Do I need a new electrical panel?

Do you need electrical upgrades in your home?

The average life-span of a home is now more than 35 years. That means that many homes were built before most of today’s electrical appliances and gadgets were even invented.  The steady increase of electronic use and home energy consumption means that the electrical systems in many older homes could easily become overloaded and be in need of an upgrade.

• Do your lights flicker? 
• Are your breakers constantly tripping?
• Do your fuses blow regularly?
• Does your panel box make a crackling sound?
• Are your electrical service conductors overheating?
• Are you renovating your home or making an addition to your home?
• Did you add a sauna or a hot tub?
• Do you need more outlets?
• Did your homeowners insurance require that you make an upgrade?
• Do you use multiple extension cords?
• Do your appliances run on less than full power?
• Do you require a 240v circuit?
• Do you need to add a sub panel?
• Do you need a power surge arrestor?
• Are your outlets two pronged (non-grounded)?
• Is a GFI required?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, it may be a warning sign that it is time to upgrade or replace your electrical panel.

According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, more than 53,000 homes are destroyed by electrical fires each year, resulting in more than 2,000 deaths and injuries and $1.4 billion in property damage.

Fortunately, many of the dangers associated with older electrical systems can be prevented simply by upgrading your home’s electrical panel. 

Upgrading your electrical panel helps to ensure that your electrical system is equipped to meet your energy needs and protect your family and property.  If you live in an aging home, Cain Electric can inspect your home’s electrical wiring and distribution system to determine exactly what your electrical service panel needs are. Upgrading or replacing important components can help prevent electrical emergencies before they occur. Call Cain Electric (314) 607-8687 today to upgrade or replace your electric panel!

Electrical Installation for your Hot Tub or Sauna

Hot tubs and Saunas can make your backyard a haven this time of the year.  They provide a source of fun, entertainment, stress relief, and muscle relaxation.  Hot tubs and saunas are a great way to melt away the stress of the day, so don’t let complicated installations get you stressed out! Give Cain Electric a call, we want to help you enjoy your warm and cozy hot tub or sauna as quickly and safely as possible. We will make sure that you get the dedicated circuits and outlets and proper electrical wiring done so that you can have the peace of mind to truly enjoy your new addition. 

Don’t let tricky installations hold you back, let Cain Electric handle all the complicated electrical details.  No matter what kind of sauna or hot tub you order, from traditional therapeutic hot tubs to saunas with charcoal heated rocks, we have you covered.

Electrical work and repairs can be especially dangerous around water, there is a risk of shock or electrocution which could result in serious injury or even death. Your hot tub electrical wiring should be done by a licensed, insured and bonded electrician...which we proudly are.  Improper wiring may also cause damage to the equipment and void the spa manufacturer's warranty.  You definately want a professional to handle the electrical installation when it comes your new hot tub or sauna

Give us a call to set up an appointment today! (314) 607-8786 or (636) 390-4566 www.cainelectricstl.com

Advantages of Installing Solar Power

Another Cain Electric Solar Install!  Call today to find out how to 'go' Solar at your home!

What exactly is Solar power?
We have all be hearing more and more on the topic of solar energy these days; so what is it?  Simply put, solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity.

What are the advantages to having Solar installed at my home?

Solar power is a renewable, dependable resource
As long as there is sun, you will have electricity. You are not reliant on fuel, power-grids or far away power stations for your electricity needs.  The advantages of solar power are becoming more than a luxury; it is becoming a necessity, as fuel prices continue to increase we are in danger of depleting its reserves.
Solar power is non-polluting Unlike oil, solar power usage does not emit any greenhouse gases. You will become more environmentally responsible by reducing your carbon footprint. 
The energy and heat from the sun is free. Once solar panels are installed, there are no electrical expenses necessary to power them.
Solar requires very little maintenance, because there are no moving parts that must be maintained.  Just set and forget! And Solar cells can last a lifetime!
Solar power is incredibly versatile. A variety of inventions may be powered by it, including cars, water heaters, fountains, buildings, and satellites.
Need more incentives?There are also various tax-rabates and incentives for alternative energy that you should think about. See what Ameren has to offer: http://www.ameren.com/sites/aue/Environment/Renewables/Pages/StandardOfferContract.aspx 
Increases the resell value of your home
Having a home where electricty is generated by the use of solar panels is an attractive benefit for many people that are looking for homes to purchase and could go a far way of increasing the value of your home. Keeping this in mind is something one must not forget when considering solar panels and there are a lot of potential buyers out there that value the eco-friendly and cost reducing benefits of solar power. 

Now is a perfect time to take that step towards having cleaner, renewable energy for you and your family.    

Electrical Troubleshooting

 

Do you have an electrical mystery you can’t solve?  

We've got the knowledge and tools to get the job done right.

