ABT Plumbing, Electirc, Heating & Air Conditioning Grass Valley- Auburn» Electrical Tips

Stand-By Generac Generators Nevada City

Andrew Twidwell — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:29:31 +0000

Generac Generator Nevada City

Call ABT for a FREE in house

“Emergency Power Assessment”

530-272-9120

Power. Our lives depend on it. From everyday necessities like heating, cooling, refrigeration and lights, to daily essentials like cooking, laundry or kids’ bath times. Power outages are occurring more frequently than ever and lasting longer with devastating effects. Stand up to unpredictable weather and unforeseen outages with the most trusted name in residential standby power. If the power ever goes out, your Generac standby generator goes on – automatically – protecting you and your home 24/7.

Never feel powerless with the #1 selling home standby generator in the U.S. and Canada. Choose the generator four out of five families have already installed. Protect your home or business with the preferred 24/7 backup power protection of Generac.

Automatic, hands-free backup powersupply for home or business.
Kicks in within ten seconds of determining power loss. Your life won’t miss a beat.
Powered by Generac’s OHVI^® engine – designed specifically for generators. Lasts three to four times longer than many competitive engines.
Easiest installation and best value on the market – many models pre-packaged with a pre-wired transfer switch (U.S. and Canada only). All models include mounting pad.
TruePower™ Technology provides clean, smooth operation of sensitive electronics and appliances.
Quiet-Test™ mode for a weekly self test that’s quieter than other brands.
The most environmentally friendly generator on the market - consumes less fuel and releases fewer emissions.

Generac’s Nexus™ Controller is the most comprehensive available. The dual line, tri-lingual LCD display in English, Spanish, and French allows for easy monitoring and management of generator functions.

Simple field conversion from natural gas to LP.

Generac’s OHVI® engine was designed specifically for generators. It outperforms most competitive generator engines with an engine life that is three to four times longer and has a significantly longer period between scheduled maintenance checkups.

TruePower™ Technology provides clean, smooth operation of sensitive electronics and appliances.

Sturdy, galvanneal steel enclosure with RhinoCoat™ finish for superior weather protection, modeled to withstand 150 mph winds.

External “At-a-Glance” indicator lights offer an easy way to tell generator status without opening the generator enclosure.

Added Sound Reduction with enclosures that are lined with sound reducing foam panels for further noise reduction.

Hour Meter monitors run time, providing information to determine maintenance intervals.

Easiest installation on the market and an excellent value when purchased pre-packaged with a pre-wired transfer switch, or customize your system by purchasing the generator and transfer switch separately. Composite mounting pad is included, eliminating the need to pour a concrete base.

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs–Are They Worth It?

Andrew Twidwell — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:01:37 +0000

compact fluorescent

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs–Are They Worth It?

Are Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs really Worth the Hype?

ABT Sheds Light on Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

We at ABT Plumbing, Electric, Heat & Air are committed to helping Nevada County residents make their homes more “Energy Efficient and Environmentally Conscious.” As a part of this commitment, our Office is helping utility ratepayers identify products and services they can use to help combat rising energy costs and the push to make their Grass Valley homes more energy efficient. While there are a number of costly home improvements such as solar roof paneling or replacing all of your home appliances with Energy Star products, there are also less costly energy saving options that are available. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home’s electric bill.” So we at ABT have decided that it’s time to “shed some light on energy efficient light bulbs.”

What are compact fluorescent light bulbs?

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs, or CLFs as they are commonly known, are spiral shaped light bulbs designed to use less energy and reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

What is the difference between Traditional Incandescent Bulbs and CLFs?

CLFs supply the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs, but use about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer.

If every home in America replaced one incandescent light bulb with an Energy Star qualified CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more than 800,000 cars.

Do CLFs really last for 5-8 years as advertised?

If you look on the package most CLFs will boast a life span of 5 to 8 years, however, if you read the fine print you find out that this calculation is based on 4 hour a day usage.

Modern CFLs typically have a life span of between 6,000 and 15,000 hours, whereas incandescent lamps are usually manufactured to have a life span of 750 hours or 1000 hours.

Is the quality of light given off by CFL’s different from those of Incandescent Bulbs?

Consumers will notice that like incandescent bulbs, CLFs are labeled soft white, cool white, or daylight (which is similar to bright white).

Many people prefer incandescent bulbs because they have a color index that is closest to sunlight, which is 100. Compact fluorescent bulbs, on the other hand, have use a color index from the low to mid- 80’s.

In addition to color index, lighting is also dependent on Kelvin temperatures; the higher the temperature the brighter the light given off by that particular bulb. CLF’s with a Kelvin temperature of 2,700 to 3,000 are good for warm and relaxing atmospheres, while those with 5,000 are ideal for reading and projects that require bright lighting to complete.

