Dimmer Switch Installation Tips

Marbec works with everything from large home electrical installations to installations as simple as switches. One popular install is dimmer switches, which are a favorite in many homes, both for their energy-friendly operation and their style.

Dimmer Switches: Why Install Them
Dimmer switches are an inexpensive item that many homeowners love to add to their electrical setup at home for many reasons.

Dimmers save power, decreasing energy usage significantly and resulting in a lower power bill.
They set the mood and a unique ambiance to a home, whether it’s in the kitchen or the bedroom.
They’re easy to install, even for homeowners.

Dimmer Switch Installation Tips
Even an easy installation can turn tricky, which is why you should call your local electrician at Marbec to ensure that your dimmer switch install is done correctly. Still, if you feel comfortable doing the installation yourself, here are some tips for a smooth and pain-free dimmer switch installation.

Check the wattage limits on switches to prevent overheating and overloading of the circuits. Dimmers can handle anywhere from 600 to, in some cases, 2,000 watts of power. The key is to not run too many lights on the switch and risk overheating or overloading it, which can be dangerous. You will know if there is something wrong with one of those scenarios if, when you touch the dimmer after installing it and running it, it’s hot to the touch. Warm is normal; hot is not. This is one of the reasons why you should consider calling the best Lake Helen electrician to help oversee your installation.

Make sure that there are no other dimmers connected to the same circuit. Much like having too many appliances in the same circuit can be a danger, too many dimmers can cause overloading that results in dangerous circumstances and costly repairs.

Never use fluorescent bulbs with dimmer switches. Fluorescent bulbs will not work with dimmer switches. If you really want to use fluorescent lights, you can find some for a pretty hefty price that will run on dimmers.

Ordinary dimmer switches cannot run devices that rely on a motor, like ceiling fans. Ceiling fans are set to run at a specific, predetermined wattage and therefore they are not compatible with dimmer switches, which gradually adjust wattage.

Older styles of dimmers can sometimes interfere with audio equipment, creating a humming or whining noise. A Marbec electrician can quickly recognize this as a sign that the dimmers are too old. To resolve this issue, you must either install a new dimmer or install a noise filter.

To learn more about our services, visit our website. And if you ever have any questions, please feel free to call us.

Lake Helen, FL | (386) 956-1594 | marbecelectric.com | twitter.com/MarbecElectric | marbecelectric.tumblr.com | plus.google.com/102338195995648896384/posts?hl=en

Dimmer Switches: Why Install Them

Marbec works with everything from large home electrical installations to installations as simple as switches. One popular install is dimmer switches, which are a favorite in many homes, both for their energy-friendly operation and their style.

Dimmer Switches: Why Install Them
Dimmer switches are an inexpensive item that many homeowners love to add to their electrical setup at home for many reasons.

Dimmers save power, decreasing energy usage significantly and resulting in a lower power bill.
They set the mood and a unique ambiance to a home, whether it’s in the kitchen or the bedroom.
They’re easy to install, even for homeowners.

Dimmer Switch Installation Tips
Even an easy installation can turn tricky, which is why you should call your local electrician at Marbec to ensure that your dimmer switch install is done correctly. Still, if you feel comfortable doing the installation yourself, here are some tips for a smooth and pain-free dimmer switch installation.

Check the wattage limits on switches to prevent overheating and overloading of the circuits. Dimmers can handle anywhere from 600 to, in some cases, 2,000 watts of power. The key is to not run too many lights on the switch and risk overheating or overloading it, which can be dangerous. You will know if there is something wrong with one of those scenarios if, when you touch the dimmer after installing it and running it, it’s hot to the touch. Warm is normal; hot is not. This is one of the reasons why you should consider calling the best Dallas electrician to help oversee your installation.

Make sure that there are no other dimmers connected to the same circuit. Much like having too many appliances in the same circuit can be a danger, too many dimmers can cause overloading that results in dangerous circumstances and costly repairs.

Never use fluorescent bulbs with dimmer switches. Fluorescent bulbs will not work with dimmer switches. If you really want to use fluorescent lights, you can find some for a pretty hefty price that will run on dimmers.

Ordinary dimmer switches cannot run devices that rely on a motor, like ceiling fans. Ceiling fans are set to run at a specific, predetermined wattage and therefore they are not compatible with dimmer switches, which gradually adjust wattage.

Older styles of dimmers can sometimes interfere with audio equipment, creating a humming or whining noise. A Marbec electrician can quickly recognize this as a sign that the dimmers are too old. To resolve this issue, you must either install a new dimmer or install a noise filter.
To learn more about our services, visit our website. And if you ever have any questions, please feel free to call us.

