November 10, 2011 – 12:01 pm
Suitable for use in areas prone to high moisture levels, the K50L Sealed Audible EZ-LIGHT is an easy-to-install indicator luminaire with an audible alarm. Featuring a fully sealed body that is IP67- or IP69K-rated, depending on the model, the luminaire includes a 12VDC to 30VDC operating range. In addition, the product is immune to EMI and RFI interference and is available in 1-, 2- and 3-color models with green, red, and yellow LEDs. Both the IP67 and IP69K models feature 5-pin Euro quick disconnect with PNP input, while the IP67 model also allows for manual volume adjustment.
November 10, 2011 – 11:57 am
The company controller noticed an odd pattern and brought it to your attention, saying, “I’m looking at year-to-date expense data, and it we’ve replaced far too much office equipment. That includes break room appliances like microwave ovens and even a refrigerator. But from last year going back five years, there wasn’t a single replacement. Overhead lights, too — why all these bills for replacement lamps and ballasts? And, despite the office manager’s energy initiative, the admin building utility bill has gone up.” What’s going on?
You’ll probably solve both problems by solving just one. Find out what the office manager’s energy initiative was and it will most likely reveal these three typical mistakes:
- Replacing task-lighting incandescent lamps with CFLs. To produce that small ballast, compromises must be made. A few CFLs may be OK, but widespread use is problematic.
- Installing CFLs on dimming circuits. This fire hazard saves little energy.
- Administrative blunders, such as asking people to turn fluorescent bathroom luminaires off upon exiting. Cycling fluorescent lamps uses more energy than just leaving them on.
In sufficient numbers, CFLs produce:
- Insulation-destroying spikes, during on/off cycling.
- Low power factor, thus excessive heating of insulation (in equipment and wiring). Typical CFL power factor is about 0.5 (compared to near unity of the incandescent lamps they replace).
Here are the first two steps you should take to fix this situation:
- Install a power monitor.
- Implement a designed solution for energy savings (including a lighting redesign).
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Posted in Electrician Los Angeles
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Tagged admin, Administrative, attention, Auto, ballast, ballasts, bathroom, bill, blunders, break, building, CFL, CFLs, company, company controller, compromises, controller, Cycling, Draft, Electrical, energy initiative, energy savings, equipment, expense, expense data, factor, fire, fire hazard, Fluorescent, fluorescent lamps, hazard, heating, Implement, incandescent, incandescent lamps, initiative, Install, Installing, insulation, Insulation-destroying, Lighting, Low, manager, Microwave, microwave ovens, monitor, Nov, office, overhead, pattern, Power, power factor, Quiz, redesign, refrigerator, replacement, replacement lamps, room, situation, solution, spikes, two steps, typical mistakes, unity, use, utility, wiring, year
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November 10, 2011 – 11:57 am
Commonly misunderstood/misapplied terms, part 10.
- Special permission. This does not mean the corporate office says it’s OK so you can do it. This kind of permission comes from the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ, see Art. 80 for definitions and details), and must be written. Before you implement any special permission design or construction technique, also obtain the permission of your insurer. The insurer may not agree with the AHJ and, in the event of a conflict, you’ll want to keep your insurance policy in effect.
- Structure. The NEC often refers to “a building or structure.” However, the NEC defines a structure as “anything built or constructed” and defines a building as a special type of structure. All buildings are structures, but not all structures are buildings.
- Surge arrester. This isn’t a generic term for “any device that mitigates electrical spikes.” It’s a specific class of such devices (see Art. 280). Its mode of operation is it discharges or bypasses surge current and stays capable of doing this repeatedly. The spark gap arrester on the utility pole is an example.
- Surge protective device (SPD). These are covered by Art. 285. The SPD mode of operation is it limits transient voltages by diverting or limiting surge current. An MOV is an example.
