Category Archives: generator installation

The electrical system of every home includes either circuit breakers or (mostly in older buildings) fuses. The frequent blowing of the fuse is something that we do not want to deal with every day. Sudden switching off of all electrical devices and the inability to turn them on ruins our daily schedule, prevents us from relaxing, and nowadays even makes it impossible for us to do any work. If the whole house, apartment or only one of the rooms suddenly go dead – a fuse has probably blown. Unfortunately, this means an overload somewhere, the overheating of the circuit panel or any outlets or switches, or failure of one of the devices connected to the installation.

When looking for advice on the frequent breaking of fuses on the Internet, you may encounter a lot of tips, mainly concerning the technical operation of fuses or circuit breakers. This time let’s start differently. Let’s find out how the fuses work and what they’re actually for.

How Do Fuses Work?

Fuses are essentially fire breaks, or points of deliberate weakness, that collapse if power surges to prevent damage or fire. They are usually grouped in a box or on a panel with a cover – called a fuse box. They are one of the basic security features of the electrical installation of every building and protect your network against overload and overheating. So what does it actually mean when we say “the fuses have blown”? When fuses blow they’re simply executing their protective plan B—they force all the fuses to shut down to avoid circuit damage. When the meter uses more power than your installation has been adapted for – fuses instantly cut off the power supply. Unfortunately, there are many reasons why the fuses in your home can blow. The best way to find the cause of this “failure” is to disconnect devices from the power supply – one at a time. If, after lifting back the switches, the power supply is not interrupted – you have probably found the main culprit.

3 Most Common Causes of Blow Fuses

Now that you’ve had a quick reminder of how fuses work, let’s find out why they actually blow. The electrical system should work flawlessly, therefore many of the reasons why fuses keep tripping are related to poor maintenance or damage to the system. This is when you should call Wiktorowski Electrical Services to have a licensed electrician check out your electrical installation. If you hear strange or crackling noises, or if you’re encountering flashing lights, the fuses have blown because of:

Network overload

Network overload happens when too many devices are connected to the power at once. Powering all receivers uses too much combined power, and the fuses trip when it exceeds 10% of the circuit breaker’s full capacity. Nowadays, network overload happens mostly in older houses, which have outdated installations. An installation planned for a lower energy demand will not be able to keep up with more resource-consuming devices. In this case, you have to replace or renew the electrical installation.

Obsolete fuses

Frequently breaking fuses does not have to mean the necessity to replace the entire installation. It often turns out that it is the fuses themselves that are not able to function properly. Old fuses are more and more often replaced with new ones rated to a higher current load. They are characterized by a lower failure rate and greater resistance to high power consumption. Fuses should be replaced by a licensed electrician, and the replacement process itself usually does not take more than a few hours. We’ll take care of that for you, just give us a call and tell us what your problem is.

Damage to the electrical network

Power cuts aren’t always related to the circuit breakers. If your home electrical network goes out of service several times a week, the best solution is to contact a trusted electrician that will inspect your electrical system and check it for serious problems. Damage to your installation can be dangerous and all repairs should be performed by a certified electrician.

Damaged Electrical Equipment

Frequent fuse blowing situations may be caused by a damaged appliance connected to the circuit. A washing machine, iron or a TV, which suddenly takes up more power than usual, will blow up the circuit breakers. This is especially easy to observe when the fuses always trip when the device is plugged in or is turned on. Try to unplug the faulty equipment from the outlet and test the electrical installation with a different device. If the problem persists – check if any of the appliances needs high starting power. Replace your old microwave, vacuum cleaner or iron with a model that consumes less power and the problem should be solved.

Are Blowing Fuses a Good Reason to Call an Electrician?

Of course. Remember that tripping fuses is a very common problem. Electrical system failures often do not show visible signs, and frequently tripping fuses can be one of the clues. You can eliminate the simplest causes of blown fuses on your own. Remember to check the various configurations of connecting devices to the sockets in your home and to replace old electrical equipment with new ones. However, if you know that your apartment or house uses an outdated installation or the electrical system has not been inspected by an experienced professional for a long time – call Wiktorowski Electrical Services today.

Contacting  a licensed electrician will help you fix the problem without exposing yourself and your loved ones to unnecessary danger.

Electricity bills are one of the most important (and most painful) monthly payments of a home, office, production plant or other type of building. No wonder why so many people are looking for ways to reduce their electric costs, especially now during a pandemic, when most of us spend way more time at our homes than we normally do. Finding savings is not difficult at all – all you have to do is educate yourself about ways you can make your home more energy efficient. Our electricians and team of electrical service experts from Wiktorowski Electrical Srvices team will help you with this.

