If you think electrical hazards can’t affect you, consider the following statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Electrical Safety Foundation International, respectively:

• Every year electrical hazards cause 30,000 homes fires.
• Every year electrical hazards result in 200 deaths and approximately 1,000 injuries.
• Every year faulty electrical wiring causes $600 million in property damage and 20% of electrocutions.

Most of the reasons that these unfortunate incidents happen is because a home’s or business’s electrical code is not current. By getting electrical repair services when problems are first noticed and maintaining your property’s electrical system, you can protect yourself from dangerous electrical problems.

About Electrical Code Updates

Electrical codes go back as far as 1897 when the National Electric Code (NEC) was first developed. The NEC is the standard for safe electrical installation, design, and inspection so that people and property are always protected from electrical hazards.

Every three years, the NEC electrical code is updated to reflect modern standards. A home electric safety inspection conducted once every three years can ensure that your home is using electricity as safely as possible.

An example of an NEC electrical code update that has saved countless lives is the GFCI protection requirement. GFCI outlets detect imbalance in electrical current and will kill power to the outlet before electrical shock can occur. Because of this code update more homes have these life-saving outlets.

My Santa Ana Electrical Hero Electricians Are Always Up to Code

Keeping your family safe is always our #1 priority. Our licensed electricians are always knowledgeable about the latest code updates and can assist you with replacing outdated wiring. We can also help you with the following electric repair services:

• Pre-purchase home safety inspections to make sure the property meets current safety standards
• Check that all electrical equipment and components meet current regulations
• Install dedicated computer circuits
• Rewire knob and tube wiring with modern materials
• Install AFCI circuit breakers

All our electrical services are designed to ensure that you can feel safe and secure in your home. The last thing we want is for you to become injured, at risk of death, or be liable for problems that came from an electrical incident at your house.

My Santa Ana Electrical Hero is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist you with all your emergency electrical repairs. For more information about current NEC codes, get in touch with us today to learn more.

A transformer is an electrical device tasked with monitoring voltage and dispersed current. It regularly increases or decreases voltage and current to ensure safe and efficient voltage is getting to your home or business. Whether you have a pad mounted transformer or custom transformer, My Santa Ana Electrician Hero, is ready to help you with transformer repairs, installation, and troubleshooting. For all your installation, repair, or commercial transformer maintenance needs, call your local commercial electricians in Santa Ana today!

We Service All Commercial Transformers

There are many different types of commercial transformers. Each one has its own maintenance and installation needs. Below is some information about the various transformers that many of the commercial buildings in Santa Ana are equipped with.

Liquid-Filled Transformers

• Versatile – used in numerous kinds of industrial and commercial settings
• Can be used outdoors or indoors
• Outdoor transformers are filled with mineral oil
• Indoor transformers use high fire point fluids

Dry-Type Transformers

• Used in industrial settings
• Expensive cable runs are not necessary since these transformers can be installed near the electrical load
• Low operating and maintenance costs

Cast Coil Transformers

• Great for handling overvoltages, thermal and electrical stress
• Long lasting
• Require little maintenance
• Transformer not affected by airborne contaminants and moisture
• Best locations for cast coil transformers include: auto plants, medical plants, pul and paper factories, food and beverage buildings

Step-up & Step-down Transformers

Simple transformers that regulate voltage transferred.

Pad Mounted Transformers

·      Best for underground power distribution systems
·      Found in restaurants, schools, retail, and office buildings
·      Flexible, contemporary design

Isolation Transformers

• Best used in situations where equipment needs to be isolated from power source for safe operation.

Toroidal Transformers

• Frequency doesn’t change when electricity from one circuit to another occurs
• Circular formation prevents electromagnetic interference
• Unique type of transformer

Custom Transformers

• Designed to meet a building’s individual power needs

Buck Boost Transformers

• Great for lighting application

When you’re ready to update your building’s transformers, give My Santa Ana Electrician Hero a call. We guarantee superior service, outstanding performance, and customized solutions.