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Posted in NEC (National Electrical Code)
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Tagged AHJ, anything, arrester, authority, authority having jurisdiction, Auto, building, class, Commonly, conflict, construction, construction technique, definitions, Design, device, discharges, Draft, effect, event, example, facility, gap, generic term, insurance, insurance policy, insurer, jurisdiction, kind, mode, MOV, NEC, Nov, office, operation, part, permission, pole, Policy, spark, spark gap, SPD, spikes, structure, Surge, surge arrester, technique, Term, transient voltages, type, utility
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November 10, 2011 – 11:56 am
In some companies, safety training programs are merely “check-off–the-box” exercises for compliance purposes. Companies with these low-information programs predictably have major “accidents.” In other companies, the management is dedicated to promoting a safety culture. This is the kind of company you want to work for or help change your company into if it’s not there yet.
Nevertheless, even extensive safety training doesn’t make anybody any safer. A safe workplace exists only when you and your coworkers use what you learn. It’s not the training that makes you safe, but how you apply the training.
Attitude is the key to staying safe. Rather than look at safety as something that interferes with your work, look at it as your guiding principle for every task you do. Think of safety as how you work, rather than a hindrance to your work. Bonus: Safe work practices, due to their methodology, can provide a net increase of efficiency.
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Posted in Electrical Safety Tips, Electrical Violations
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Tagged accidents, anybody, Attitude, Auto, Bonus, company, compliance, compliance purposes, coworkers, culture, Draft, Efficiency, guiding principle, hindrance, increase, information programs, Key, kind, management, methodology, Nov, principle, Safe, safe work practices, Safety, safety culture, safety training, something, task, training, work, workplace
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November 10, 2011 – 11:54 am
Construction and engineering company Cupertino Electric, Inc. (CEI) recently announced it has been awarded the Associated General Contractors of California (AGC) Safety Awards of Excellence in the category reserved for specialty contractors working more than 1 million hours in 2010. The awards were unveiled at a special ceremony in Palm Springs, Calif., on October 28.”While we are extremely proud to be recognized for our construction and engineering efforts, it is such an honor to be recognized by the AGC of California for our laser-like focus on safety,” said John Boncher, president and CEO of Cupertino Electric, Inc. ”By making safety a cultural value, and not just a shifting priority, we have been able to make year-over-year reductions in workplace injuries and focus on effective training, communication, and planning for safety to bring people home safe at night.”
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Posted in Electrician Los Angeles
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Tagged 1 million, AGC, agc of california, agc safety, Associated, associated general contractors, associated general contractors of california, Auto, Awards, california safety, category, CEI, CEO, ceremony, communication, company, construction, Cupertino, cupertino electric inc, Draft, effective training, Electric, Engineering, engineering company, Excellence, excellence construction, focus, home, honor, Inc, night, October, palm springs, planning, president, priority, Safety, safety awards, specialty, training, value, Wins, workplace, workplace injuries
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November 10, 2011 – 11:53 am
This line of UL-listed clamps is used to connect armored cable to water pipe for grounding. The 360° swivel head facilitates alignment with the cable and the pipe, and a pressure bar grips the armored cable insulation to decrease chances of the grounding conductor being pulled out. Available in three sizes to fit a variety of pipe and armored cable sizes, the products come standard with corrosion-resistant zinc-plated steel screws.
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Posted in Electrical Upgrades Panels/Circuit Breaker box
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Tagged alignment, armored cable, Auto, Available, bar, Cable, cable insulation, cable sizes, Clamps, conductor, Draft, head, insulation, line, pipe, pressure, steel, steel screws, swivel, swivel head, UL-listed, variety, water pipe, zinc plated steel
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November 3, 2011 – 10:56 am
The LPACK52 is a 52W LED wallpack that replaces up to 250W metal-halides used to illuminate building perimeters. Available in three cutoff options (full cutoff, cutoff, and standard), the product provides 3,400 lm and offers a 50,000-hr lifespan, according to the company. In addition, the wallpack is Dark Sky-certified, UL-listed for wet locations, features a minimum starting temperature of -40°, and is suitable for operation in temperatures up to 40°C.
