Electrical Wiring and Home Improvement

Electrical wiring involves hiring the right person for the job. First off, you want to go with someone local whenever you have a home improvement project.

Electrician in Ahwatukee | Call Us Today | 480-926-1033

Hiring an Electrician in Ahwatukee: Why Local Pros Matter

If you're looking to hire an electrician in Ahwatukee, it's best to go with someone local. First off, if you hire a locally owned business, more money stays in Arizona, which in turn makes the state more prosperous. Dodge Electric is a locally based business that proudly serves the Ahwatukee area as well as the greater Phoenix area. Ahwatukee is in the southeast corner of the valley bordering Chandler, Tempe, and Phoenix. Dodge Electric has a staff of professional electricians. We can do any wiring you need, and at competitive rates, and most importantly of all, we're licensed.

What difference does a license make? Well, without one, you run the risk of someone who doesn't know what he is doing that may cause a problem with your wiring. In fact that is one of our biggest sources for new business. It usually happens something like this. Our customer calls someone that isn't licensed in an attempt to save money. The 'professional' does something not only wrong, but very wrong, such as mixing aluminum and copper wire together or mixing the wrong gauge of wire. There's some damage, and then we have to fix it. So what started out as a simple repair job for the customer ended up being more expensive in the long run. Another reason to go with a pro, is that with them being in the industry, they're also more aware of new technologies to help your home be not only wired but wired safely.

Electrical Wiring

It's just wire, how tough could it be? Well, first off, what gauge of wire are you working with? Do you need a GCFI installed or not? What type of wire do you need for your job? Do you need home network wiring? How about a dimmer switch? Will a dimmer switch work with a CFL bulb? Questions like these can turn your project into a boondoggle, not a triumph. The right Ahwatukee electrician can literally make the world of difference. And what's more we're big on electrical safety.

So remember, some jobs require a professional. If you want work done on your car, you call a mechanic. You want someone to work on your teeth. And for wiring? You call an electrician in Ahwatukee.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
http://www.dodgeelectric.com

Electrical Wiring and Home Improvement

Electric wiring is one home improvement you should really call an electrician in to do.

Your Electrician in Ahwatukee knows all about wiring

Electrical Injury and a Residential Electrician Contractor

A residential electrician contractor will help to keep you safe.  Electrical injuries are some of the most dangerous ones around.
As we covered in our last article, electrical safety is of paramount importance.  According to Medscape:
"Electrical injuries have become a more common form of trauma with a unique pathophysiology and with high morbidity and mortality. They encompass several types, as follows: lightning injury,[1] high-voltage injury, and low-voltage injury.[2, 3, 4] Clinical manifestations range from transient unpleasant sensations without apparent injury to massive tissue damage.[5] Some electrocutions are instantly fatal. Familiarity with the mechanisms of injury and the principles of therapy improves patient care.[6]
Four classes of electrical injuries are as follows[7] :
True electrical injuries - The person becomes part of the electrical circuit and has an entrance and exit site
Flash injuries - Superficial burns caused by arcs that burn the skin; no electrical energy travels through the skin
Flame injuries - Caused by ignition of the persons clothing by arc; electricity may or may not travel through the person’s body
Lightning injuries - A unique type of injury that occurs at extremely high voltages for the shortest duration; the majority of electrical flow occurs over the body." [READ SOURCE]

However, it isn't just electrical injury that may be an issue,  even a simple mistake such as mixing two different metals in your wiring can cause a chemical reaction and ultimately a fire.  And the scary thing is that sometimes, this can take a while to manifest.  So you could conceivably have a ticking time bomb in the wiring of your home.  However, there are some other reasons to get an electrician

Hiring an Electrician in Ahwatukee:  Done Right and in One Try

Electricians have to go through a lot of training before they are licensed by the State of Arizona.  They have to get training from a technical school as well as a lot of on the job experience.  Ultimately, they have to take a test administered by the state and then and only then do they have a license to be an electrician.
What does this have to do with you?  Well, you can be sure that you're getting someone who can and will do the job right the first time.  If you don't know what you're doing, you can get into a lot of trouble.  You're better off calling an electrician in Ahwatukee.

Read More...

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
http://www.dodgeelectric.com

Basic Electrical Safety Part 2

Part two of our series on basic electrical safety covers injuries that may occur if you aren't careful.

Custom Home Network Wiring | Call Us Today | 480-926-1033

Basic Electrical Safety and Electrical Injury

A lot of people use terms interchangeably. However, there is a big difference between electrical injury which is non-fatal, and electrocution which is fatal. According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety site:

"People are injured when they become part of the electrical circuit. Humans are more conductive than the earth (the ground we stand on) which means if there is no other easy path, electricity will try to flow through our bodies.