If you’re looking for ways to trim your business’s operating costs, you may want to consider changing out your bulbs. Did you know that 35% of your building’s energy usage comes directly from your lighting? At My Santa Ana Electrician Hero, we help businesses find the right commercial lighting solutions to reduce cost. With so many bulb combinations and lighting options, it can be hard to figure out which is right for you. We can help you with commercial lighting basics and beyond! No job is too tiny or too complex for our electricians.

Commercial Lighting Is Not Like Residential Lighting

The biggest mistakes that companies make is thinking that all lighting is the same. It’s not. The lighting you use in your home isn’t nearly as effective as specially-designed commercial lighting. Whether you have a factory, a warehouse, or even a retail location, you need precise commercial lighting options and fluorescent light ballast replacement.

Commercial lighting isn’t just for looks. It’s meant to save you money. For example, is your building using commercial ballasts? This type of lighting is used with fluorescent bulbs to prevent overheating and frequent burnouts. Continuously replacing bulbs can get expensive, especially if you’re using residential fluorescent bulbs. These commercial bulbs with ballast support help lighting last longer.  Also, with proper installation, commercial lighting solutions can minimize interference with electronic and protect against fire threats.

Choosing the Best Bulbs for Your Business

One lighting choice you need to make is what kind of bulbs you want. Our licensed electricians in Santa Ana can go over your options and provide you with expert recommendations. Below are the most popular commercial lighting options.

Fluorescent (CFLs)

• Most common commercial lighting
• Produce 1/3 the amount of light as incandescent, but last 10x longer
• CFLs can easily replace incandescent lights that are in standard light sockets, making it easy to switch
• Fluorescent lighting does contain mercury and should always be disposed of properly. Ask your local electrician about this process.

Incandescent

• Available as general service/standard, reflectorized, and xenon
• Older technology that is not as efficient as other lighting options
• Found in older buildings that have not upgraded their lighting design

Halogen

• 2x more efficient than incandescent
• Produce a bright light
• Most effective as parking lot, security, or stadium lighting

HID/Metal Halide

• High-intensity bulbs
• Have a long lifespan
• Produce bright light in large quantities
• Best for use in warehouses or industrial buildings due to the intensity

LED

• Most efficient of all commercial light bulbs
• Lasts 30x-50x longer
• Uses 75% less energy than incandescent

How Can I Tell If I Need Knew Lights?

Buildings update their security systems and install new computer equipment frequently. Lighting doesn’t always get the same attention until you’re working in the dark. Here are some signs that you may need to call an electrician in Santa Ana to help you formulate a new commercial lighting design.

• Lights frequently flicker or seem to dim
• Lights are cracked
• Light bulbs burn out frequently
• Light bulbs or lighting fixtures are making noises
• You’re no longer able to achieve the same brightness
• Energy bills are getting higher and higher

Other reasons to call My Santa Ana Electrician Hero to speak with a lighting specialist include the desire to upgrade to longer lasting bulbs, to reduce energy consumption, or a preference for a different shade of lighting.

At My Santa Ana Electrician Hero, our goal is to help you get the most bang for your buck out of your commercial lighting. From track and accent lighting to industrial lighting and festive holiday displays, we do it all. Call us today to set up a free consultation! We’ll send a lighting specialist to your building to evaluate your current setup and make energy-efficient recommendations that will work well for years to come.

Are you due for an electrical panel upgrade? Your business may be operating with insufficient wiring and you don’t even know it. Buildings with outdated wiring are at risk of power outages, lost information, and electrical fires. Many buildings in the Santa Ana area have been updated or renovated without touching the electrical panel. This is bad news! Call My Santa Ana Electrician Hero to find out if your building could benefit from a new electrical panel or circuit upgrades.