Heathrow, FL | (386) 956-1594 | marbecelectric.com | twitter.com/MarbecElectric | marbecelectric.tumblr.com | plus.google.com/102338195995648896384/posts

Marbec: Helping You Prepare

Storm Season Tips

With the weather in Florida being so unpredictable, how can you be sure that you are prepared to tackle what Mother Nature dishes out? Follow these simple tips to protect your home, your electrical system and your family from dangerous and frightening conditions.

#1 Have your electrical system checked regularly. With this storm season upon us, it is extremely important that you get in touch with your Marbec electrician and have him look over your circuit breakers, wiring and outlets as part of his regular maintenance. Flaws in your electrical system, be it with breakers, wiring or any other aspect, combined with unpredictable weather, is the recipe for a very, very bad situation.

#2 Use power surge protectors on all your appliances. Did you know that, even a lightning strike that hits miles from storm-season-tipsyour home can affect your appliances? Power surge protectors show up often in storm season tips everywhere, and there’s a reason why. Power surges can be deadly for your appliances and anything else hooked up directly into the outlet, particularly during lightning storms.

#3 Install a built-in surge protector on your circuit panel. This will protect everything hooked to the circuit panel from potentially damaging surges. Even when the power is restored after an outage, it often still does not come on right away; instead, it flickers, which shoots and cuts off electricity randomly to your appliances, ultimately causing damage.

#4 Always keep a weather radio handy. Weather alert radios are an invaluable addition to your home’s severe weather storm-season-tipkit. In case of an emergency, an outage, lightning strike or blackout, you will have access to weather updates, evacuation information (if necessary), and instructions on how to keep your family and home safe in the event of bad weather.

#5 Invest in an indoor generator. Indoor generators are a great way to take a little pressure off of the overloaded power grid during a power surge or blackout. When there’s a blackout, the indoor generator kicks in, keeping a steady flow of electricity going to your home and keeping your appliances from getting damaged. Some generators are solar-powered, which can save you energy, time and money.

Marbec: Helping You Prepare

Severe stormy weather doesn’t have to be scary, inconvenient, dangerous or costly. Following these simple storm season tips can ensure that you and your family are spared the expenses and headaches that come with unpredictable weather in Florida. Call us today to learn more about how we can help you prepare for a stormy season.

Longwood, FL | (386) 956-1594 | marbecelectric.com | twitter.com/MarbecElectric | marbecelectric.tumblr.com | plus.google.com/102338195995648896384/posts?hl=en

Unsure if Your Wiring Has Sufficient GFI Protection? Call Marbec Enterprises!

One of the most important safety devices used in modern wiring is the GFCI, also known as an RCD (residual current device), but perhaps most commonly known as a GFI (ground fault interrupter). Typically, these are built into electrical outlets, and are most commonly located in bed-rooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms where most electrical shocks occur. It’s also a good idea to locate these in outdoor porch and patio outlets, and in workshops and garages. The safest possible use of GFCIs involves installing one for every circuit in a building.

Then, a GFCI will provide protection for ground shorts occurring anywhere in that building. GFCIs are also built into the cords of hairdryers, and other electrical appliances and tools which are used near water. Before GFCI installation became law for new homes and new hairdryers, scores of deaths occurred in the U.S. after hairdryers were dropped into sinks or tubs full of water, and people reached in to retrieve them. These deaths still occur, because many older homes have not been updated with GFCIs, and many older model hairdryers are still in use. However, newer hair-dryers have been saving lives, and GFCIs located in outlets are saving lives when accidents occur with older hairdryers.

Although most of us are familiar with GFCIs and their identifying buttons, it’s a good idea to understand how these work. Let’s use the hairdryer accident as an example. First of all, without a GFCI, when an older style hairdryer is dropped into a sink full of water, the electrical current becomes shorted to ground from the live wires inside the dryer. When this happens, high voltage electricity is flowing out of the hair dryer and through the water to ground, typically through a metal drain. Next, imagine that someone with wet feet standing on a wet floor, or in a bathtub full of water reaches down and grabs the hairdryer. The electricity now begins flowing through that person’s body to the floor, which acts as a ground. Technically, the electricity flows from ground to the hot electrical contacts in the hairdryer, but it’s helpful to think of the hairdryer as the source. An electrical shock from household current can cause death when a victim’s heart is stopped by this shock. Although it may seem foolish to grab a wet hairdryer from a sink, this usually happens as a quick reflexive action, before anyone can imagine the consequences.

Now, let’s see what happens with the same hairdryer accident when a GFCI exists in the hair-dryer’s cord, or in the electrical outlet. As soon as water enters the hairdryer and the electricity is shorted to ground, the GFCI detects the short, and turns off (interrupts) the electrical current. This happens extremely fast, usually in about 25 thousandths of a second (25 ms). So, long be-fore anyone’s hand can touch the water, the flow of electricity has been stopped.

