Once the weather improves, Massachusetts home owners are eager to start their home addition projects, and, we at Local Electrical Services Inc are prepared to respond. We know the struggle it is to get just the right team together, and we hope that you choose us to be a part of your team. (Remember, we are the electrical contractors who call back immediately!)

During our 40+ years as electricians, we have installed electrical systems for many different types of home additions. Whether you are adding living space, creating a play area for your children, expanding your kitchen, adding a workroom, gym, three-season porch, or in-home theater, we have the experience to do the electrical work required. We know about building codes, the typical location and types of electrical to be installed, and, we’ll get you safely wired up.

Electrical Wiring Requirements for your Home Addition

The electrical wiring requirements for your home addition start with the type of home addition. There are electrical components that are typically installed. We know those, and, our professional electricians go a step further and talk with you about how you envision the space being used.

For example, you are adding a gym. Now tell us where in the room the exercise, weight lifting, walking on the treadmill, and spinning will take place. Which wall will be covered with mirrors, and are they floor-to-ceiling mirrors?

You don’t have to worry about 115v, 125v and 220 volts. You just need to share with us:

• the must-have locations of any particular electrical outlets/controls
• the location of the T.V., computer, electrical fireplace, jacuzzi, Peleton system, and the like
• the type of lighting you chose: recessed lights, track lighting, pendant lights, global and ceiling-hugging lights
• types and vendors of ceiling fans
• electronic security requirements
• electronic shade controls
• All the SMART home features you want

Do you need an Electrical Panel Upgrade for your Home Addition?

Once we understand how you’ll use the space, we’ll make an informed recommendation about whether your electrical panel needs an upgrade. Your electrical panel is the brain center for all the electricity throughout your home, and it is where the circuit breakers live. Upgrading an electrical panel requires a licensed electrician.

Protect your home and prevent personal injury by hiring a professional electrical contractor like Local Electrical Services Inc today!

(800) 448-9205

Immediate Call Back!

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Custom lighting adds a unique dimension to your living space

A great way to add a little bit of style to your home is to install custom lighting fixtures. Because the light fixtures that are installed standard on most houses are very nondescript, neutral or even boring, this is a very simple change that can have a dramatic effect on the overall look and feel of your living spaces. Because there are so many different styles and varieties of light fixtures, you have any number of options for the different areas of your home. Naturally, because each room has a different purpose, you will want to choose different light fixtures that are best suited to each individual environment.

Although you can accomplish a certain amount of this effect with freestanding fixtures, you will get the most bang for your buck by having an electrician replace your existing fixtures with those of your own choosing. In this situation, you have three main groups: recessed lighting, surface mounted lighting and outdoor lighting.

Recessed Lighting

Recessed lighting fixtures are unique in that they are completely recessed into the wall or ceiling that they are installed into. This type of lighting is particularly popular whenever you wish to highlight or accent some feature of your home. It is also ideal for places such as hallways and small bathrooms where space is at a premium.

Surface Mounted Lighting

Most of the lighting in your home is probably surface mounted. This means that it is mounted to a box in your ceiling, but is not recessed into the ceiling itself. Surface mounted lighting gives you some of the most options when it comes to decorative styles, form factors and even lighting technologies.  Regardless of the decorative scheme of the room that you are changing, you are sure to find a surface mounted fixture that complements it very well.

Outdoor Lighting

Naturally, outdoor lighting is any type of light fixture that is designed for and works best in an outdoor setting. Although many of the designs and form factors are similar to indoor lighting, it is important to remember that the two are not interchangeable. An outdoor fixture must be built with more robust, weather-resistant materials in order for it to regularly withstand the elements. This means keeping it sealed from moisture and having a tough exterior that resists fade and other obvious wear and tear.

Whenever you decide to update an area in your home, consider starting with the lighting. Adding more robust lighting to a small bathroom, for example, can make the room feel larger. In contrast, using indirect lights with dimmer switches in a family room can make it much easier to provide the lighting required to relax, entertain or watch movies.

Whether you are choosing custom lighting for a new construction project, or just refreshing the look of your home, you can find lights of nearly any shape and style at your local home improvement store. Take a little time to browse the available options and then give your electrician a call. They can not only help you install your lights in a safe and secure manner, but also ensure that you have made a choice that is built to last.

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Holiday Electrical Safety Tips

The holidays are one of the most festive, and therefore, most decorated times of year. It is during this brief period of time that we literally deck the halls with as many lights and decorations as we can stand. Unfortunately, the holiday season is also one of the busiest for firefighters. All the beautiful lights that you string across your home can also present a serious electrical hazard if the proper precautions are not taken. Before flipping the switch and showing off your hard work, make sure you have followed a few simple electrical safety tips and precautions. This will not only ensure that you remain safe from electrical shocks and fire, but also that your lighting display is built to last.

