Outdoor lighting is the best way to make your property safer and easier to walk around when it’s dark. Outdoor lighting allows you to see what’s going on and adds visual appeal to your home too. If you’ve had the same outdoor lighting for years, chances are there are better options available. You can give your home a fresh new look and use more energy efficient lighting at the same time. Consider lighting an outdoor space to increase the time you can spend there. Pathway lighting looks great and the transition from regular bulbs to LED bulbs can save you money. LED lights last longer, and homeowners have many options as they are available in many styles and designs.

Outdoor Motion Sensor Light

Homes with the right outdoor lighting are overlooked by intruders and make your home feel safer. Security and flood lights can be installed around the exterior of your home, making it very hard for would be intruders to go unnoticed. Entrances and driveways along with any other areas can have motion sensor lighting installed. These lights will turn on any time movement is detected. When choosing outdoor lighting you’ll want to choose lights that have ample wattage and are bright enough. Avoid choosing lights that create areas that are deep and shadowy because it gives intruders places to hide and avoid putting lights in areas that might bother your neighbors.

Path Lights & Landscape Lighting

Adding lighting to your landscape allows you to draw attention to your yard and the exterior of your home. It’s important to use landscape lighting carefully so you’re highlighting your property in the best way because the wrong lighting can make a home look uninviting. The right light and the right location will create the best effects.
• Stake lights can be used along paths and walkways to provide lighting at night. They increase safety and add visual appeal.
• Accent lights catch the eye and draw attention to specific features of your home’s exterior. These include uplights, downlights, spotlight and well lights.
• Deck lights are designed to makes the stairs on decks safer to use during the nighttime hours. They can also be used to add soft lighting to deck surfaces.

Troubleshooting Your Outdoor Lighting

It’s important for homeowners to know what might be going on with their outdoor lighting. Wear and tear along with weather can cause outdoor lights to become loose over time. When water gets into them you can experience faulty connections. It’s important to use waterproof connections for outdoor lighting to prevent this problem. LED lights last longer, but if you’re using incandescent light bulbs, they will burn out faster. There can be issues with your outdoor lighting depending on how the system is wired. Corrosion will occur in light sockets when they ae exposed to moisture. The heat from a light bulb is enough to prevent corrosion from happening, but it can occur when bulbs burn out.

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

All homeowners want their home to feel safe and look great. This can be achieved with outdoor lighting. Contact Sentry Electric to get started!

Do you love a good summer thunderstorm? Many people look forward to sitting outside on their porch and watching the rain come down during summer storms. You may even enjoy going out and playing in the rain! While summer thunderstorms provide some fun there are also a few bad things they sometimes bring with them. Sometimes the storm causes your power to go out. If you run into this problem do you know what to do?

Power Went Out; Who Do I Call?

There are different things you will want to make sure you do when your power goes out. The first thing you want to do is check to see if the power is out in just your house or a larger area. Check with your neighbors to see if they lost power as well. If the power is out in a large area you will want to call your utility company. When you call them they may already be aware of the power outage and have a recorded message about how long it is going to take to get the power back up and running. If they do not know already reporting it will help the power company know that they need to start working on it.

Check Electrical Panel & Circuit Breaker When Power Goes Out

If the power is out in just your home there are a few things you can check. You will want to grab a flashlight and check out your electrical panel. You may have blown a fuse or tripped a break. Fixing those items is pretty easy if you know what you are doing. If you do not know how to fix those Sentry Electric can help you! We can also help if you cannot determine why the power is out.

Unplug Appliances & Electronics During Power Outage

When you call the utility company you may discover that the power is going to be out for an extended period of time. In this case you will want to get some water reserves for your family to use. To do this you will want to fill your bathtubs and sinks with water. You will be able to use this water if the power is out for a long time.
Next up you will want to unplug all of your electronics. When the power comes back on there is a power surge that could ruin your electronics. So go to your computers, laptops, gaming systems, and any other electronics and unplug them. When the power comes back on your electronics will not be ruined.

How Long Does Food Last in the Fridge When the Power Goes Out?

Many people are tempted to open their refrigerator and freezer to see if their food is okay. You will want to resist the urge to open the doors though. The more you can keep the doors closed the longer your food will stay cool. Food in your fridge can stay cool for up to four hours without power and food in your freezer will be good for 24 hours. If the power is out for longer than that you will need to eat it or throw it away. If you do have to eat it you will want to start with the dairy products. The other items will last longer.

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We hope that these tips will help you stress less the next time your power goes out. Just stay calm and remember these steps and you will be fine. Don’t forget that Sentry Electric is always here to help you with any electrical need that arises. Contact us today!

Finding that one of your electrical outlets has been blackened and melted by heat is something that many homeowners experience. There are many issues that might arise, such as frustration of the situation, and finally realizing the safety issue involved. This problem is not something to ignore, nor taken lightly and electrical problems do not go away, they only grow worse. Unaddressed electrical malfunctions are the source to severe electrocution and electrical fires that lead to severe injury, property damage and even death. When you first notice a problem, call for qualified electrician from Sentry Electric. Today, we Sentry Electric would like to elaborate on what may be causing the damage to your outlet.