There are four main types of injuries: electrocution (fatal), electric shock, burns, and falls. These injuries can happen in various ways:

Direct contact with exposed energized conductors or circuit parts. When electrical current travels through our bodies, it can interfere with the normal electrical signals between the brain and our muscles (e.g., heart may stop beating properly, breathing may stop, or muscles may spasm).
When the electricity arcs (jumps, or "arcs") from an exposed energized conductor or circuit part (e.g., overhead power lines) through a gas (such as air) to a person who is grounded (that would provide an alternative route to the ground for the electrical current).
Thermal burns including burns from heat generated by an electric arc, and flame burns from materials that catch on fire from heating or ignition by electrical currents or an electric arc flash. Contact burns from being shocked can burn internal tissues while leaving only very small injuries on the outside of the skin.
Thermal burns from the heat radiated from an electric arc flash. Ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light emitted from the arc flash can also cause damage to the eyes.
An arc blast can include a potential pressure wave released from an arc flash. This wave can cause physical injuries, collapse your lungs, or create noise that can damage hearing..."[READ MORE]

Electrical Injury and Household Accidents

One of the biggest causes of injuries in the US is household accidents. As a result of this, electrical injury is not to be taken lightly. As a result, make sure that you are aware of the risks before you begin any sort of project that involves electricity, as we covered in our last article.

For more information on this subject, be sure to read part one as well.

Dodge Electric781 South Arizona AvenueChandler, AZ 85225(480) 926-1033http://www.dodgeelectric.com

Basic Electrical Safety

Before you make any electrical upgrades, you want to make sure that you are well aware of basic electrical safety

Call a Licensed Commercial Electrician Today | (480) 926-1033

Electrical Upgrades: What You Must Know First

Electricity is very much a convenience of modern living; however, if you're not careful instead of being a convenience, it could harm you or someone who love as well as cause damage to your home. Electricity is either dynamic or static. Static energy is usually found on surfaces or generated by contact. Think when a cat rubs against your legs, that is an example of static electricity. Except in extreme and very rare cases, static electricity doesn't pose any serious risks. Dynamic energy, however, can be dangerous if not handled correctly. Dynamic energy is the energy that is present in the wiring of your home.

Any electrical upgrades should be made with the help of an electrician. Why? Well, all forms of electricity have potential for accidents. Almost every form of metal can conduct electricity, and it doesn't have to be in the form of wiring. That includes rings and other jewelry, some eyeglass frames, even things that you wouldn't think of such as your car or house keys. It isn't just metal that conducts electricity, though.

Water and Electricity Don't Mix

One place that a lot of people don't think about where electrical safety is concerned is a swimming pool. If you have a cracked light, you could end up having a severe electrical injury and it could even be fatal. Why? Well, Another excellent conductor of electricity is the human body, probably because the human body is mostly water. Without a continuous path to and from the conductor, electric current can't exist. An electrical circuit is the the two way path from the conductor back to the power source. If you become part of an electrical circuit, you have a good chance of being injured. And it isn't a matter of letting go. Someone trapped in an electrical circuit is literally locked until someone that's grounded properly removes the victim to safety. Our next article will cover electrical injury, for now though, be aware that electricity can be dangerous without an electrician to help.

So remember, safety always starts with you. Make sure you know what you're doing before you try to do any sort of electrical upgrades, or call in an electrician early on.

More information on this topic can be found here.  

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
http://www.dodgeelectric.com

Why Install a Home Network Part 3

Part three of our series on home network installation explores it's importance where a smart home is concerned.

Home Automation Can Turn on Your Lights from your Mobile Phone | (480) 926-1033

What is a Smart Home?

What is a smart home?  According to this article excerpt from WIKIPEDIA.ORG, a smart home or home automation is: Home automation is the residential extension of building automation. It is automation of the home, housework or household activity. Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security. Home automation for the elderly and disabled can provide increased quality of life for persons who might otherwise require caregivers or institutional care. The popularity of home automation has been increasing greatly in recent years due to much higher affordability and simplicity through smartphone and tablet connectivity. The concept of the "Internet of Things" has tied in closely with the popularization of home automation. A home automation system integrates electrical devices in a house with each other. The techniques employed in home automation include those in building automation as well as the control of domestic activities, such as home entertainment systems, houseplant and yard watering, pet feeding, changing the ambiance "scenes" for different events (such as dinners or parties), and the use of domestic robots. Devices may be connected through a home network to allow control by a personal computer, and may allow remote access from the internet. Through the integration of information technologies with the home environment, systems and appliances are able to communicate in an integrated manner which results in convenience, energy efficiency, and safety benefits." [READ MORE]

Without home network installation, however, it is a lot harder and far more expensive where home automation is concerned, and there is a lot to be said for home automation.