Holiday electrical safety tips to safeguard you and your family:

• If you use a real Christmas tree, make sure that you keep it watered the entire time that it is inside your home. When dry, these trees can go up in flames in seconds. By keeping it watered, you preserve its fresh look while reducing your chance of it becoming ignited by an electrical short or excessive heat.
• Before placing lights on your home, check each strand thoroughly for any damaged cords, frayed ends or loose connections.
• If you have older lights that do not have fused plugs, replace your old strings with new ones. Fused plugs add an additional layer of safety by preventing sparks in the event of a short circuit.
• To avoid any unwanted damage to your holiday lights during storage, store them in a tightly sealed container. This will help prevent any damage from water or rodents.
• Make sure that you replace all burned out bulbs with a bulb of the correct wattage.
• Never use tacks, nails or screws to hold your lights in place. Instead, use insulated hooks that will help prevent shorts.
• Elevate the plugs of any cords that are running across the ground. This will help keep them free of snow, water and debris that could cause damage and shorts.
• If you must run any extension cords across the ground, tape them in place to prevent people from tripping over them. When people trip over the cord, it not only presents an immediate falling danger, but also an increase in wear on your extension cord.
• Only buy lights that have been laboratory tested. You can typically find the UL listing on the outside of the box. This ensures that the lights have passed rigorous safety and performance standards.
• Always check the recommended usage for your lights. This means only using indoor lights for inside use and outdoor lights for outside use. Many of today’s lights are rated for both indoor and outdoor usage. Indoor only lights, however, have thinner insulation that is more easily damaged when exposed to the elements.
• Always turn off your lights whenever you are sleeping or not at home.
• Avoid overloading electrical circuits. This can lead to overheating and tripped breakers.
• Plug all outdoor lights into a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet. These outlets are designed to shut off the flow of power whenever a short is detected.

As a result of haphazard installation and ignoring many basic safety rules, the holidays often result in more fires than there normally are. This fact should not, however, stop you from decorating your home the way that you want to. With a little holiday electrical safety planning and following the above electrical safety tips and using a little common sense, you can avoid almost all electrical fires.  So be festive and decorate well, but make sure you do it safely so that you can enjoy your display for years to come.

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One of the best ways to improve the safety of your home and increase the life of your electronics is to make sure that your home is properly grounded. The definition according to the website eHow:

Electrical grounding is where a point in a circuit is at zero voltage. The point may or may not be connected to earth, though. A wire that is directly connected to earth is also at ground.

Ensuring your home is properly grounded can prevent electrical shock

For your home to be properly grounded, there must be a physical connection between the ground and your home’s electrical components. For the majority of your electrical devices and appliances, this is accomplished with the round third prong that your electrical cords often have installed. Whenever the system is properly grounded, this connection allows a safe pathway for any excess or misdirected electrical current. This can potentially save you from electrical fires and deadly electrical shock.

Common Electrical Grounding Issues

The areas that experience the most electrical grounding problems are large cities and suburban areas. This is simply because these more densely populated locations have a higher level of electrical demand, leading to an increase in issues. Electricians in large cities fight a constant battle with improper grounding, and the resulting problems that result from it. For example, whenever metal pipes or conduit come into contact with an exposed wire, it can lead to a potentially fatal electric shock to any humans or pets that touch them. For this reason, it is paramount that you make sure that your electrical system is both in safe condition and properly grounded.

The Risks of Improper Grounding

If your home is improperly grounded or not grounded at all, then you run the risk of many potentially dangerous problems. If you live in an older home, it is possible that your home is not grounded at all. Newer homes, as a result of increased safety regulations, are typically grounded properly. That being said, all your safely grounded system needs to be rendered completely ineffective is a few bad connections. For this reason, you should have your electrical system inspected regularly by a qualified, local electrician, especially if you believe that you may have an ungrounded or poorly grounded electrical system.

The greatest risks posed by an ungrounded electrical system are fire and electrical shock. Because electrical current always moves along the path of least resistance, you are directly at risk of being shocked if you are using an ungrounded device when it discharges excess electricity. In a fully grounded system, any excess or misdirected current is channeled into the ground connection and into the ground. It is very possible that you could end up becoming the ground connection if there is not one already in place. This could lead to serious injury or death.

In addition to the risks posed to you and all of the other people in your home, ungrounded electrical systems can be potentially hazardous to your electronics. This important safety feature takes the extra electricity away from your device, which can save your electronics from catastrophic damages and incremental wear and tear. As a result, your appliances last longer.