 

Short circuits, flickering lights, blown fuses, broken outlets, faulty wiring, defective lights, code violations, damaged splices, complex fixture installation…

Electrical troubleshooting is a skilled art. If handled improperly, it can even be hazardous.  Inaccurate troubleshooting can lead to extended outages, increased overhead costs, additional repairs, reduced profits and potential injury.  Whether the problem started occurring upon initial installation or afterwards, Cain Electric will inspect, diagnose, and fix the problem.  Hi-tech troubleshooting covers everything from new wiring systems to emergency electrical calls.  Our electricians have superior technical knowledge and are willing to go the extra mile to solve your electrical problems. 

At Cain Electric our goal is to provide prompt, professional and friendly service.  Our electricians are dedicated to getting the job done right the first time!  We want to ensure that your electrical systems are running as safely and smoothly as possible.  Give us a call to make an appointment to solve the electrical mysteries in your home or business today.

Call Cain Electric and consider your case closed!

Recessed Lighting

Have you ever walked into someone's home and thought to yourself, "wow the lighting in here is wonderful"!  You can get a spectacular lighting ambience too with recessed lighting. Recessed lighting can provide dramatic, low-profile illumination for every room of the house.  These fixtures are embedded into the ceiling, so there are no dangling cords, switches or lampshades to interrupt your view. Different varieties of recessed lighting can provide ambient, accent, task and flood lighting depending on their bulbs, housing and trim.  Designers and homeowners choose recessed lighting when they want something sleek, functional and affordable.  This option is all but invisible since the fixture, light bulb and wiring are all tucked away inside the ceiling.  What is visible to the eye are glowing discs of light directed at a countertop, working area, artwork and decor or shelving.  Recessed lighting offers a clean, streamlined look in your home.  It can increase the amount of light in a room, highlight special features, and open up spaces so they look and feel bigger.  Get the refined ambiance you have been waiting for with new recessed lighting for your home.  Whether you want recessed lighting on flat or sloped ceiling, under cabinets of in entry ways, Cain Electric has you covered.
  
Find out what type of recessed lighting is right for you.

• Incandescent - These lights are great for general lighting.  They are commonly known as “A” bulbs and are relatively inexpensive. 
• Energy Star® - These lights help to save you money because they reduce energy consumption. Energy Star® lights not only help protect the environment, they use 75% less energy and last ten times as long as regular lights.
• Fluorescent  - These lights are ideal for office and commercial settings.  Fluorescent lights provide reduced glare and increased operating efficiency.
• Line Voltage - Line voltage lights are less expensive to purchase, but they do not run as efficiently as low voltage lights.  In addition you can use regular dimmers instead of special dimmers with line voltage lights.
• Low Voltage Halogen - Low voltage bulbs have a longer life and can put out more light with less energy than incandescent bulbs, but these require special housing and the use of transformers.
• Standard Halogen - These lights offer a bright white light that is available in two separate styles:  flood and spotlight. 
• Fire Barrier Housing - This is a great way to meet fire codes with recessed lighting.  This housing box surrounds the light and helps maintain and control heat exposure from a fire.
• Multiple Recessed Spots - Provide a contemporary and aesthetically pleasing alternative to track lighting.  These lights are available two to four spot arrangements. 
• Swivel Lighting - These lights can be repositioned to highlight different areas.  Use swivel lights for task lighting or accentuating artwork and architecture.  
• Down Lighting - These lights focus straight down and are often used to light up rooms.  For the best effect the area illuminated by each down light should overlap. 
• LED Swivel Lighting - LED Lights run very efficiently, are long lasting and do not heat up like other bulbs.

 Are you ready to get started on transforming your home lighting?  Call Cain Electric today to get started on your project!

Tips to Save Money on your Electric Bills at Home

You wouldn't throw money out the window driving down the highway, would you? Ofcourse not, that would be ridiculous, right? However, many American's unknowingly are doing just that when it comes to their home energy usuage.  There are a few easy things you can start doing today to start saving money on your utility bills. 

 

1. Install a programmable thermostat.  Or turn the heating/cooling down a few degree's when you are out of the house all day and at night.

2. Replace old light bulbs with energy efficient CFL or LED bulbs.  They not only last longer, but they also use about a quarter of the energy and produce the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs.

3. Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater.

4. Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.

5. Plug home electronics into power strips; turn off power strips when not in use. (T.V.'s and DVD's still draw electricity in standby mode).

6. Give your computer a good night's sleep, you'll save money as well as CO2.

7. Take shorter showers.

8. If you are needing new appliances...replace with Engery Star appliances.

9. Unplug chargers when not in use, also your cell or laptop only needs to be charged for a few hours; no need to let it sit on the charger all night.

10. Take advantage of the sun!  Solar is a great way to reduce your energy consumption...not to mention off setting your carbon footprint!