Home Automation in the 21st Century

You're on vacation in the South Pacific. Your home is in Chandler. However, you have a laptop or a tablet PC, so you can check on your home remotely to see that it is okay, from 5000 miles away. Or maybe it is dark, and you want to feel safe when you get home, so how would you like your lights to turn on for you when you get within a block of your home, and the security system to disarm so you don't have to make two trips to get your groceries out of the car. All of this is possible with home automation.

Sounds good so far. But you need to take some steps. First off, you're going to need Internet enabled devices. Next you're going to make sure that everything that's connected has an IP address. And most importantly of all, you need to schedule home network installation today.

For more information on installing a home network, be sure to read part one and part two as well.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033

Why Install a Home Network Part 2

Part two of our series on home network installation explores the concept of resource sharing.

Custom Home Network Wiring | Call Us Today | 480-926-1033

Why Installing a Home Network Makes Sense

In our last article we covered some of the benefits of a network.  Improved signal for your mobile phones and handheld devices such as tablet PCs is one big benefit.  However, the benefit that is even more useful is the concept of resource sharing.  Computer networks developed in the business world and public sector because it helps to keep costs down.  Instead of everyone having a printer, have people share printers as resources on the network.  It also allows for sharing of a resource such as high speed Internet connection.

Take a fairly big family for example: a mother, father, and four kids.  All of the kids need access to the Internet for homework, Facebook, and every other thing out there from social media to email.  The mother works from home with her web design company, and the father sometimes telecommutes.  If the Internet connection is only on one computer, however, there are only two options available to them. One option is to spend an exhausting amount of time preparing a schedule that sooner or later someone is going to go over their time on.  There will be bickering and fighting as a result.  The other option is to share the internet connection.  And the best way to do this is to install a home network.  As long as your connection is fairly high-capacity, you wouldn't even need to worry about crimping your bandwidth.  However, an Internet connection is just one resource to be shared.

Home Networks and Printing

Using the example we provided above, buying everyone in the house a printer is expensive. Even if you go cheap and get low-end inkjets, buying that many printers will cause you to lose money in the long run. Why? Well, every single one of them is going to need paper and print cartridges. However, if you have a printer for the home office, and a printer for the kids, then you can share the resources throughout the home. There is another benefit that is not tied to resource sharing for installing a home network, which we will cover in the next article: having a smart home.

So remember, you want to make your home tech-savvy.  It will help you get the latest streaming media such as your favorite TV shows, and allow you to access the Internet.  And to have a tech-savvy home, you need to arrange for home network installation today.

Fore more information on installing a home network, be sure to read part one of this series too.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
dodgeelectric.com

Why Install a Home Network Part 1

Part one of our series on home network installation explores the reasoning behind this change in the information technology world.

Install a Home Network Today | (480) 926-1033

Home Network Installation

It used to be that computer networks were things found outside of the homes.  The public sector had them as well as the private sector.  Even twenty years ago, a lot of homes didn't have a computer, much less an Internet connection.  However, nowadays, a connection to the Internet is pretty much required and the purpose that the Internet serves in the home has changed significantly.  Now, an Internet connection is necessary to improve the signal on your smartphones and internet devices, deliver streaming media, as well as the original uses of the Internet, to share information.  But what does this have to do with home networks and home network installation?

Well according to this article excerpt from WIKIPEDIA.ORG: "A home network or home area network (HAN) is a type of local area network that develops from the need to facilitate communication and interoperability among digital devices present inside or within the close vicinity of a home. Devices capable of participating in this network–smart devices such as network printers and handheld mobile computers–often gain enhanced emergent capabilities through their ability to interact. These additional capabilities can then be used to increase the quality of life inside the home in a variety of ways, such as automation of repetitious tasks, increased personal productivity, enhanced home security, and easier access to entertainment. One of the primary drivers behind the establishment of this kind of network is the need to distribute residential Internet access to all internet capable devices in the home. Due to the effect of IPv4 address exhaustion, most Internet Service Providers provide only one WAN-facing IP address for each residential subscription. Therefore most homes require a device capable of network address translation (NAT) that can route packets between the public address visible to the WAN and private addresses of individual devices that share that public address. This router defines the boundary at which the service provider's network stops and the home's network begins. While it is possible for home networks to exist without connectivity to the outside world via a router, such topologies would have limited utility considering the bulk of current home network usage comes from home devices communicating with the WAN rather than with other home devices. [READ SOURCE ARTICLE]

Home Networks

One benefit of installing a home network as covered above is improved signal on a mobile device. This alone makes installing a home network worth it. If you're like most people you probably have areas of your home that don't have the strongest signal strength. Which means you have a good chance of either dropping a call or sounding like your underwater.

So, remember, that a home network is a very good way to share resources, just like its big brothers in the business world. So call a professional for home network installation.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
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