Electricity bills are fixed expenses that both entrepreneurs running their own business and people who use electricity in their homes must bear. Today, many people cannot imagine life without constant access to electronic devices, which are connected to the Internet, household appliances that facilitate everyday household chores, or the operation of production plants without modern equipment. However, we often forget about lighting – artificial light accompanies us so often that we hardly pay attention to it. Meanwhile, it is responsible for a considerable part of electricity consumption, and it significantly impacts the amounts that you see on your electricity bills. To lower them, it is worth investing in energy-efficient lighting.

Energy-saving bulbs include halogen incandescent, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and LEDs. Our old bulbs have been upgraded and quickly replaced by innovative products, which apart from the obvious advantage of relatively low power consumption, which translates into low energy bills, also heat up less than traditional light bulbs.

Replacing Old Bulbs With Halogen Incandescents

Halogen lamps are considered energy-saving. They’re filled with halogen gas under pressure, thanks to which the filaments in them can reach a higher temperature than if surrounded by argon mixed with nitrogen (used in ordinary bulbs). This does not affect the durability of the light source. Moreover, higher filament temperature translates to better luminous efficacy. In the case of an ordinary 60 W light bulb, it is 11.8 lm/W, and in the case of a linear halogen bulb of the same power – 14 lm/W. Thus, by replacing conventional filament light bulbs with halogen light sources, the same amount of light can be obtained by consuming 15-20% less energy or having a brighter home without increasing its consumption. The average lifetime of a halogen bulb is 1000 hours.

Replacing Traditional Bulbs With Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Greater savings can be achieved by using compact fluorescent lamps (CLFs) as well. They are available as compact fluorescent lamps – with an integrated ignition system and a thread that allows them to be placed in fixtures intended for regular light bulbs. The luminous efficacy of fluorescent lamps is approximately 50 lm/W (you can also find ones with an efficiency of 100 lm/W), so using the one with a power of 11 W, you can get almost as much light as a 60 W bulb. Your energy savings can be about 80%.

CLFs’ service life can vary considerably. Theoretically, it ranges from 6 to 15 thousand hours, however, it is much shorter in the case of placing the fluorescent lamp in a hermetically sealed luminaire. Frequent switching on and off also accelerates the wear of the fluorescent lamp. It is worth taking into account that their use causes disturbances in the electrical network, which worsens the quality of energy available in the power supply system.

Replacing Bulbs With LEDs

LED bulbs are currently the most in demand in the lighting market, and their prices have now declined to a point that every sector relies on LEDs as the most economical choice. They can be mounted in all popular types of lighting fixtures with standard size E26 screw-mount. They are also sold in the form of self-adhesive tapes. Generally, flat SMD diodes of various sizes and luminous efficacy are used in LED lamps. The most common SMD 3528 and larger 5050 generate about 80 lm/W (large Power LED diodes have an indicator of nearly 200 lm/W, but are very expensive). The larger the dimensions, the greater the power, so the same amount of light is obtained from a smaller number of LEDs. Compared to ordinary light bulbs, diodes with an indicator of 80 lm/W consume 85% less energy.

Research shows that good-quality LEDs can shine for up to 100,000 hours, but the service life of those that are available in stores at an attractive price, can be ten times shorter. Many of them fail after just a few months, so it’s important to invest in high-quality products.

Comparisons between Traditional Incandescents, Halogen Incandescents, CFLs, and LEDs*

*Source: https://energy.gov

**Based on 2 hrs/day of usage, an electricity rate of 11 cents per kilowatt-hour, shown in U.S. dollars.

Summary

Replacing traditional light bulbs with LED bulbs is certainly the easiest way to reduce your electricity bills. Their use does not require changing the electrical installation – it is enough to replace traditional light sources with LED ones. According to professional electricians, this solution will allow savings of up to 85%, especially if LED bulbs will work in those rooms where artificial lighting is used during the day for a long time. The installation of this type of light sources will reduce electricity bills not only in private residents, but also large production plants, offices, enterprises, and even in the case of street lighting. The use of LED lamps will therefore be an excellent solution wherever high quality lighting is important, while at the same time reducing electricity costs.

Expert Residential Electrician Chicago

If you want to learn more about making your home more energy-efficient give us a call to schedule an electrical inspection to ensure your current system can handle new, energy-saving appliances and equipment. Hiring a licensed electrician is a good idea as it allows you to get safe electrical work that will be done safely and properly.

