Hi folks, I want you to know that it is ski and snowboarding season again and this year it looks like another fantastic season. I have been working with Seattle’s own, Mountain to sound outfitters the place to go for sales and service, ski rentals, board tuning and transportation to the mountains. We have come up with a great package deal for you the consumer. When you get an electrical panel upgrade I will give you a ski package that includes ski rental and transportation to and from Crystal Mountain. All you have to do is get the upgrade show proof of purchase and you will receive your package deal to be redeemed at Mountain to Sound Outfitters. You’ll want to act fast as offer availability is running out. Go ahead and give Tangent Electric a call today and get skiing tomorrow.
Offer good from 12/14/2009-2/14/2009
December 12, 2009
Ski Season is Here!
November 26, 2009
A thought About ENERGY STAR
Think about it.
Results are already adding up. Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2008 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 29 million cars — all while saving $19 billion on their utility bills.
For Business
Because a strategic approach to energy management can produce twice the savings — for the bottom line and the environment — as typical approaches, EPA’s ENERGY STAR partnership offers a proven energy management strategy that helps in measuring current energy performance, setting goals, tracking savings, and rewarding improvements.
EPA provides an innovative energy performance rating system which businesses have already used for more than 96,000 buildings across the country. EPA also recognizes top performing buildings with the ENERGY STAR
Technologies to Use in your business in Seattle:
Electronic ballasts for your fluorescent lighting fixtures most fluorescent lighting can be retrofitted to accommodate the T8 or T5 lamp.
LED Exit signs instead of incandescent lamped signs.
High performance windows can considerably make your efficiency go up.
High efficiency motors and motor controllers like VFD’s “variable frequency drives”
Water saving toilets and water reducing programs for your business are an important step in assuring that you can be as efficient as possible.
Lighting controls, occupant sensors, dimmers timers and photo cells limit the usage of electricity when you are not using them.
These measures alone can save you big dollars and that is money that can be spent in better ways.
The city of Seattle is on the forefront of using the latest technologies to improve awareness and educating businesses that are making are lives better and smarter for the environment. As a Seattle electrical contractor I always promote electrical safety and efficiency and implement materials that meet the standard.
Tangent Electric LLC provides electrical repair, electrical service, electrical contracting, and electrical installation to residents of Western Washington. Seattle electrical contractor 206-878-1139
September 27, 2009
Design and Build
As building costs grow, building owners and renters have been looking for cost saving strategies. One technique has been that the contractor not only builds the project, but also assists in its design. This technique offers some positive aspects to include a decrease in communication problems between the owner and contractor in regard to their needs, problem installation materials being detected in the design process rather than on the job, and less on the job changes.
September 21, 2009
Lights flickering
Of all the symptoms that an electrical system can have, groups of lights that flicker are (in my opinion) the scariest. I suspect that you are getting some arcing somewhere. Arcing occurs when wire connections are close but not fully touching. The electric current jumps the gap, like lightning, and creates some heat. This heat could be minor, or it could be a serious problem, depending on how much current is jumping across the gap, and how wide the gap is.
This is not the same as a short circuit, although both can give off sparks. A short circuit happens when the hot wire touches the neutral or ground wire, and normally the circuit breaker or fuse will trip, shutting off the power.
Arcing can occur for hours, days, weeks, even years, and it will never trip a conventional circuit breaker. And arcing can cause enough heat buildup to start a fire. When in doubt call a licensed electrician.
September 18, 2009
Portable Generators
Many construction teams use a portable generator to power tools and lights at a remote site. Sports officials may also bring in a portable generator to aid in night play or to run an electronic timer/scoreboard. Most commonly, residents and businesses left without power after a weather event will use a portable generator to keep vital appliances operating. A portable generator usually has enough power to keep a freezer, refrigerator, television and some lights working.
Because a portable generator uses a combustion engine to generate electricity, it must have several regulators on board. The engine must turn at 3600 rpm in order to generate the standard 60 Hz of alternating current in North American homes. In order to control engine speed, a portable generator uses a ‘governor’ which mechanically keeps the engine from spinning too fast. A voltage regulator also keeps the output at 120 volts, which keeps electric motors from burning out.
For safety reasons, a portable generator must be operated under dry conditions in a ventilated outdoor area. Carbon monoxide fumes can build up from the exhaust of the generator’s engine, so indoor use is strongly discouraged regardless of the ventilation system. Touching a working portable generator with wet hands can cause electrocution. A canopy can be placed over the generator to protect it from the elements, but the ground below it should be dry.
