What questions should I ask an electrical contractor?

• Does the electrical contractor guarantee their work will be installed to meet code?
• Will the contractor correct any work that does not meet applicable standards?
• Get a written estimate and a copy of the contractor’s insurance certificate.
• Verify that the proposal or contract specifies that work will be performed to comply with the NEC and NEIS standards.

Do you charge for estimates?

No, we are happy to visit your home or office to discuss your project so that we can give you a written estimate at no cost to you. If we run into any unexpected issues during the work itself, we will carefully review those with you before moving forward and explain why we recommend any changes.

Who handles city permitting?

All Power Electric will take care of the necessary paperwork and permitting required by the city in which we are working.

What is voltage?

Voltage is a force that makes electrical current flow in a circuit by pushing electrons around. This energy is measured in joules per coulomb and it can also be referred to as electric potential, and is the difference in electrical energy between two points. When the voltage is being generated by a battery instead of electrical current, it is called electromagnetic force or emf.

What causes a short circuit?

A short circuit is a low resistant connection that happens between two points in an electric circuit. Short circuits can result from a sudden draw of amperage that occurs when electric outlets in a home tap into a fast moving electrical stream and some the electricity is diverted to what is plugged into them. Short circuits can happen when a wire comes loose in a storm, for example, and connects to the ground, when a mouse chews the coating off the electrical wires, or wear on the electrical lines.

What are parallel circuits?

A parallel circuit uses more than one resistor and at least two separate paths in the circuit to get back to the source. The current is a parallel circuit flows through the closed paths instead of the open ones. They are used primarily in residential homes to run multiple circuits; a chandelier is a good example of a parallel circuit—if one light bulb goes out, the others stay illuminated.

What is a series circuit?

In a series circuit, the current going through each of the components is the same, and the voltage across the circuit is the sum of the voltages across each component. In a series circuit, there is one electrical pathway through a set of resistors. When one resistor fails, the entire circuit fails—like old-style Christmas lights!

What is a ground wire?

The ground wire connects to the earth and serves as a backup wire in case a neutral wire fails. A ground wire is also used for a direct path back to the distribution panel, independent of the neutral. Without a ground wire, the risk of electrical shock is very possible and often deadly.

What is reversed polarity?

On an electrical plug and corresponding receptacle, you might notice that one terminal is larger than the other. This allows for the circuit (or device) to have a dedicated positive (or hot) and neutral connection. When you reverse polarity, the neutral and hot wires are reversed, causing a dangerous “arc-welding” type circuit to occur. This is why it is imperative to have updated electrical outlets throughout your home.

What is impedance?

Impedance is a measure of how hard it is for electricity to pass through an electrical circuit, but is not necessarily resistance in an AC circuit. For example, the measure of differing electrical impedance in the human body has been used in the evaluation of healthy skin tissue when searching for malignancies.

What is a transducer?

A transducer is a piece of equipment that gets electrical power from one source and changes the power so that it can be used by another system. A microphone is a good example of a transducer, changing sound energy into electrical energy.

What is an ampere?

An ampere, more commonly called an amp, is a unit of measurement of electric current. Similar to measuring the cubic feet of water flowing past a point each second, an amp is proportional to the quantity of electrons flowing though the conductor past a given point per second.

What is a joule?

A joule (pronounced jewel) is the basic unit of electrical energy. It is equivalent to the work that is completed when one ampere of current is passed through the resistance of one ohm for one second.

What is an ohm?

An ohm is a unit of electrical resistance equal to that of a conductor in which a current of one ampere is created by a potential of one volt across its terminals.

What is a watt?

A watt is the basic unit of electrical power, equal to one joule per second. Wattage is determined by multiplying voltage by the current.

What is a transformer?

A transformer is an electrical device that can either raise or lower the voltage of electricity.