Reasons Why Electrical Outlet May have Sparked & Smoked

Ultimately, the reason behind a charred or burnt outlet is usually due to excessive heat, which stems from a few issues; either installed wiring that is damaged or incorrectly, or circuit overload.
1) Installed Damaged or Incorrect Electrical Wiring: Wiring requires an unbroken channel for the electricity to flow through, and it is vital that the wire is installed to reflect this. Arcing commonly occurs when wires become old and worn, things begin to break loose; resulting in arcing which is when energy is given the opportunity for free flowing. Arcing can also be better described when a large amount of electricity shoots from the wire’s breaking point to the nearest conductor it can find, like the other broken end of wiring for example. A lot of heat is generated, enough to melt or burn any surrounding flammable material as the arcing shoots through the air. It is possible that electrical arcing is indeed the cause of the burnt outlet in the event the wiring in your home is old and possibly damaged by time, or possible if the installers did not deliver efficient electrical wiring services.
2) Electrical Circuit Overload: Appliances, loaded power strips, and other major power devices can sometimes overburden an outlet, which makes the demand beyond what the electrical wiring was designed to accommodate. The wiring will become hot and possibly ignite or melt anything that comes into contact with when it happens, especially the plastic outlet. This issue is more commonly attached to older homes that were not designed to power the modern appliances, electrical devices, and so on. The wiring used then was a smaller gauge and are inadequate to safely handle large flows of electricity. Turn off your power and call a licensed electrician immediately if you can smell electrical heat and a burning odor as it can be overloading the circuit.

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

All electrical work should be left to the professionals as it is essential for your safety. Whether it is damaged or overloaded wiring, it requires knowledge and experience to repair. Insufficiently gauged wire should be replaced with a size that can meet the demands of your home or business and any old damaged wiring will need to be switched out with new wire. When you have a damaged outlet, do not wait, call Sentry Electric today and let our qualified experts diagnose and remedy the issue before damage or injury occur.

Is your electric bill on the rise? You can try and cut down on the amount of energy you use but it might not be enough to lower your bill. The problem might just be the electrical wiring in your home. The wiring may not be able to handle and perform the electrical service needed by today’s standards. It will not only cost you more to have outdated wiring, it can be dangerous too.

Old House Wiring Identification

The wiring in your home might be outdated if your home is 10-20 years old. Outdated wiring means that it’s not designed to take on several appliances running at the same time and can lead to overloading. If the wiring in your home can’t handle the workload, you may have circuits that trip, or worse, overheated wires can start a fire. Older wires are protected with a rubber coating that can deteriorate and expose the wires, creating a fire hazard. If you live in an older home and you’re planning to sell, you will not pass an inspection.

Electrical Inspection

It’s always better to be safe than sorry. You should have your home inspected by an electrician every year or two. If you discover you need to have your home rewired, don’t stress. You may only need to update the electrical panel rather than rewire the entire home. The age of your home will determine exactly what needs to be done. If an electrical inspection determines that your home only has 100 amps but there are lots of people living in it or lots of appliances being used, you may need 200 amps. The simplest step will be to upgrade the electrical panel.

Electrical Panel Upgrade

An electrical panel upgrade can be helpful with electrical issues, but rewiring may be the only option. Rewiring is the only option for a home that is over 40 years old. A professional electrical will remove as much of the old wiring as possible and install new non-metallic wiring that is safer, easier to work with, and won’t heat up. This process might involve wall removal that will be followed up with patching and sealing everything behind new drywall. Best case scenario is only sections of walls being removed to get to the wiring or the use of rods and a thin metal line to fish wires through the wall.

Signs Your House Needs Rewiring

Outdated wiring can be dangerous. It’s important for homeowners to watch for signs that they need an electrician to come inspect their home. There are some clear indications that you might need electrical rewiring.
• Flickering lights
• Circuits that trip frequently or blown fuses
• Discolored or charred outlets
• Burnt smell with sizzling sounds
• Visibly damaged wires

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

Electrical wiring is first and foremost a safety issue. Unless you’re a trained electrician, it’s never a good idea to try rewiring your home yourself. Contact Sentry Electric to have a licensed electrician fix the wiring in your home.

When it comes to the warmest months of the year, homeowners will do whatever it takes to decrease the temperature of the inside of their home. One way to do that and save money on cooling costs is with a whole house fan. This appliance will work to reduce the temperature of the air in your home in a matter of minutes when you have it installed and working properly. Sentry Electric is here to talk about the benefits that come with having a whole house fan installed in your home.

How Do Whole House Fans Work?

The best feature of a whole house fan is the time in which it takes it to work. All you have to do is crack a few windows in your home and flip the fan on. It will work to create negative pressure by sucking all the air in from outside and pushing it up and out the vents in your attic. This will drastically reduce the temperature of the air in your home and create cool air circulation throughout your house in a matter of moments. Obviously, this will work only when the outdoor temperature is cooler than the air in your home. A great time to use these fans is in the evening.

Energy Efficiency of a Whole House Fan

Another one of the main benefits that comes from the whole house fan is its energy efficiency. It uses much less energy than an air conditioning system to operate and can end up saving you money when you use it. Homeowners have reported saving as much as 75% on their cooling bill when they utilize their whole house fan to get rid of the hot air in their house.

Improve Indoor Air Quality with a Whole House Fan

Whenever you are trying to improve the indoor air quality in your home, the best thing to do is to open up the windows. The way that the whole house fan works, it can move the air from these opened windows throughout your house quickly. At the same time, it pushes the old stale air out the vents of the attic so that you can enjoy improved indoor air.

Wiring a Whole House Fan Extends the Life of Your Air Conditioner

Because a whole house fan works so effectively, you will see that you don’t need to rely on your air conditioning system near as much. This will help to extend the life of your air conditioner as it won’t have to work so hard all summer long to keep your house cool. Obviously, you will need to turn it on when the temperatures rise, but as they cool off at night and in the morning hours, you can use your whole house fan to keep your house cool.

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

If you are looking for a quiet and effective way to cool your house down this summer, consider the advantages of a whole house fan. Having a whole house fan installed in your home requires a significant amount of electrical wiring in your attic, which should obviously be left to the professionals at Sentry Electric. You need someone with our specialized training to ensure the job is done right. Call us today!