A portable generator is designed to be a temporary electrical generator, measured in hours of use instead of days. Size does matter when it comes to the capacity of any portable generator. The key measurement is total wattage. All electrical motors need more power to start than to run. Before plugging appliances into the generator, add up the total number of watts all of them will require. This information should be found on a plate near the plug. Compare this number to the wattage rating of the portable generator. The generator needs to produce an equal or higher amount of wattage in order to work safely. This may mean sacrificing the use of an air conditioner in favor of a refrigerator. A bigger portable generator with a higher wattage rating means more available power for higher wattage tools and appliances.
September 16, 2009
Surge Suppression
The need for surge protection products has increased dramatically and is expected to grow in the years ahead. Today’s businesses rely on computers and computer systems to support transaction activities essential to the success of the business. If the computer is down, most activities stop. The business comes to a grinding halt. Power irregularities such as surges and spikes create performance problems for the systems handling essential transactions and sensitive information.
How often is a house directly hit by lightning? Not very often, but strikes in the proximity of a home can cause surges in the electrical, telephone or cable television lines that can cause severe damage to electronics. A nearby lightning strike isn’t the only risk. Downed power lines, the cycling on and off of equipment at a nearby factory and even the cycling on and off of appliances in the house can cause damaging surges.
September 15, 2009
Notable changes to the Seattle Electrical code (SEC)
Electric Vehicle Charging Systems: The SEC has established provisions for the future installation of electric vehicle charging equipment. Article 625.27 has been added to establish requirements for physical space in the service equipment to install a future disconnect for electric vehicle charging. The article also requires pre-planning where the panels and charging outlets would be installed. Consideration should also be given to routing raceways to the required parking areas. Article 220.57 identifies the additional electric vehicle load calculations to be added to the service demand loads. It is anticipated at this time that electric vehicles will be available in the Seattle area as early as the fall of 2010.
Selective coordination as required by Articles 620.62, 700.27, 701.18, and 708.54 has been amended by the SEC. Fault current calculations provided by a licensed electrical engineer may be selectively coordinated for faults with a duration of 0.1 seconds or longer. The calculations will be required to be wet stamped by a licensed Washington State electrical engineer. All other calculations will be required to be calculated to infinity and will not be permitted to utilize adjustable trip breakers to achieve selective coordination.
September 14, 2009
Afci breakers need testing monthly
Arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) are fairly new in the electrical industry. Similar to ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI), they are designed to shut off the electricity to a circuit when a specific type of problem is detected. AFCIs are specifically designed to detect certain arcing conditions, which is a common cause of electrical fires in our homes. They are placed in the electric panel.
As with the GFCI outlets in our kitchens and bathrooms, the AFCI breakers in the electric panel also should be tested monthly to ensure that they are working properly. Each AFCI breaker is labeled and has a test button on it. AFCI circuit breakers typically protect all the electrical outlets and switches in the bedrooms.
If AFCI breakers trip regularly, consult a qualified electrician immediately to determine why the tripping is occurring.
September 11, 2009
Today’s Safety Tip
Water and electricity are a deadly combination. Never use an electric appliance in or around your bathtub, shower or any other wet surface.
• Never touch an electric cord or appliance with wet hands.
• Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) are required for outdoor outlets and those in crawl spaces, bathrooms, garages and near your kitchen sink.
• Don’t overload your electric outlets with too many plugs.
• Only use extension cords at their recommended rating, and never string two together or place an extension cord underneath a rug.
• Cover your outlets with plastic safety caps if you have small children around.
• Never insert a metal object into an appliance. (That goes for your toaster, too!)
• Worn cords can cause shorts, shocks and fires. Don’t use them.
• Don’t carry an appliance by the cord.
• When you unplug an appliance, pull the plug head, not the cord.
• If an appliance smokes, sparks or shocks you, unplug it and have it repaired before you use it again.
• If an appliance catches fire, unplug it, remove the fuse or switch the breaker to “off.” If you can’t control the fire, evacuate the premises and call 911.
• Use a licensed electrician for your home improvement projects
September 10, 2009
Early bird special
Here is an early bird tip for you. The cold weather is starting to approach us, with beautiful days followed by crisp mornings and nights your almost sure to turn that heat up and when you do please don’t forget to check your batteries in your smoke detectors and your carbon dioxide detectors.
These are simple measures that can keep you safe. Whether you have electric heaters or you have gas heaters or a fire place always perform maintenance on these units before we get into a cold snap and let’s not forget the fire extinguisher you should have one readily available in case of a fire. Just having a fire extinguisher doesn’t mean that your safe. Your fire extinguisher requires monthly checks to make sure it has adequate pressure to release the chemicals. A little dusting and battery checking is all I ask. Have an escape plan as well if things really go wrong. You will thank me and so will your home.