Of course, a wet hairdryer is only one of many possible ways in which dangerous electrical shorts can occur. Frayed or cut electrical cords, old and cracked insulation, worn out switches and outlets, and a host of other conditions can cause shorts resulting in electrical fires and accidental electrocutions. In fact, over 40,000 electrical fires occur in the United States every year. In addition, many unnecessary deaths occur from these fires and electrical shocks. This is why in-stalling GFIs in every circuit is so important. If you are unsure if the wiring in your home or business has sufficient GFI protection, call a qualified electrician at Marbec Enterprises and schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

Orlando, FL | (386) 956-1594 | marbecelectric.com | twitter.com/MarbecElectric | marbecelectric.tumblr.com | plus.google.com/102338195995648896384/posts?hl=en

Proudly Capable of Meeting All Types of Construction Demands and Deadlines

At Marbec Enterprises (MarbecElectric.com), we pride ourselves in knowing the capability we have of meeting all types of construction demands and deadlines.

We understand the importance of all field and project management coordination to bring all our construction projects on time and on budget. Our field and office staff continues to bring a personal commitment to providing our customers with solutions, answers, and support for all electrical concerns.

Our background has been in multi-family housing, commercial office space, research and development, clean rooms, high tech fabrications, student housing, restaurants, and all types of tenant improvements, shells and cores, hospital and health care facilities, building renovations, high rise buildings, hotels, government buildings, fire alarm and security system, and tele/data installations.

***Design-Build, Engineering Analysis, and Budget Pricing***

During our partnering of design build projects, we have established strong loyal relationships with the area’s top general contractors, owners, and construction managers and provide complete assistance during the design/development phase of the project. Marbec Electric can assist with project budgeting, value engineering options and constructability recommendations.

We are experienced in all types of fast-track design build projects including tenant improvement, shells, site work, and clean rooms.

Our coordination with construction and project management teams, field staff, utility companies, and estimators solves all the construction requirements for our clients. Learn more at: marbecelectric.com

Orlando, FL | (386) 956-1594 | marbecelectric.com | twitter.com/MarbecElectric | marbecelectric.tumblr.com | plus.google.com/102338195995648896384/posts?hl=en

Almost everything nowadays operates on electricity.

Almost everything nowadays operates on electricity. The modern conveniences that drive our world depend on electricity. Without a constant supply, our world grinds to a halt, as massive blackouts have proven in the past. Electricity has two forms in modern electronics: AC and DC.
AC [alternating current], is most frequently used in devices that require high amounts of power to operate.
DC [direct current], is more commonly found in devices requiring smaller amounts of power to operate.

Understanding AC vs. DC

Direct Current
DC was the original electricity that was created by Thomas Edison. This style of electricity sends a current in only a single direction, from a power source and to the power source again in a loop. Today, DC is used to power electronics that require batteries. Any device in your home that uses batteries uses DC current. Interesting to note, if your battery is plugged in to the power supply to recharge, it transforms AC current into DC.
Direct current is also used in manufacturing situations where electricity is generated on site for personal use. Factories and mills that require vast amounts of energy often create their own DC current to power their machinery. Most commonly, DC is found in steel mills, aluminum production, and is used to power mass transportation in large urban centers in the form of electric streetcars.

Alternating Current
AC power is easier to generate, which is why we use it as our standard electricity nowadays. The alternating current design allows energy to flow in both directions, making electricity easier to create and use in society. Regardless of where the current is moving, it is always moving in both directions at once. This results in current being present at every point in the power grid at every time as long as the connection to the generation unit is intact. The power that comes from the power plants, down the lines to our homes, is always AC in nature, thanks to the way our modern power grid is set up.

The power grid operates by creating AC current and sending it down the power lines. This current can be at whatever intensity the power company chooses.
Frequently, the electricity coming from these lines is far too powerful to be used in our homes. The transformers that we see on power poles transform the electricity from its high-powered state into something that our homes can use. Without the transformers, we wouldn’t be able to use the power that our society depends on.

Regardless of the style that we use in our devices and our homes, electricity plays an important role in society. Without both AC and DC electricity, we wouldn’t have those things that make modern life as comfortable as it is.

Contact Marbec Enterprises for any of your electrical needs!

Contact Marbec Enterprises for any of your electrical needs!
West Volusia, FL | (386) 956-1594 | marbecelectric.com |twitter.com/MarbecElectric | marbecelectric.tumblr.com |plus.google.com/102338195995648896384/posts?hl=en