Frequently Asked Questions

While circuit breakers offer a basic level of electrical fire protection, GFCI and AFCI outlet replacement options offer enhanced protection. A GFCI outlet or breaker protects against electric shocks while an AFCI trips when it detects electrical arcing faults. Ground faults are often caused by wet electrical parts and products or damaged electrical appliances while arc faults refer to high power discharges of electricity between two or more conductors. Common electrical problems that can lead to arc faults include damaged or overheating wiring and stressed, improper or loose electrical connections or devices.

By far, the most common panel breaker issue is breakers that trip too frequently. If your breakers are tripping too often, chances are it’s either due to a circuit overload, short circuit, or ground fault. An overloaded circuit causes repeated tripping because the system is designed to automatically cut off any power flow that’s greater than the allowed maximum. Short circuits occur when electricity strays from its established path in the circuit. Ground fault problems, on the other hand, are similar to short circuits but they occur when the hot wire and ground wire meet or the hot wire touches the metal outlet box’s side.

Even though your breaker panel is designed to last many years, here are a few typical signs that it has gone bad.

• There’s physical damage or visible wear.
• The breaker or electrical panel emits a burning smell.
• The breaker is hot when you touch it.
• If you see any of these signs, unplug everything or shut off the main power to your house then call an electrician.

There are wide-ranging factors to consider when purchasing a landscape lighting system – safety, voltage drop, design layout, and maintenance contracts, just to mention a few. These are all critical factors that can have an impact on the quality of your installation and the life of your system. Trustworthy Electric, Inc. recommends hiring certified experts to install landscape lighting.

Sometimes you’ll be excited about installing a new lighting fixture, but it eventually doesn’t feel flattering. To avoid common indoor lighting mistakes, take it one room at a time and focus on the style as well as the brightness of light that works best in each space. Finding the right fixtures for any space ultimately comes down to taking a look at what’s available. For instance, you’ll want to take measurements to find the right-sized fixture. Sometimes you may have to use switches, timers, and dimmers that allow you to adjust the light as needed.

LED lights are set to be about 90% more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent lights. An LED bulb only needs about a sixth of the amount of energy to give off the same amount of light that a traditional bulb would. This is made possible because LED lights give off light in one specific direction while incandescent light bulbs emit their light and heat in every direction.