Electrical Panel Basics

The average person doesn’t need to know everything about electrical panels, but a bit of basic knowledge can help you identify potential problems. When power from the utility company reaches your building, it travels through a meter box first and then to the electrical panel. This panel houses circuits that deliver power in small batches to the outlets and switches in your building. If any part of this process is disrupted, the safety and productivity of your business and its employees could be at risk. You may think that your building has an approved commercial electrical panel, but that’s not always the case. Some buildings, especially those that were converted from residential to commercial, may operate on antiquated electrical systems that do not meet current codes.

Did you know? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) require commercial electrical panels with a “dead front.” This is a safety feature that protects a person from being exposed to electricity and at risk of electric shock.

How do I find my building’s electrical panel?

The electrical panel is a gray or metal box. It should be located in an area of the building that easily accessible, but also out of the way so that the panel isn’t blocked. Blocked electrical boxes are an OSHA and NFPA safety violation. Sometimes the panel may also be attached to an exterior wall.

Need help finding your building’s electrical panel? Give us a call. We’ll be happy to send a licensed electrician near you to help you find it.

Commercial Electrical Panel Upgrade Checklist

Do any of the following situations sound familiar? If so, get in touch with a Santa Ana electrician right away for a safety inspection and professional recommendations.

• Rusted breakers or panel
• Electrical service conductors are overheating
• Sounds coming from the electrical panel
• Your business relies on extension cords too often
• Equipment is not operating at full power
• Power spikes and surges
• You recently installed new, heavy-duty equipment (servers, copiers, printers, etc.)
• Recent renovations to your business
• Business has a fuse block or split bus panel (this technology is not up to NEC code and extremely dangerous)
• Your building only has two-prong outlets or you need additional grounded outlets installed
• Your insurance policy requires new electrical panel upgrade service

Always Opt for Professional Electrical Panel Installation and Maintenance

Electrical repair, installation, and maintenance services should always be performed by a licensed electrician. Only professionals with in-depth knowledge and experience should touch your building’s wiring. While you may think it’s a good idea to assign these jobs to your janitorial or maintenance staff, you could be putting them in danger of electrocution and your company at risk of a liable suit.

Whether you need sub-panel installation, whole-building commercial rewiring, or another electrical service, give us a call. Our electrical panel repair services are guaranteed to meet local building codes, NEC codes, and come with the peace of mind that your upgrades were done correctly.

To schedule an appointment with a commercial electrician, call us at (714) 881-5510. We offer free estimates and 24-hour emergency electrical services.

If you thought the terms “surge protection” and “power strip” were interchangeable, think again. While all surge protectors are essentially power strips, the same cannot be said of the latter. Both of these electrical accessories make it possible to connect several cords into one outlet, but the level of protection they afford is far from equal. Knowing the differences between these two accessories will help you protect your appliances.

The Role of a Power Strip

The sole purpose of the power strip is to make it possible to use an outlet for more than two devices at one time. While power strips are convenient, they are far from safe for your appliances, lamps, and other electrical equipment. During a storm or in the event of a spike in power, the power strip offers zero protection. What does this mean? It means that you could end up with a fried television or broken computer when you thought you were being safe.

Surge Protectors Are the Better Deal

A surge protector offers the best protection and still lets you connect multiple devices at one time. The beauty of the surge protector is that it protects what is plugged into it from power spikes. Most people are unaware that power surges are even happening in their home, but it is common for a circuit to become overloaded from too much voltage. Many times this happens when two large appliances are trying to draw power at the same time from the same circuit. For example, if your dryer and washing machine use the same circuit and are running simultaneously, they are both drawing power. If you turn on your microwave and it’s on the same circuit, it could trip the breaker.

Why Do I Need Whole-House Surge Protection?

Let’s revisit the previous example where three major appliances are running at the same time. Unlike your television and computer or WiFi router, larger appliances are not hooked up to a surge protector strip, which leaves them vulnerable. With whole-house surge protection, everything that draws electricity in your home is protected from energy spikes.

Is whole-house surge protection ideal for you? The best way to determine this is to call a Sana Ana electrician to come to your home and perform an in-depth analysis of your electrical usage.

