Found 17 results for the keyword(s) ‘Wiring, Safety’

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  Legality of DIY electrical and plumbing work

  NEW CONSTRUCTION In the interests of health and safety a number of trades are controlled by law, most particularly plumbing and electricity. The degree to which plumbing and electrical work are actually regulated varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For instance almost all work performed in...
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  Aluminum to Copper electrical connectors

  THE WIRE WORKS, THE CONNECTIONS ARE THE PROBLEM Aluminum wire does a good job of conducting electricity (although you do have to use one size larger wire than copper for the same electrical load) and can do the same job for less money. So for a short while it was used in houses for regular wirin...
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  Getting Generator Electricity into the Home

  During the infamous Eastern ice storm of 1998, people went running out and bought every generator available and set them up to power something in the house during the extended black-out. Many of those efforts created great problems for the utility because homeowners were often feeding electricity...
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  Lighting Dimmer details

  We all like the ability to reduce the intensity of a light, but not all dimmers work on all lights. First a really important distinction: Fan speed controls and light dimmers often look almost identical, but are radically different devices, not to be mixed up at the risk of burning out a motor or...
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  Still worried about Aluminum wiring.

  Rick writes: I HAVE BEEN TO YOUR WEB SITE BUT STILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ON THIS TOPIC. HERE GOES: FIRST, IF THE OVERHEATING OCCURS, WHY DOESN'T THE CIRCUIT TRIP? AN ELECTRICIAN TOLD ME THAT IF I HAD A SWITCH PANEL VERSUS FUSES, THAT THIS WOULD PROTECT ME! Both fuses and circuit breakers (neither...
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  Why hire a professional electrician?

    People ask me for professional recommendations and I shy away from doing too much of that.  But the company Electrika is worth a special mention.  First they are competent at doing things right.  Second they are great at trouble shooting and figuring out problems.  You will be won over by thei...
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  Scientists in Quebec take stands on both sides of the EMF debate.

  Follow this link for a background and an overview of the debate on EMF and human health. The debate is strong in Québec.  A large group of scientist and engineers worried about what they consider the unfounded public outcry against wireless progress published a letter in the newspaper LeDevoir o...
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  Which is better -- Fuses or Circuit Breakers?

  In some ways, the old fashioned fuse is actually better than the circuit breakers. To make sure I got my facts right on this one I visited George Brown College in Toronto to talk to one of the instructors in the electrician's apprentice programs. Fuses are 100 % reliable. When they get hot, the...
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  New circuit protection: Arc Fault Interrupters

  Overload protection Fuses and circuit breakers will stop the electricity in a wire when the load is excessive or there is a short circuit. They prevent overheating of wires from too much electricity trying to flow through a wire that is not large enough to handle it. Stray current protection G...
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  Sparks flying out of the circuit breaker

  I live in a basement suite and our lights and electrical outlets on one side of the suite blink and stutter a lot. We did have a flood thru the bathroom fan about 7 - 8 months ago and ever since that we have had the problem. The other thing we have noticed is when everything is blinking and s...