Monthly Archives: March 2019

Intermittent Electrical Humming Noise or Buzzing Sound in Wall at Night in Norwalk, CT?

When you are living in your home and you start to notice sounds that are not common it can be troublesome. Just like realizing that a cricket has made its way in the house and you can hear it chirp all night long. This can send any sane person bonkers until you are able to find the culprit. The same happens when you start to hear noises that are not the norm. One area of the home that you might start to hear sounds is with your electrical system. When you start to hear a humming sound it can be a part of the home that should be addressed and it is a good idea to find where it is coming from. You can start by shutting the circuits off, and one at a time turning them on and listening for the humming sound. This is a great way to locate where the sound may be generating from. Then you can use more specific ways to find the actual item that needs the attention of an electrician. Now you need to know what could be making this annoying humming sound.

Sentry Electric Outlines What Could Be Causing a Low Frequency Electrical Humming Sound in Your Home

Fluorescent Light Bulbs Buzzing Sound: One of the items that you have around your house are light bulbs and they can be the reason that you are hearing a humming sound. There are many types of light bulbs and some of them actually will make a humming sound such as fluorescent lights. They can have some humming sounds when they are creating light. You also usually have other lights such as canned lights and standard bulbs. The interesting thing is that the bulbs no matter what type can start to make the same humming sound. This is a sign that the bulb may be going out or that the connection is poor. Either way you want to make sure that it receives your attention.
Humming Noise from Light Fixture: Another area of the home that has some chance to make a humming sound are fixtures. A fixture is usually something that is wired into place. It can be a sconce on the wall, fan in the ceiling and more. Anything that is wired and using energy has the chance to make a humming sound and that is why you want to check into your fixtures if you start to hear that sound. You want to make sure that you are aware of what could be making that sound and when you confirm an area you can have the fixtures inspected by a professional.
Electrical Meter Vibrating Sound: If you have electrical meters in your house or around the house that includes electric and gas they can be the culprit. If you have an older meter that is not digital you want to make sure that it has been inspected and checked. You may also want to contact the company that is in charge of that particular meter.

Electrical Humming Sound Troubleshooting, Repairs & More in Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk, Westport, Southbury, Stamford, CT & Fairfield County, Connecticut

Sentry Electric can come out to your home to inspect for the humming sound and troubleshoot it in order to make the necessary electrical repairs. Call us today!

Are Game Consoles Electric Energy Vampires in Darien, CT? How to Stop Vampire Power

Gamers can spend hours playing on their preferred consoles, and most do not even realize how much electricity is drained, even when they supposedly switched to energy-saving “standby mode.” Most do not realize that these devices are energy vampires, as many home entertainment centers move from traditional cable boxes to video game console-centric hubs capable of streaming, gaming and more. Energy consumed through electronics is often the culprit when it comes to increased energy bills, but few suspect the energy usage concerning the console usage. With this in mind, we at Sentry Electric would like to discuss how game consoles are potentially the energy vampires lurking in your home.

Energy Vampires at Work

As it increases bills, an energy vampire is an electronic device that quietly syphons energy without you getting any use out of it. The average household likely throws away $165 dollars every year due to energy vampires, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, or the NRDC. One of the biggest culprits has become the game console, especially over time. The latest versions of the big-name consoles use three times the energy of the previous generations have. Additionally, more energy drains from these inefficient consoles when they are used to stream the online media options to view movies and shows. For example, one of the most popular consoles will consume 89 watts per hour while streaming video, where another consumes 72 watts per hour. This is roughly 35 times the energy consumption of an TV or dedicated streaming device such as a Roku, this is well above the EnergyStar standard of 50.