My Santa Ana Electrician Hero is a top-rated electrical repair and replacement service in Santa Ana that offer 24 hours assistance. Call us today at your earliest convenience!

How is your electricity working for you? Are you having problems with switches that don’t turn on, outlets that lack power, or frequent power surges? What about the age of your home? Are you living in a home that was built decade ago?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, your electrical system may be due for an upgrade. Here are two ways that My Santa Ana Electrician Hero helps homeowners get the best performance from their electrical systems.

Consider Subpanel Installation

Most single-family homes are constructed with one main panel. For a home that is approximately 2,000 square feet, this is sufficient power. However, if you finish your basement or build an addition, you may need more voltage to prevent power surges.

Even if you’re not planning an addition or renovation project, consider how you use the electricity in your home. The average main electrical panel can supply enough power for everyday usage of normal household appliances and electronic devices (think televisions, computers, etc.). It is when you start adding additional appliances to the home that you may need to consider upgrading or adding a subpanel.

Homeowners who install hot tubs, pools, workshops, outdoor lighting or other amenities to their homes may need to add a subpanel to shoulder the additional electrical load. Adding more power to your home can help you prevent power surges, tripped circuits, and electrical fires.

Replace Old Wiring for a Safer Home Environment

If you’re living in a home that is several decades old, it’s a good idea to have your wiring inspected by an electrician in Santa Ana. Old wiring, especially aluminum wiring, can be very dangerous. It may not even be installed up to today’s professional standards.

In addition to home wiring replacement, you may also need to upgrade your fuse box for a circuit breaker. If you’re on the fence about whether or not you need electrical upgrades, take a quick walk around your house. Note how many outlets you have in each room and how many power strips you’re using to supply electricity to all your devices and appliances. Next, check for GFCI outlets. These are outlets that have the reset button. A lot of homes built in the mid-20^th century and before do not have these kinds of outlets, which is a safety hazard.

At My Santa Ana Electrician Hero, we know that assessing your home’s electrical system can be complicated. That is why we’re here to help. Call to schedule an appointment with one of our licensed electricians in Santa Ana, CA, to come to your home and perform a thorough inspection of your electrical system.

In general terms, an electrician is someone that works with electricity. But, there are different types of electricians for different types of projects. While a residential electrician works mainly on houses, work performed on office buildings, factories, or retail stores is done by a commercial electrician. Businesses have varied demands for their projects, making it essential that a qualified, commercial electrician from Santa Ana is hired to help these businesses with their electrical needs.

Strategic, Expert Planning

Commercial electricians do more than just run wires and hook up outlets. Most projects require strategic planning to decide how the miles and miles of wiring will be incorporated in the building’s infrastructure. Commercial electricians create electrical plans, showing where all the wires will travel to. Most local codes require these wires to travel through a specific conduit to protect the wiring from tampering and decay.

The conduit also helps guide the wiring around corners, preventing snags that can tear the insulation. Depending on the size and purpose of the building, the wiring may run from the circuit panel to hundreds of different outlets. Different electrical loads require different size wires, too. A main circuit breaker may run larger load lines to each floor or office, where individual circuits are created and wiring runs to the outlets.

Data Transfer Considerations

With the continual advances in electricity, electricians have more wiring to worry about than ever before. In the early stages of the Internet, everyone had to use a dial-up connection to access online information. But, as technology advanced, faster computers were created that required faster data transfers. Electronic information now has dedicated wiring that transfers it from place to place. There are two types of data cables; copper that still transfers the data as an energy pulse and fiber optic cable that uses light to send information.

Efficiency Energy Consumption

In a turbulent economy, everyone is trying to save money wherever possible. This includes business owners. Did you know that in a typical office setting, nearly half of a company’s utility bill is affected by the lighting in the building? This means that business owners need energy efficient lighting choices that commercial electricians can help them choose from.