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Posted in Lighing design, Lighting Design/ Accent Lighting
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Tagged addition, Auto, Available, building, company, cutoff, Dark, dark sky, Draft, LED, lifespan, LM, LPACK, metal halides, operation, product, replacement, Sky-certified, starting, temperature, temperatures, UL-listed, wallpack, wet locations
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November 3, 2011 – 10:55 am
Commonly misunderstood/misapplied terms, part 9.
- Service point. This isn’t the service entrance but upstream of it. This is the point where utility wiring connects to premises wiring.
- Service drop. The word “drop” is a good clue this pertains to overhead conductors. These conductors are between the utility supply and the service point. This term doesn’t refer to underground conductors serving a similar function.
- Service lateral. This is the underground equivalent of the service drop. These conductors run underground from the utility supply to the service point.
- Service entrance conductors. These differ from “service conductors” and, like those, are overhead or underground (with that designation appended as appropriate). The overhead ones run from the service drop (or overhead service conductors) to the supply-side terminals of the service equipment. The underground ones also run to the terminals of the service equipment but connect to the service lateral.
- Service equipment. Often erroneously referred to as the “service entrance” due to its location, this is the equipment immediately on the load side of the service conductors. It consists of panels, breakers, fuses, switches, and related accessories.
The supply-side sequence can be defined as follows: utility wiring, drop/lateral, service point, service conductors, service entrance conductors, service entrance, and service equipment. The service equipment then supplies power to load-side equipment.
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Posted in NEC (National Electrical Code)
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Tagged Auto, breakers, clue, Commonly, designation, Draft, Drop, entrance, equipment, equivalent, facility, function, fuses, lateral, load, location, NEC, Oct, overhead, overhead conductors, part, point, Power, premises, sequence, service, service entrance, side, supply, switches, Term, utility, wiring, word
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November 3, 2011 – 10:54 am
Today’s electrical test equipment is vastly superior to what electricians used when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. The analog VOMs (volt ohmmeters) have been replaced by a wide range of instruments that measure far more.
Today’s industrial-grade meters also have safety features not imagined back then (see the manufacturers’ literature for more info). However, some things have not changed with regard to safe use of electrical test equipment. For example:
- Set the instrument up for the specific measurement you need to do, and then have a partner check the setup. Even the best DMM can’t protect you when you try to measure current between a 2,000A bus and ground through its mA connections.
- Attach and remove leads one at a time to prevent creating an ionization trail between the leads.
- Don’t try to economize by keeping damaged test leads.
- If you’re too tired or distracted to focus, don’t attempt electrical testing.
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Posted in Electrical Safety Tips, Electrical Violations
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Tagged 000a, analog, Attach, Auto, bus, check, DMM, Draft, electrical test equipment, electrical testing, equipment, example, ground, info, instrument, ionization, literature, Measure, measurement, moon, neil armstrong, neil armstrong walked on the moon, Oct, ohmmeters, partner, range, regard, Safety, safety features, Set, setup, test, testing, time, today, trail, use, volt, VOMs
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November 3, 2011 – 10:53 am
This line of ETL-listed LED luminaires consists of four models. The LEDWSE200-2-4LR is a 4-ft/2-tube ceiling or flush wall-mounted T8 LED luminaire with a wraparound lens. The LEDWSEh200-3-4LR holds 3 tubes, while the LEDGHL310-2-4LR is a 4-ft/2-tube recessed-ceiling or T-Bar T8 LED luminaire. The LEDGHL320-4-4LR model accommodates 4 lamps. All four versions feature high-impact, clear acrylic, prismatic lenses secured by stainless-steel screws as well as a safety switch that allows individual fixture power to be disconnected during relamping or maintenance.
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Posted in Lighing design
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Tagged Auto, ceiling, clear acrylic, Draft, ETL-listed, fixture, ft 2, high impact, Lamps, LED, LED luminaires, LEDGHL, LEDWSE, LEDWSEh, lens, line, luminaire, luminaires, Maintenance, model, models, Power, replacement, Safety, safety switch, stainless steel screws, switch, T-Bar, tube, tubes, wraparound
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