I heard CFLs contain mercury is that true?

Yes, compact fluorescents contain a small amount of mercury, which aid them in being efficient lighting sources.

Do I have to take extra precautions when handling or disposing of them?

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that consumers recycle CFLs either through their local hazardous waste centers, which may be contacted by phone at 866- 666-6850, or on the web at www.lamprecycle.org for additional locations.

If you must dispose of a CFL yourself; use disposable rubber gloves, wipe the area with a damp cloth (never use a vacuum cleaner) and place the bulb in two plastic sealed bags prior to placing them in outside trash receptacles.

Quiet Standby Generator, Lake Tahoe

Andrew Twidwell — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 01:43:09 +0000

No More Loud and Obnoxious Roar

Perhaps the image you’re conjuring up is that old obnoxious generator at your Grandparents Lake Tahoe cabin. The good news is that emergency standby generators built today are a lot quieter than those loud dinosaurs of the past. Although it’s not like they run on stealth mode like a submarine patrolling enemy waters, the noise they do produce no longer presents serious problems like those old backup generators did and still do.

This is a rather important issue to consider, especially for anyone living in the peace and quiet of the Sierra Nevada. In the past this necessary emergency piece of equipment constantly roared a headache producing sound. Now, up to date manufacturing techniques have produced better muffling components and a sound deadening cabinet resulting in fewer sales of aspirin during those annoying power outages.

Lake Tahoe

Call ABT for a free quote (530-272-9120) and find out just how quite a new Generac emergency standby generator is.

Electrical Hazards in Your Placer and Nevada County Home

Andrew Twidwell — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 19:21:11 +0000

Is your home safe from an electrical fire? An estimated 28,300 residential building electrical fires occurred each year between 2003 and 2005, resulting in 360 deaths, 1,000 injuries, and $995 million in losses, according to the United States Fire Administration.

Nearly half (47%) of these electrical fires, where equipment was involved, were started from wires overheating, causing their insulation to melt and ignite. Many of our homes are built with materials and methods of wiring that cannot sufficiently handle the heat build-up from the electrical demands of a typical household in the 21st Century. Heat-producing electrical equipment such as hair dryers, portable heaters and cooking appliances, use significantly more power than other electrical equipment. These devices may overload a circuit, especially one that is already reaching its maximum amperage allowance. Coupled with faulty circuit breakers and poorly wired outlets, this overload can cause the products to overheat and possibly to catch fire.

As a licensed electrician, I feel the need to inform our community about two major fire hazards I often come across in my work here in Nevada and Placer counties. The first hazard concerns a faulty electrical panel that was installed in many foothill homes and buildings in the 60′s and 70′s. Built by Zinsco, this panel was sold to Sylvania who marketed them under the Sylvania brand until finally closing down. These panels are known fire hazards. I believe homeowners need to be educated about this danger and how to prevent the possibility of property damage or injury by replacing the panels.

Tests have shown that the breakers on these panels do not perform properly under normal overload conditions. I have conducted my own tests on these panels and found that a Zinsco breaker does not trip as breakers are supposed to under a dead short condition. Breakers are thermally rated to turn off or “trip” in order to stop the flow of electricity in case of an emergency. When they do not trip, the heat buildup is a very real hazard to the homeowner.

A second fault of these panels is that the buss bars — the metal electrode that distributes current to the breakers — is so poorly designed that it melts due to this excess heat and compromises the connection between the breaker and buss bar. This malfunction can generate enough heat to cause a panel to go into a ‘meltdown’ condition. More information about these hazards is available by doing an online search for ‘Zinsco panel hazards.’

The other hazard I see far too often in homes and offices has to do with how wall outlets and switches are wired. The problem is in the use of push-in terminals. Marketed as a quick and efficient alternative to the standard method of installation, these push-in terminals allow someone to just strip a wire and push it into a hole on the backside of the electrical device. The wire is held in place by a spring-loaded piece of metal that keeps it from falling out of the receptacle. However, the wire can still turn in the hole and this can lead to a connection failure. A loose connection between the wire and the outlet or switch causes the electricity to arc and build up heat. I have repaired many outlets that have completely melted as a result of these loose connections. Again, an online search for ‘wire push-in outlet hazards’ will help illustrate many of these problems.

These two hazards are real, but the possible damage that can result is preventable. Such hazards tend to be hidden, and both the Zinsco panels and the push-in terminals can work or seem to work properly for years before showing signs of failure.

Buzzle.com lists electrical devices and wiring as number four on its list of the 10 most common hazards to know in preventing house fires. To be confident that your home is safe from an electrical fire, it is a worthwhile effort to have a thorough safety inspection performed on your entire electrical system.

Zinsco & Sylvania electrical hazards