Electrical advice from our master electricians on our blog
Electrical advice from our master electricians on our blog
Minneapolis 612-385-7864
Saint Paul 651-587-5512
Lic. EA005137

Archive for the ‘Residential Electricians St Paul MN’ Category

Sump Pump GFCI

Monday, May 20th, 2013

Sometimes the National Electrical Code provides some unusual challenges for us electricians. Many times the electrical code can be difficult to explain to our customers, especially when they have been misinformed prior to our arrival and their expectations about the ease with which a project can be completed are all but untrue.

This brings us to sump pump wiring. If the new wiring for your sump pump receptacle outlet is to be installed in a crawl space or in an unfinished area of your basement the receptacle must be ground fault protected. You may ask, “What’s the big deal?” GFCI’s save lives but there is an inconvenience with ground fault protecting your sump pump. If your GFCI outlet trips, it will not allow power to your pump motor when it is called into duty and your basement could flood. It is the same reason we don’t protect your kitchen refrigerator with a GFCI; if it trips while you are on vacation your food will go rotten.

Answers to common questions:

  • No, we cannot just put a standard outlet there. If the pump needs a 120 volt receptacle outlet in a GFCI required location, we must follow the code.
  • No, we cannot cut the plug off of the cord to bypass the need for a receptacle by hardwiring it. This violates the code and also violates the manufacturers warranty on the pump.

If the ground fault outlet for your sump pump is tripping it is probably a problem with your motor and could be saving you from a shock. If you are thinking of having a sump pump installed in your home please consider the wiring, there are alternatives if you wish to not have your pump GFCI protected. Ask your supplier for a pump which can be hardwired for either 120 or 240 volts. Give us a call if you wish to discuss sump pump wiring at 651-587-5512.

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Be Smart About Doing It Yourself With Electricity

Monday, May 13th, 2013

Electricity has given us all the phenomenal advantages of modern technology. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and electrical innovation must go hand-in-hand with safety precautions in order to ensure the protection of your family and your home.

When it comes to handling electrical problems in your home, most people don’t even know where to start. Just looking at the jumble of wires involved makes the daunting task of DIY seem impossible. And while we certainly applaud gumption, working with electricity isn’t safe if you don’t know what you’re doing.

If you do-it-yourself, make sure you know Minnesota State and national safety code and protect yourself from complications caused by faulty, low-grade hardware. However, it’s best to plug into safety by calling a professional to take care of your residential electrical needs.

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Your Electrical Panel Tells a Story

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

When our electricians make a service visit to your home they may ask to take a look at your electrical panel.  The reason for this is to gain more knowledge of your electrical system and wiring methods.  Obvious things we are initially looking for are tripped circuit breakers, blown fuses, signs of heat, corrosion, loose connections and other safety concerns.  But a knowledgeable residential electrician will take notice of more.

The model and make of your electrical panel (sometimes referred to as a circuit panel) is significant because it can signify if the panel is a Zinsco or Federal Pacific which are hazardous and should be replaced.  If it is a Push-o-matic or a Wadsworth panel our electricians may also recommend a circuit panel replacement, something required frequently in Minnesota homes.

Another reason the model of the electrical panel is important is because the removable circuit breakers installed inside your panel should be the same model and make as your specific electrical panel.  Many times different brands of circuit breakers are jammed into panels to which they don’t belong.  When our electricians see this they know that someone who didn’t know their stuff was performing work on your system.  When we see poor craftsmanship such as this it tells us to expect the unexpected.

If your electrical panel is in an unfinished area of your Minnesota home, our electricians are able to get a feel for the age of visible wiring and take note of obvious alterations to the original electrical system.  These observations combined with years of experience in residential electrical work allow us the information to make the best recommendations to you, our customer.

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Whole House Surge Protectors | Minnesota Electricians

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Whole house surge protectors are becoming more popular as people are opting to remodel older homes, instead of purchasing new ones. Older homes have a certain charm about them, and their locations are typically better suited that newer neighborhoods so this makes them attractive to a great many people. Those that have bought older homes understand that they will need to do some work on them, and are typically fine with the remodeling process.