Get a Electrical Inspection of Your Home

Don’t take the risk. No matter how old your home is, you should consider having an electrical safety assessment on a regular basis in order to identify any potential or existing problems that could lead to an unsafe situation. This important step in home maintenance can keep you and your family safe for years to come.

When was the last time you had your home inspected for electrical issues?

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Home Security Lighting – Safety, Security and Beauty

One of the important aspects of being a homeowner is making sure that your home is as safe and secure as possible. While some of the simple things, such as locking your doors and securing your windows may seem like no-brainers, outdoor security lighting can be just as important. Whereas locks and other measures stop a burglary in progress, well-placed security lighting serves to both deter would-be criminals and provide you with safe passage when navigating the outside of your home. Here are a few things to think about when installing home security lighting:

Include Motion Sensors

Motion sensors are able to detect motion through the use of passive infrared technology. This will both give you an early warning that someone may be near your home, as well as shock any prowlers when they get too close to their home.

Enhance Surveillance

In addition to bringing light to shadows and increasing the visibility around your home, an outdoor lighting system can be a huge help to surveillance cameras. There are many cases where otherwise perfect videos have been ruined because there was insufficient lighting. If your home has a surveillance system, make sure that the areas that are being monitored are well-lit at night to ensure that you get high quality footage.

Utilize Smart Timers

One of the main purposes of your security lighting is to make your home look as occupied as possible, especially when it is not. In order to facilitate this, consider placing all of your security lighting on a timer so that it turns on and off at specified time. To further secure your home, use timers on a handful of interior lights as well, to make it look as if people are inside.

Choose Professional Installation

While there are many DIY kits out there to install, having your system professionally installed can make a world of difference. The first thing that you will notice about a professional system is that the quality of equipment is much higher. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, having your lighting professionally installed will ensure that it is properly connected to a reliable power source. Because your lighting is useless without this power, so it pays to make sure that both the primary and secondary power sources are good to go.

Where Should I Illuminate?

One of the biggest questions that most people have is where they should illuminate. The simple rule is this: illuminate all dark, shadowed areas around your home. This includes any nooks and crannies. That being said, there are several places that typically benefit from home security lighting. Garages, for example, are a common place to install motion-sensor activated security lights. These lights, when properly adjusted, will turn on whenever a vehicle or person enters your driveway, illuminating your path. Doorways, porches and other entryways are also ideal for the installation of security lighting. Whether you are installing more motion activated lights, or always on spots, it is important to keep these areas illuminated at night.

Home Security Lighting – Safety, Security and Beauty

Lighting up important areas of your home, such as your garage doors and entryways can go a long way toward improving the safety and security of your home. On the one hand, doing so can very likely deter anyone who considers breaking into your home. On the other hand, security lighting will also light your way when entering your home at night, helping you avoid trips and falls. It may even make it easier to find the keyhole when opening your front door.

Have you installed exterior lighting to increase your overall security and safety?

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Old Murray Fuse Box by p.Gordon, on Flickr

As a rule, there are two main reasons to upgrade your electrical service: if it is unsafe, or if it is not big enough for your current electrical demand. In either case, an electrical service upgrade is very important to both your immediate safety and the future integrity of your entire electrical system. If your service is already unsafe, it is fairly obvious why this can be dangerous. Having a system that is not large enough to handle your daily demand, however, can lead to situations that are hazardous as well. A system that is too small typically results in overloaded circuits. This leads to tripped breakers, blown fuses and potentially dangerous shocks if these overloaded electrical circuits are not properly managed.

What Is Your Electrical Service?

Your electrical service, commonly called your electrical panel or breaker panel, provides an entry point for electricity to enter your home. Once the electricity reaches your home from your local utility company, your breaker panel serves as the distribution system that controls, maintains and distributes the electrical current to the many circuits in your home.

In addition to its role in distributing the power throughout your home, your electrical service also serves as your first line of protection against the dangerously high levels of electricity that are being delivered to your home. Each circuit is protected by a circuit breaker, or fuse if you live in an older home. Whenever electrical current becomes too erratic, or reaches unsafe levels, your breakers are designed to flip to the off position, which will no longer allow current to flow to that circuit. This can help prevent overheating, melting, fire and possible shocks.

