawn evenly and effectively without having to actually go outdoors and manually do it? You know the old fashioned way of a thumb or finger over the end of a garden hose, right? When it isn't freezing your fingers off, it's spraying you in the face. Then there are all of the sprinkler inventions that oscillate, rotate, or gently soak through hoses to water your garden or lawn. Why doesn't someone come up with a better method of distributing the water around the garden or lawn?
Well fear not! There is just a solution to your watering needs. It's an automated sprinkler system that controls and distributes a water sprinkling spray for your lawn and garden. You can program it to do the work and even have it sense things like rainy days so it doesn't add water to already watered gardens and lawns. Are you ready to move up to an automated sprinkler system?
Electrical Codes You Should Know
There are some very specific electrical codes in and around your house. Electrical safety begins at home, so I'm including this room-by-room common electrical codes that will walk you through each room in your home and help keep your family safe.
Included are things like GFCI's, lighting, and outlet requirements. Are you ready to see if your home is up to electrical code standard.
Power Strips, Surge Protectors and Energy Savings Go Hand in Hand
Power strips and surge protectors can allow you to plug multiple devices into one combination plug-in assembly. It has a switch that can turn on and off the entire connected load, thus saving you money when the devices are not in use. I use these devices and they truly do save you money on your bills and I believe may save on the life expectancy of your electronic devices.
It seems to me that it only makes good sense to spend a few dollars on not only a device that can turn off the power from one location to turn off the power to many devices at once, but to have something that actually protects the fragile electronic parts from power surges and spikes. There are simple methods of helping with these problems. Find out how!
Smart Savings...Which Ones Pay Off?
The price of everything keeps going up and it seems like there is no end in sight! We all need to find ways to save the green to be able to keep our budgets afloat. Here are seven ways to save energy and the green from your wallet.
Although this is not a complete list of energy savings tips, by implementing these simple changes to your everyday schedule, you'll see immediate savings on your utility bill. See how you can save seven ways!
How To Add an Outdoor Outlet to Your Home
When you have outdoor projects and you need an outdoor outlet to plug your cords in to, you should consider adding an outlet outside. Here's a great tip to add an outlet outside from an interior outlet in your home. Find out how easy it can be to add an outside outlet.