How to Cure an Energy Vampire

Luckily, there are ways to prevent these energy vampires from sucking up your hard-earned dollars and consuming the entire output of four large power plants every year. Using the consoles for exclusive gaming is a good place to start saving. With the money saved from not streaming videos, you can invest in a device designed for streaming that does not require energy consumption. Being that video-streaming one the leading consoles idly on standby regularly can drain roughly $140 in energy, this change is a well-worth change. The NRDC recommends going into your system settings to make sure your console automatically shuts down after an hour of inactivity to reduce the idle energy draining from your favorite consoles. Straight up unplugging the consoles during a long trip, or even every day if need be, can further help you save by ensure your systems are completely off by an eye check.

Electrical Wiring Energy Audits & More in Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk, Westport, Southbury, Stamford, CT & Fairfield County, Connecticut

To additionally seek greater account of the energy consumption in your household, we at Sentry Electric recommend scheduling a professional energy audit in your home. With a whole house surge protector, you better electronics. Our experienced professionals an find many ways o help you save energy in your home. With plenty of tips and suggestions following your audit, we can help you use less energy while improving the overall efficiency of the electronic system. Call Sentry Electric for any and all of your electrical services.

Savings Calculator; How Much Do LED Light Bulbs Save Per Month in New Canaan, CT?

It seems as though everyone is talking about LED lighting these days. If you don’t know much about how these new light bulbs work, you may be wondering if they are worth all the hype. Before you make the big change over to these new and improved light bulbs, you may want to know a bit more about how they actually work. Sentry Electric is here to talk about how LED bulbs work and why they really are worth everything people are saying about them.

LED & Incandescent Light Bulbs Quality

The way that LED bulbs and incandescent bulbs work are quite different. When incandescent bulbs are producing light, electrical current is heating a tungsten filament wire that glows and creates light. These bulbs are going to get quite hot when they are operating. Rather than a filament, LED or light emitting diodes, produce light when voltage is applied to negatively charged semiconductors, causing electrons to combine and create light. LED lightbulbs are not wasting energy on heat as they produce light. All of the energy they use is going to be put into action lighting the space.

Benefits of LED Lighting

Following are some of the benefits and facts about LED which are important to be aware of before you make the switch:
Range of Color Temperature: Not all LED lightbulbs are the same color. You can choose some that emit a much cooler light than others. They all have a CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) that corresponds to a K (Kelvin) on the temperature scale. The higher the kelvins, the cooler the light. The lower the kelvins, the warmer the light.
LED Light Bulbs are Eco-Friendly: Because they use much less energy to produce light, they are much better for the environment. 95 percent of the energy they use is to light the room.
LED Longevity: You can count on LED bulbs far outlasting their competition. They may cost you more upfront, but they will last much longer as they gradually start to lose their lighting ability rather than a sudden burnout like other lightbulbs.
LED Light Bulbs are Not Always Dimmable: If you have dimmer switches in your home, you need to know that not all LED bulbs will be compatible. It depends on the switches in your home and may take some trial and error before getting it right. Remember that many LED bulbs are able to be dimmed.

Lighting Consultations & More in Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk, Westport, Southbury, Stamford, CT & Fairfield County, Connecticut

To make the switch to LED lighting, you don’t have to replace all the fixtures in your home. You can simply change out the light bulbs. You should make sure that the LED bulbs you choose have the same performance capabilities as the light bulbs you are replacing. You don’t want to effect the quality of the light you get in your room. If you are experiencing any electrical issues in your home, you can count on the experts at Sentry Electric for all your electrical needs. Call us today!

Home Electrical Outlet Maintenance in Greenwich, CT; Test Outlets, Replace Damaged Plates & More

Most people walk up to an electrical outlet in a home and plug what they want into it. You can go through the house and on just about any wall there seems to be an outlet. This is because the way that the houses are built is to allow the best chance to function. The progress of what is used in homes means that more and more outlets are needed. You likely have a television, gaming equipment, computer, smart phones, appliances and so much more. This is why the need for good functioning outlets are important. Just like any other fixture in your home the outlets need to be maintained and properly cared for. If they are not you may not realize that you have an electrical issue that is slowly getting worse over time. If you do notice there is a problem you can call out a professional electrician.

