Ceiling Fan Installation

Yesterday, I followed Chris to a ceiling installation in Pleasanton. We had helped the home owner before with recessed lights but this time she needed help installing ceiling fans. There were two rooms that needed to have the ceiling fans assembled.

You could tell Chris had done this many times before. It only took him a few seconds to look at the parts and get them ready to be installed. The first ceiling fan was up and it was time to install the second fan. Chris put up the second fan even faster than the first. He tested both fans and lights to make sure there was no shaking or noise. 

Finally, Chris installed a dimmer in the bathroom. The home owner wanted to be able to control the intensity of the bathroom light in the mornings.

On my way out, I took a picture of the recessed lights that we had installed two weeks before. Don't they look great?! They fill the room with light and completely change the feel of the room.

No job is too big or too small for the team at Maine Electric. Whether the job is as large as a house rewire or as small an installation of ceiling fans, Maine Electric is the right electrician for any job. For more information please visit our business page!

For more pictures of this job visit our Flickr.

Busted Air Conditioner

Last friday I went out to a call in Danville. The home owner was having trouble with their air conditioner unit that wasn't functioning properly. The unit would suck out the warm air but the circuit would break come time to send in the cool air. Mark had taken a look at everything a few days before and found that the air conditioner was not set up properly. The unit needed to be rewired correctly and it was time to go to the electrical panel.

In this case the wire needed to travel from the panel, through the garage, and into the air conditioner unit. Instead of tearing down the walls, the wire was going to be sent through three junction boxes and electrical pipe.

The piping is used to protect the wire from being exposed in the garage and to give the job a better looking finish. The pipe will travel from a junction box near the panel into another junction box in the garage. 

The wire could now safely travel to the until outside and be connected to the third and final junction box. From here, the wire will travel to the air conditioner units where there are already two junction boxes in place for each individual unit.          

Understanding what type of electrical requirements an appliance needs to run properly is very important because it will save you trouble down the road. This homeowner had owned the home for a long time and never knew his air conditioner was improperly connected before he got the home until it became a problem. Luckily Maine Electric was called on the job and we could help out with the problem! 

If there is a an electrical problem in your home visit our business page so we can help with any electrical trouble shooting you may have!

For more pictures of this job check out our Flickr

Warehouse on Wheels

Every morning at Maine Electric the routine is the same. Get to the shop and prepare the vans for all the calls that day. There are hundreds of pieces already present in the vans, but it is important to ensure that the parts needed for each particular job throughout the day is in the van.

The Maine Electric guys are prepared for what ever may come their way. Whether it be a needed ladder, screws, or any other tools, the warehouse on wheels is ready for action.

Not only does the van save time, but it also provides reassurance that the electrician has the right tools to complete the job at the highest quality. There is rarely a need for the electrician to ever leave the job to get parts. 

The goal is to always be prepared to provide the best service and the best job, and the Maine Electric vans help reach that goal.

For more information on our services visit our business page!

More Electrician Than Meets The Eye

I have learned a lot following the Maine Electric guys out to their calls. What I am most impressed about is that it takes more than just being able to work with electricity to be an electrician. An electrician must know how to be crafty in drywall, carpentry, and stucco as I found out recently. In Livermore, an old panel had to be replaced and it was best to put the new panel on the outside of the wall.

That meant that Angel had to prepare the old hole for the brand new panel. He added pieces of wood for support and placed chicken wire on the inside. With these things in place, he could put stucco on the wall and bolt in the brand new panel.

I watched as Angel mixed the powder with water and created a stucco mix. He had to make a little at a time because the stucco would harden quickly. He used his hands to evenly spread the stucco onto the wall making sure enough was in place and that it wouldn't slip down and fall off.

Shortly after the stucco had dried, it was time to place the new panel on the wall and connect the wires. Just like many times before, Angel bolted the panel, sealed around the edges, and neatly organized the wires on the inside. The end result was a beautiful outdoor panel.

All that was left was to ground the panel for safety from a large electrical surge. It was Marks turn to join in on the job. Mark had to pound a 10 foot pole into the ground. This pole would allow any surge in electricity be safely dispersed underground and absorbed into the earth.

Finally, the the panel had been grounded and the job was done.

It goes to show that when looking for an electrician you are not only looking for someone who does the job correctly but someone who does a great job. The Maine Electric team is a well rounded group who can tackle any residential electrical job and have the skills to leave behind a clean end result.

For more information on the services Maine Electric provides please visit out business page.

For more pictures of this job click here!

