Home Owners Helpers

09/16/2013

Need an electrican we are the team for the job contact as today for your free quote

01/20/2013

01/20/2013

01/05/2013

TOO OFTEN PEOPLE ASK, WHY DOSE THE LIGHTS IN MY HOUSE DIMS. HERE ARE SOME REASON THAT MAY CAUSE YOUR LIGHTS TO DIM

If your lights dim momentarily when an appliance such as an air conditioner, washing machine, furnace, or refrigerator comes on, it may be that the lights are wired on the same circuit as that appliance. You can easily verify it by turning off the circuit breaker associated with that appliance and see if the dimming light also turns off. This is not necessarily a dangerous scenario, but if you’re worried about it, it would be worth a call to an electrician to investigate. These types of appliances tend to draw a lot of power when they first turn on, which is why they are usually connected to a dedicated circuit in the service panel. Owners of older houses may find that these appliances are probably sharing circuits with other loads. If necessary, your electrician can install dedicated circuits for these devices to help alleviate the dimming problem.

If this is a new symptom, another possibility is that you could have a loose wire connection, possibly in the breaker panel or a problem with the neutral line. We usually see this type of problem manifest itself during summer months when demand for electricity is higher, and it will stress an already-loose connection that didn't show signs of trouble in colder months when demand was lower.

If all the lights in your house dim periodically or all the time, or even get brighter and possibly burn out occasionally, the problem could either be with a loose or bad connection in your circuit breaker panel or electric meter, or with the utility line feeding your house. Many times, this type of problem is due to an overloaded utility transformer on the street. This happens over time as more houses are built in your neighborhood, thereby increasing the demand on the existing utility wiring. A quick call to your utility company repair department can dispatch a technician to see if the problem is on their lines. If the problem is not with the utility lines, then you’ll need an electrician to check your service entrance equipment for problems. You should not ignore this symptom, as it may be a sign of a possibly dangerous problem.

12/08/2012

The boiler thermostat is one of the most important devices in the home, yet it is often overlooked. This relatively small device is responsible for controlling the level of heat in your home during the cooler months. In the past, boiler thermostat wiring used to be rated for 110 volts but now modern systems are rated for 24 volts. Modern thermostats are capable of controlling both heating and air conditioning and can be programmed based on the energy needs of the home. By learning the basics of this system you can replace or install a thermostat at a fraction of a cost of hiring a contractor.

Step 1 – Run the Thermostat Wiring
A thermostat works by reading the ambient air temperature so you’ll want to locate it in a large open room or common area such as a hallway. Once you’ve determined the location you can begin mapping out the route back to the boiler. Use the wire snake to pull the wire through closed walls and into your attic or basement, depending on the type of home. From there, you should have clean run through the attic then down the boiler room wall. Most boiler rooms have open framing so you shouldn’t need to snake the wire down this wall.

Step 2 –Install the Thermostat
Now that you’ve run the wiring you can mount the back plate of the thermostat to the wall. Take extra care to ensure that you mount the plate level. This is crucial to making sure the mercury switch inside the thermostat functions properly. Use the cordless drill to secure the back plate with drywall anchors and screws. This hardware is usually included with the boiler thermostat.

Identify which terminals are the “R”, “W” and “Y” and loosen each one with the screwdriver. The 2 main types of 24 volt thermostat wiring are ,2-wire (red/white) and 3-wire (red/white/blue). For a 2-wire installation connect the red wire to the “R” terminal and connect the white wire to the “W” terminal. In 3-wire installations, connect the red wire to the “R” terminal, the white wire to the “Y” terminal, and the blue wire to the “W” terminal. Use the wire cutters to strip each wire so that there is approximately 1 inch of bare copper showing. Now loop each copper end around each terminal and tighten the screw on the terminal.

Step 3 – Connect the Wiring to the Zone Valve.
The zone valve acts as the relay between the thermostat and the boiler by working in conjunction with a transformer. The transformer converts the 110 volt feed from the panel to a lower voltage that matches the thermostat wiring. Take the cover off the transformer and install the thermostat wiring to the corresponding terminals in the transformer. The 100 volts powers the circulating pump and blower unit so the transformer acts as a relay between the individual zone valves and circulating pumps.