What many of them are not aware of is that older homes will come with older wiring, too. When new home buyers purchase an older home, they typically start to upgrade all the appliances and fill the home with high tech gear.   Many people don’t realize that they could be better protecting their investments by purchasing a whole house surge protector.

Whole house surge protectors will bring with them an insurance policy to protect against any unusual spikes in electricity, so that if something should go wrong, your new appliances will still be protected one way or another.

Many homeowners will also simply replace the older 2-pronged plugs with a “grounded” 3-pronged plug, to accommodate their new items, but this alone won’t protect the item plugged into it. Before upgrading to 3 prong outlets, an electric panel check-up by a professional electrician will go a long way to give an up front idea as to the true scope of work.  Its not always as simple as swapping out the outlet.

No matter what is going on with a remodeling job, it is always a good idea to have an experienced and professional electrician come out and asses the home from top to bottom, in order to make sure it can handle all the creature comforts which we are accustomed to living with. For your personal inspection, give us a call at Edison Electric in Minneapolis, and find out about our current specials that will take care of you and your ‘soon- to-be’ new home.    612-385-7864

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Make Sure Your Electrical Service Can Handle Your New Addition

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

If this is the year you plan on adding an extra room to your home, or closing in a carport, then make sure your electrical service can handle it. Most additions fail to take into consideration that they cannot always just extend the current electrical supply into the next room. Circuits have a load capacity that needs to be spread out in order to avoid  problems in the future.

Many homeowners think that they can simply close in a few walls, jump one plug from the current living space into the new addition, and they have electricity. Unfortunately, once the walls are closed in, and the room is finished, you could find out that this plug works great until the dishwasher is turned on.

Adding additional plugs to any new room isn’t hard to do, but it does need to be done right. If there are not enough breaker spaces in the panel, adding a sub panel can easily be done to provide your addition with plenty of circuits to supply your electrical demands.

Sub panels are frequently used in additions, standby generators, hot tubs and pools. Even higher end electronics that have an unusual draw can be accommodated with the addition of a sub panel.

There is a reason why electricians are required to carry a license to perform their jobs, there is a lot to know about electricity, and not every homeowner will know how to handle it. It is great to have the skills to frame and close in a new addition to your home, but leave the electricity up to professionals. Edison Electric will work with you to come up with an easy, affordable plan to get your house just way you want it, without having to compromise the dishwasher in the process. 612-385-7864

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Whole House Surge Protectors Protect Against Minneapolis Electrical Strikes

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Imagine moving into a brand new home. Everything in it is being used for the first time, and naturally, you expect everything to work the way it is supposed to. Surprisingly, it doesn’t; this is why builders give a 1 year warranty at least, so you have time to move in and try everything out. One of the biggest complaints about a new home is often related to the electrical system.

More often than not, it will work fine, but there are quirks in it that can cause a few power surges, or spikes that could damage some of your home electronics. This is why many new home builders are now installing whole house surge protectors as a standard part of the electrical system.

This item is similar to the power chords that we plug smaller appliances into, except that this one protects the whole house. It is installed at the main breaker, and will grab any surge of electricity or spike before it has time to travel through the house and affect your electronics. These interruptions happen thousands of times a day, but are rarely large enough to get your attention. They can come from both internal and external sources. Internal would be something like two or more large appliances turning on and off at the same time, while external sources would be something like a lightning strike, or anything that would cause the power source to spike such as your neighbors appliances.

In Minnesota, where we can have some very touch and go weather, one good lightning strike, or transformer blow can easily send a rocket of electricity through your home and fry 1 or more component of your electricity. You may never know about it for weeks, or even years to come.

These whole house surge protectors are nice because they also come with an insurance policy that will cover any damage that takes place after they are installed. This is a safe bet for the insurance companies, because they know that little to nothing gets by these breakers. Once installed, your home is truly protected from top to bottom, no matter what goes on in the atmosphere. Contact Edison Electric to find out more about protecting your home with homewide surge protection. 612-385-7864

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