There are many great LED applications for commercial lighting that can save money as well as advanced timers that can turn the lights off at the end of the day. Many businesses also use motion sensors instead of light switches to limit usage even during work hours. Commercial electricians can even automate the whole building, including lighting, HVAC and general usage. Many businesses have begun looking at solar panels as a way to supplement their energy use. A commercial electrician in Santa Ana can help you make the right choices for your budget and energy needs.

Electrical safety is not a laughing matter.  If electricity isn’t handled correctly, you could be putting your home and family at risk of serious injury or death. In this blog post, we’ll discuss unintentional electrical safety mistakes that you may be making and the steps you can take to improve the electricity in your

Do Not Cover Power Cords

It’s true that power cords aren’t the prettiest sight you’ve every laid your eyes on. Power cords are also tripping hazards. Many people address these issues by burying power cords under couches and rugs to keep them out of the way. While this may take care of the aesthetic issue, it can actually be a huge fire hazard. Use cord keepers to organize power cords and keep them from getting tangled up.

Repair Frayed Wiring

Minor fraying of power cords is not something that should be ignored. Frayed wires are fire hazards and they can pose a tremendous risk to children and pets. A damaged cord can put anyone who touches it at risk of electrical burns, shock, and even electrocution. Call an electrician in Santa Ana to repair any frayed wiring connected to outlets, switches, or other fixtures.

Stay Grounded

All circuits need to be grounded correctly. Circuits that are not grounded are putting your home and family at risk 24 hours a day. A circuit that isn’t grounded can cause shock if it comes in contact with moisture. Make sure all the outlets in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, basements, wet bars, etc., are always GFCIs and installed by professional electricians.

Don’t Ignore a Bad Breaker

Older homes have fuse boxes. Newer homes have circuit breakers. Regardless of whether your electricity runs off of fuses or breakers, it’s important that these components of your electrical system are working. If a fuse or breaker is tripping frequently, it needs to be fixed immediately. Chances are that the amount of power going to the fuse or breaker is too much. You may need to add additional fuses or breakers, and in some cases, you may need to add a subpanel to handle the extra load.

Know the Warning Signs of an Electrical Fire

Did you know that electrical fires can smolder inside of your home’s walls for days before they become noticeable to the naked eye? Electrical fires destroy homes and take hundreds of lives every year. Know the signs of an electrical fire to protect your family. These signs include the following:

• Burning odor
• Flickering or dimming of lights
• Sparks when turning on and off a switch
• Sizzling sounds when electricity is on

If you notice any of these instances happening in your home, give My Santa Ana Electrician Hero a call right away. We’ll send a licensed emergency electrician to your home immediately to assess the situation.

When your home’s electricity is not working as it should, it can be an inconvenience to say the least. If you’re in this situation, you may be wondering if it’s time to call an electrician in Santa Ana for emergency repairs. At My Santa Ana Electrician Hero, we respond to service calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Here are 3 reasons that you may need the assistance of an emergency electrician today!

Sparks Fly

If sparks are coming from switches or outlets when you turn on lights or an appliance, this is an emergency situation that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Sparks indicate that a connection isn’t completing as it should. Turn off the breakers that are associated with the affected outlets or switches. Next, call your trusty Santa Ana electrician right away.

Exposed Wiring

If you have exposed wiring in your home, the potential for an electrical fire or electrocution exists. Wiring may be exposed for many reasons (i.e., a renovation, a DIY repair gone bad). It’s crucial that this problem is solved right away to prevent accidental exposure to live wires. Call for emergency services immediately!

Earthquake Damage

In Santa Ana, earthquake damage can lead to flooding in a home. If you have standing water in your home and exposed wiring due to wall damage, this is a recipe for danger. You need an expert electrician to come to your home right away to assess the situation and make recommendations for repairs.

My Santa Ana Electrician Hero is a 24-hour electrical repair and replacement service that never charges more for emergency services. You get the same great rates, amazing customer service, and expert repairs whether you call first thing in the morning or over the weekend. Don’t let the time on the clock dictate when you call for repairs. Get the help you need now for less!