Signs That Your Electrical Service Is Insufficient

Whenever your electrical service is too small, it can no longer provide the minimum amount of electricity that your home needs on a day-to-day basis. This often happens whenever you add more high-powered appliances or new electrical equipment to your home. The greatest sign that your home might need an electrical upgrade for this reason is frequently tripped circuit breakers. If you have recently added a room, installed central heating and air, renovated your kitchen, or added a hot tub or other power-hungry appliance, you should consult an electrician about also upgrading your electrical service. This could be an upgrade as simple as adding a new, dedicated circuit to your electrical panel, or performing a full service upgrade that will increase the amount of electricity that your electrical panel can actually bring into your home.

Signs That Your Electrical Service Is Unsafe

If you have recently moved into an older home, then you will want to have your electrical panel inspected both for safety and for sufficient supply. Newer electrical panels are installed with many built-in safety features. Many older electrical panels, unfortunately, are not as safe as their modern counterparts. The most common type of outdated electrical service is the fuse box. Other known unsafe electrical panels include Zinsco electrical panels, Pushmatic electric panels and electrical panels built by Federal Pacific Electric Company.

A fuse box utilizes fuses to halt the flow of electricity, rather than a circuit breaker. They accomplish this with the help of a metal filament that is designed to fail and break whenever the electrical current flowing through the fuse reaches a certain level. This will stop the electricity from continuing through that particular circuit. One of the biggest dangers posed by fuse boxes is the temptation to replace blown fuses with oversized replacements. While this may provide you with a greater gap between replacements, it can lead to an overloaded circuit. Most fuse boxes were designed to handle between 30 and 60 amps of power, rather than the 100-200 amps that the average household requires today. This makes oversizing or attempting to bypass a fuse especially hazardous. Your best bet is to upgrade your electrical service, if you live in a home that still has fuses.

Does Your Home Need an Electrical Service Upgrade?

Whether you require an electrical service upgrade due to an undersized electrical service, or one that is fundamentally unsafe, it is important to remember that the safety of both your home, you family and your valuable electronics are on the line. An overloaded electrical system can be just as dangerous as one that has known defects. If you believe that your electrical service may be unsafe or undersized, don’t hesitate to contact your electrician to come check it out.

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GFCI Outlet in Bathroom

GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, an electrical device that offers protection against electrical shock. GFCI protection can be provided:

• At the outlet using a GFCI receptacle
• At the distribution panel through a GFCI circuit breaker which protects all outlets on the circuit it controls
• Through a portable device where installing a GFCI outlet is not practical (i.e. for use on outdoor electrical tools)

As a homeowner, the electrical codes keep changing to increase protection for you and your family. You should make sure your home has the proper protection, especially if it was built more than 25 years ago. Experts estimate that over 60% of all deaths from electric shock could be prevented if Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters were installed.

Where to install GFCI protection

GFCI Breaker
slworking2 via photo pin cc

GFCI protection should be installed in areas where known electrical shock hazards exist due to its proximity to water or moisture such as outdoor outlets and fixtures, swimming pools, saunas and hot tubs, kitchens, basements, bathrooms and garages.

It is also recommended that you install GFCI protection wherever you operate electrically-powered garden equipment (mower, hedge trimmer, edger, etc.) or electric tools (drills, saws, sanders, etc.) for do-it-yourself work in and around the house.

Test your GFCI protection regularly

Your GFCI outlet are designed to allow for safe and easy testing that you can do. Initially, your electrician should test all receptacles and breakers when he installs them to make sure they are working properly. After that, you should test them monthly to make sure they are working properly and are providing protection from fatal shock.

Testing is easy!

• Plug a lamp into the outlet and turn the light on.
• Press the TEST button (black button above). This should cause the RESET button (red button above) to pop out and the light should turn off.
• Press the RESET button to restore power to the outlet

Signs that your outlet needs replacing:

• If your RESET button pops out but the light does not turn off, the GFCI has been improperly wired.
• If your RESET button does not pop out, the GFCI is defective and should be replaced.

In both cases, contact a qualified, licensed electrician to correct or replace your outlets.

More information on GFCI can be found in the GFCI Fact Sheet published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

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Wiring your home entertainment center to eliminate wiring clutter

By the time you get home with a new home theater system, unpack all of the components, and put it all together, you typically don’t have too much energy left to tackle some of the smaller projects. Although it is often neglected, home entertainment wiring is an important project that can make the finished product look like it is worth all of the money that you spent on it. Depending on how badly you want your cables to be hidden, this can be as simple or as extensive of a process that you make it. One thing is certain; your entire setup will look much cleaner and more professional once you are done.

Organizing Cables

The first step to eliminating visible wires in your entertainment system is to organize them. If you have a fairly basic setup, a bit of housekeeping could be all that you need. Use cable ties, cord catchers and other cord organizers to bundle your cables together if you have an entertainment center with an open back. You can then run each bundle of cables behind your components, table legs or other obstructions so that they are less visible.