At Wiktorowski Electrical Services we offer:

• Residential and Commercial Indoor Lighting
• Incandescent, fluorescent, low voltage and HID lighting
• Recessed lighting
• Track lighting
• Light fixture installations
• Ceiling fan installations
• Dimmer switch installations
• Manual and automated lighting control and dimming
• Wiring device changes
• Best-in-Class Comprehensive Generator Services

and many more…

Contact our licensed electricians today!

A major home construction project is a great moment to upgrade your electrical system, especially in an old building. It is not uncommon for old wires and cables to break down and not be able to cope with all the requirements of a modern household. Not only does an old electrical system fail when modern electronic equipment is connected, but it also threatens the safety of both the residents and the devices hooked up to the sockets, and can easily cause an electric shock or even a fire.

Although city regulations do not explicitly require electrical modernization, homeowners and property managers are obliged to maintain their building’s installations in a proper technical condition.

The need to modernize the electrical network occurs when the installation is more than 30 years old, and also when the originally estimated energy demand is insufficient. For example, it turns out that the system has too few sockets or that the entire installation is working at a lower level of efficiency, and connecting more devices causes the fuses to keep blowing. The materials used to make old electrical installations, such as aluminum wiring, have aged considerably. The number of electrical appliances in a home has increased and old cables are not able to cope with the energy supply of a modern family.

Renovation is an excellent opportunity to modernize your electrical installation, because the replacement of electrical cables requires breaking the top layer of walls or floors. Hiring a professional licensed residential electrician to update your electrical installation will certainly ensure the job is done right and nobody is put in an unsafe situation. The law prohibits unauthorized persons from conducting such work. Only a professional with appropriate knowledge resulting from many training courses and professional experience is able to modernize an electrical system efficiently, guaranteeing safety and preventing future safety concerns.

Hiring premium electrical services in Chicago will be the easiest step toward making your remodeling project a success.

Modernization of Electrical Installations – Where To Start?

First of all, the modernization of the electrical installation must be properly and thoroughly planned. It’s vital to analyze the current needs of the household in terms of the amount of energy consumption and the functionality of the installation. Then you should consider whether these needs will increase (planned family expansion, house expansion, purchase of new energy-consuming devices). Before sitting down with your trusted electrician, write down:

• the number of sockets in each room
• the preferred height at which the sockets should be installed in each room
• total electricity demand of all devices
• the location and method of connecting light sources in each room (wall lamps, chandeliers etc.)
• list the intelligent systems in your house e.g. lighting, garage door or electrically operated window blinds
• the way of switching the light on and off in individual rooms as well as the location and type of switches

After analyzing and considering all of the above-mentioned information with your hired electrician, he will be able to modernize the electrical installation and select the appropriate generator, wiring system and its control devices.

Basic Required Qualifications For Updating an Electrical System

All licensed electricians in Chicago should have insurance and documents confirming their professional competency under the law, as well as a deep knowledge of local codes and how to install electrical systems in accordance with them. All professional electricians should file for an electrical permit and the necessary building permits before work starts.

The Order Of Work

First of all, the condition of the current installation should be carefully assessed and modernization works should be thoroughly planned out. In places where you do not plan to replace the entire electrical installation, repairs of the damaged parts of the installation may be required.

The next step is to plan the route of new circuits and mark the places where we want to replace the installation. It should be remembered that according to current standards devices with high energy demand should be connected to separate circuits.

The last stage of upgrading the electrical system is the installation of sockets, fuses, and, at the customer’s request, lamps, lighting fixtures and switches. The type of protection on specific elements of the installation, the size of the circuit breakers, the components minimizing the effects of electric shock, etc. are selected by the electrician who installs the system.

It is extremely important for the customer to understand that saving on materials used to install the electrical system will bring him losses due to a defective installation in the future and the lack of sufficient safety. It is better to use cables with a thicker diameter than those required by the standards, as this will guarantee high quality of use for the following decades. It is also not worth saving on the generator, because it is the heart of the entire home power system, on which the quality of the entire installation depends.

New Generator Installation

Generator replacement can be a good idea when you’re rewiring your entire electrical system. Over the previous years headways in innovation have made modern generators more intelligent, efficient, more reliable, and better looking. While equipment prices may have gone up, installation expenses might not be as high, if sufficient devices, wirings, and installations have been previously set up.

Whatever the current condition of your house generator is at the moment, you may want to consider replacing it with a new one that can provide all the electrical needs of your household.

At Wiktorowski Electrical Services we will be glad to provide you with a free, no-obligation quote for your electrical project, so give us a call today: (847) 272-8011 or (773) 860-9394.