Sentry Electric Offers Tips for Maintenance Electrical Outlets

Be Careful When Using Electrical Outlets: You want to make sure you do what you can to not be the one that is causing the damage. The best way to do that is to make sure that you teach your family the best way to use the outlet. This may seem silly but it may surprise you how many people mistreat the outlets. When you go to use the outlet you want to make sure that you insert the plug straight in. You also want to make sure that when you remove the plug you have a firm grip on the plug as close to the outlet as possible. This will make sure that you are not pulling at a wrong angle that could cause damage to the interior of the outlet.
Test Electrical Outlets: You want to make sure that you take some time to go through and test out the outlets that are in the home. This can be using a lamp or other fixture that you can carry around with you. Check each outlet and when you notice that one or more are not working it is a good idea to leave a note showing that it is not in working condition. You want o make sure that the outlet is not attached to a switch that needs to be engaged. You also want to make sure that none of the breakers are tripped when you start the process. Be sure that if you find outlets that are out of order you call an electrician.
Damaged Electrical Plates: Another area that you want to watch out for are the plates that cover the outlet. These are there as a layer of protection between your family and the wires that are behind the wall. You want to make sure that if the plates are damaged, cracked or broken you have them replaced as soon as possible.

Electrical Outlet Replacement & More in Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk, Westport, Southbury, Stamford, CT & Fairfield County, Connecticut

It is a good idea to call out an electrician who can use the best materials and do an inspection on the outlet during the installation. Sentry Electric has the ability to come out and inspect your outlets and make any necessary replacement. Call us today to set up your appointment.

When You Need an Emergency Electrician in Fairfield, CT for Power Outage & Other Electrical Services

One of the issues you have as a homeowner is you have to make all the decisions that are necessary to keep the house in good condition. That means you have to be ready to take on a plumbing, electrical or other situations at any given moment. Most people that do work on your home have been trained and have experience within those specific industries to make the necessary repairs. That is why as a homeowner you need to have some kind of knowledge in many industries that can help you make decisions about who to call and when to call someone for needed repairs. The repairs that can be difficult and dangerous to do if you don’t have any training happens to be electrical work. This is an area that if you are not careful when you make upgrades or changes you can cause injury or even death. This can also lead to a house fire or electrical shock. One of the hardest things that you have to do is to determine when something can wait to have an expert out and when it constitutes an emergency. It is a good idea to know what an actual emergency is so that you can make the call.

Sentry Electric Outlines Emergency Electrical Procedure of when to Call an Electrician

Power Outage or Loss: One of the reasons a homeowner may call out an electrician as an emergency is when they have a loss of power. We all depend on the power in our home so when it is out you want to get to the bottom of it right away. The reason that this can be considered an emergency is because without power you won’t have the ability to control the temperature in your home which can be dangerous if you have extreme weather. The other reason is that you can lose all the refrigerated and frozen products that you have paid for. This can be several hundred dollars if you have filled the fridge and freezer recently. You want to make sure that you are the only one that is without power by checking with your neighbors. If they have power and you do not it is best to call out an electrician right away.
Smell Of Burning Plastic: When you are sitting in your home and you start to smell something that is burning it is an emergency for sure. The smell can be coming from your latest dinner attempt but if it is not there could be a problem. If the burnt smell that you get is more like burning plastic it can be from an electrical issue. It has a unique smell since all the wiring is usually covered in plastic. You want to call out a professional electrician right away. If you do not you can end up frying your wires and worse yet having an electrical fire.
Blown Circuit Breaker: Another problem that you may have is when you notice that portion of your home is without power. This in itself is not an emergency because it can be from a tripped breaker. Most people know how to access the panel but if you reset the breaker and it trips again you could have a much larger problem. You want to make sure that if you have a specific breaker that is tripping or it will not reset you call out an electrician right away.

Emergency Electrician Service & More in Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk, Westport, Southbury, Stamford, CT & Fairfield County, Connecticut

Sentry Electric can come out to your home on an emergency call. Call us today to talk to one of our knowledgeable staff.