If you have a console with a closed back, your job is even easier. You can use cable tacks and screw hooks on the back side of your entertainment center to both organize and hide your cables.

Home Entertainment Wiring – Hiding Cables

Once you have organized all of your cables, you may need to employ a little ingenuity to properly hide them. While a lot of this depends on the type of setup that you have, there are many helpful tools and additions that can help out.

If your TV is mounted on the wall, for example, there are many products out there designed to hide the cables that you would normally just run up your wall. Instead, you can cleverly run them behind specially designed corridors that can be painted to match the color of your wall. There are also many cable runners designed to fit on a variety of styles of desks and entertainment centers. If you are having trouble hiding your cables, there is sure to be a solution that will work for you.

Relocating Your Components

For the maximum elimination of all visible wires, you can opt to hide not only your unsightly cables, but all of your equipment as well. In order for this to work, you need a closet or other area that you can designate for your home theater system. You will also need to run additional receptors to each unit to ensure that your remotes continue to function.

If you have decided to hide all of your cables behind a wall, you will be left with a very minimal, and aesthetically pleasing setup. When done properly, a wall-mounted television is all you need out in the open. Keep in mind, however, that this type of setup is very intensive, requiring you to run wires and cables through your walls in order for your home theater system to work in the way that you would like it to. If you are not familiar with how to do this, work with a professional electrician to run the proper wiring so that you don’t end up damaging your valuable electrical components.

In the end, the extent to which you hide your wires depends on the overall look that you are going for. While the minimal, completely hidden setup may appeal to some, others prefer to keep their gaming systems, Blu-Ray players and other equipment close at hand. Regardless of your desired setup, eliminating the clutter of unsightly wires can make the entire room seem less messy and more functional.

Which method of home entertainment wiring would you choose? Organized chaos or totally hidden?

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Wiring your home for the Internet to provide reliable, high speed access

As wireless networking has become more popular, the need for a hardwired network for personal computing has become less of a necessity. The majority of devices, phones and computers now have Wi-Fi built in, with many opting out of hardwired Ethernet ports altogether. That being said, many reasons exist for home internet wiring that will benefit not only your family but turn your home into a small office/home office (SOHO) environment.

Depending on the speed of your wireless router, you can actually gain some speed and consistency by using a hardwired system. This is especially true when it comes to devices that remain in one space. This includes computers, home automation systems, gaming systems, televisions and more. Running cables to these devices ensures that you have consistent Internet connection, regardless of the health and status of your wireless network.

Home Internet Wiring – Is it Necessary?

This is the fundamental question, when it comes to deciding whether or not to undertake a wiring project. If you are doing the wiring yourself, it can be a very tedious and time-consuming project that can have issues if it is not done with the right cables and splitters. If you work with a local electrician or other wiring specialist, there is naturally a cost involved to having this done but your home internet wiring will be done correctly.

Despite the time and cost that it takes, wiring your home for the Internet is a relatively non-invasive process that can be completed in a few short hours. By wiring for the Internet, you can provide more consistent Internet service to certain areas of your home. Furthermore, electronics such as Internet-enabled televisions often do not connect via Wi-Fi, making a wired home Ethernet a necessity.

What Does It Take?

When you embark on this project, you will first want to make a basic game plan. Start by determining where you want to place the Ethernet jacks. The most common areas for these are bedrooms, offices and behind your home entertainment system. If you often use the Internet in your living areas, you may want to add a jack or two there as well. If you have several devices in one area, such as an Internet TV, Playstation 3 and a TiVo, you may want to install multiple jacks in some locations. This can also be accomplished by using a small switch on the outside of your jack in these areas.

The easiest way to accomplish this job is to work with a local contractor. Electricians have extensive experience running and installing this type of cabling, and can help make sure that everything is completed and installed by quickly and completely. Because running the cables and connecting the outlets can be a very tedious process, this can save you plenty of headaches both during and after the job. Furthermore, an electrician can add other components, such as additional electrical outlets, to your home during this installation. This can be a great help if you are moving any of your electronics around at this time.

While wiring your home for the Internet may not be something that you had considered before, it makes sense for many homeowners. As the number of connected devices increases, so does the need for high-quality, reliable home network connections. With related technologies, such as home automation on the rise, there is no reason not to wire your entire home for the Internet. If you live in a fairly new home, this may have already been completed for you. Cat-5 cabling, which works both for home networking and telephone use, is often installed standard in new construction. As a result, completing a home networking project can be easier than ever before.

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