Installing Recessed Lighting

Last friday I got to see how recessed lighting is installed. I was very excited to see how this was done because in my mind it sounded like a large messy job, but I was wrong. The process of installing recessed lighting is actually quite simple and no where near as messy as I once thought it was.

I drove to Pleasanton and caught up with the Maine Electric guys, Ryan and Tim, and watched as they got ready to install the new lights. The home owners wanted to install some recessed lights on a dimmer because the current light fixture on the ceiling fan wasn't enough for them to light up the entire room. So, Ryan got out his measuring tape and began to find the best symmetrical placement for the lights around the room.

Ryan marked the off four locations around the bed where the lights were to be installed. The locations of the lights would allow the home owners to have light in the entryway of their room, light above the armoire, and light each side of the bed. Once the holes were marked off it was time to drill.  

There was almost no mess because the drill had caught all of the pieces of drywall. All that was left behind was the hole for the brand new recessed lights. Since the lights were to be placed on a dimmer, the old switch had to be replaced to not only control the ceiling fan but also operate the dimmers.

Once the new hole was made in the wall, the new wire for the recessed light could be dropped into the new switch box and connected with the wires from the ceiling fan. That meant it was time for Tim to go back into the attic. The warm weather has finally caught up with us and that means the attic was going to be really hot. Luckily, Tim has a special vest filled with ice packs to keep him cool while in the attic.

The "cups" for the recessed lights could be clipped into the holes and the installation was almost  complete.

I was amazed by how quick and easy it was to install the new lighting. Not only did the new lights get rid of the lamps but it also provided plenty of light to fill the room. Given the new dimmers, the lights could be adjusted to any intensity the home owner pleased. With the Maine Electric team, the job was done quick, safely, and all in one day. 

For more information on the services Maine Electric provides, check out our business page!

Overloaded Circuit!

Yesterday, I took a short drive to a call here in Livermore. I caught up with the Maine Electric guys, Angel and Tim, who had already begun working on their job. The home had a microwave unit that was connected to same circuit as an outlet. The microwave and the outlet had been used at the same time causing the circuit to become overloaded. This picture below shows what happens to the wire when there is too much electricity for the circuit to handle. This could potentially start a fire.

The goal for today was to place the microwave on a dedicated circuit. Also, the electrical panel had to be replaced because not only did it not have enough room for a dedicated microwave circuit but it was located on a "firewall" and needed to be properly repositioned. A firewall in your home is different from the firewall you may have on your computer to protect you from harm. In this case, a firewall means that the location of the electrical panel is within a wall facing the inside of the house. For added safety from fire and by city regulation, it is required the fuse box be framed on the outside of the wall. So, Angel and Tim got to work.

Angel carefully disconnected the wires and began to remove the old fuse box. Meanwhile, Tim started to make the hole into the attic.

Once the attic opening was made, Angel could then begin to drill the hole in which the new wire would come down. Also, the wire could then be sent to Tim who would then pull the wire towards the location of the microwave. Tim would then send the wire down into its new location where an outlet solely dedicated for the microwave would be assembled.

Finally, it was time to patch up the holes and install the new electrical panel.

The electrical panel would be framed with wood and sheetrock. After all the wires were installed, Angel and Tim worked together to label each and every breaker if in the future power needed to be cut off in a specific area.

Electricity is no joke! As we saw at this location, an overloaded circuit caused a wire to burn. There was no fire but luckily our trained and certified electricians were called in order to prevent the microwave overloading the circuit from happening again. If you would like more information about Maine Electric and our their services please visit their website.

For more pictures of the job click here.

Livermore Spa Feed to Disconnect Box Installation

Yesterday I followed the Maine Electric guys to a local job in Livermore. The home owner needed an electrical feed and disconnect box for their spa. So, that meant back in the attic today to feed some wire! Before we could go up into the attic, Angel had to prepare the location outside for the new connection.

Once the location had been determined, it was time to make the hole for the wire to travel across the attic. Angel drilled away!

Next, I watched as Angel prepare the fuse box for the new wires that were going to be connected. When installing new wires into the fuse box it is important to understand what kind of voltage the items being installed carry because it could trip the breaker.

As Angel was preparing the fuse box, I followed Tim up into the attic to watch him pull the wire. Since we were in a newer home, it was much more manageable to move around. Regardless, there was still so many things to hop over!

The wire was then sent down to Angel in order to be connected with all the other wires.

It is important to make sure the electrical work in your home is done safely and correctly. The Maine Electric guys work on multiple electrical jobs on a daily bases and understand how to get the job done. They are certified and trained to handle many different types of electrical jobs. For more information on the services we provide, check out the Maine Electric business page!

Click here for more pictures of the job!