 

Start making small changes today and you'll see big savings on your electric bills. 

Home Electrical Wiring Warning Signs

Is your home's electrical system trying to tell you something?

 

If you experience frequent breaker trips...

It’s perfectly normal to go years without having to reset a tripped breaker or replace a blown fuse. If you have a circuit that trips fairly often, there’s a good chance it’s overloaded, or there could be a short or fault somewhere in the wiring run or on any devices connected to the circuit.

If you experience dimming or flickering lights...

Dimming lights is another common indication of circuit overload or improper wiring. Flickering lights can result from damaged fixture wiring, a problem with the switch or a fault somewhere. In older homes with 60-amp service panels (breaker boxes), underpowered fixtures and appliances may indicate that the household system is being overtaxed and should be upgraded.

If you experience buzzing or charred outlets and switches...

Outlet and switches are never supposed to buzz, and their faces or coverplates should never be hot to the touch. These are clear warning signs, often indicating a faulty device, loose wiring inside the box or arching between the wire conductors and the device, box or coverplate. Charred devices should be inspected immediately, as well.  It’s normal for most dimmer switches and coverplates to be warm, but they should not be hot.

If you smell something burning...

Even the faintest scent of overheated plastic can be a big warning sign. If you can’t find the source of a burning smell, whether it’s in a room or next to an appliance, assume that wiring is a possible culprit.

If you have damaged or worn insulation...

Without completely intact insulation, electrical wiring is extremely dangerous. Frayed, cut or burned insulation on any wire is a serious hazard. Also, cable splices should always occur inside an approved junction box.

What should you do when your house is giving you warning signs?  Call for a home electrical safety inspection.

The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends an electrical inspection of your home every 10 to 40 years, if you’ve added substantial new loads (such as high-wattage appliances) or if you detect any warning signs of wiring problems. Inspections should be conducted by a licesensed electricial contractor.

St Louis Electrician - Stand By Generators

 

POWER....Our lives depend on it.  Don't let an electrical storm leave you in the dark...get a Home Standby Generator today.

 

We rely on electricity for everyday necessities like heating, cooling, refrigeration and lights and daily essentials like cooking, laundry and bathing.  Power outages are occurring more frequently than ever and lasting longer with devastating effects.  Comfort, security and convenience are things you can depend on with a residential standby generator...just in case the power goes out.  Stand up to unpredictable weather and unforeseen outages with a residential standby generator.  If the power ever goes out, your standby generator goes on - automatically - protecting you and your home 24/7.  A standby generator can give you peace of mind and the ability to live your busy life, uninterruped.  It's good to be prepared.

Understanding Home Standby Generators

Your power can go out for any number of reasons.  Sometimes, a transformer simply fails due to age.  Occasionally, a work crew nicks an underground cable.  Other times, an accident or storm causes damage to electrical poles or lines.  When electrical service to your home is interrupted, a home standby generator quickly detects it, starts up, and produces quiet, clean electricity - so you can get on with your life. 

When it comes to having a reliable power source for your home, you need a generator.  You won't have to worry about whether you or your family will be able to stay warm through a freeze or stay cool through a heat wave.  So call Cain Electric to get a generator installed today and put an end to worrying about an outage in your area.

At Cain Electric a licensed professional will install your generator and show you how you can operate it most effectively.  In addition, we will arrange for an inspection of the generator to make sure that all local codes and regulations are met. 

CALL NOW and have a professional St Louis Electrician install your Stand by Generator so you won't be left in the dark.

St. Louis Electrician comments on Child Safety and Electrical Outlets

  

Worried about when your children become curious about the electrical outlets in your home? 

 

It is important to protect children with tamper proof outlets throughout your home, as outlets are tempting toys for unsuspecting children.  Sticking fingers or foreign objects into sockets puts them at risk of being shocked or burned.  Reduce this risk by calling Cain Electric to install child proof outlets in your home today.

Is your child at risk of injury? 

This year over 2,400 kids will be injured by placing metal objects into electrical outlets.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that over 95% of these injuries will involve burns.  These burns range in severity, but many result in serious, even fatal injuries.  Even minor injuries can leave a child emotionally traumatized.  It is important to note that pediatric burns are more serious than adult burns because their skin is thin and offers little resistance to electric flow or heat.  For this reason infant and toddler burns leave more serious burns and scars.  Alarmingly 70% of the time adult supervision is present when an injury occurs.  It only takes a second for a child to find danger by sticking a metal object or their finger into an outlet.

Do all child proof outlets work?

Unfortunately some of the products that claim to protect your children have not only proven to be unreliable, but have become a hazard themselves.  The plastic plugs you push into the socket can be removed and if inserted into the mouth, can become a choking hazard.  In addition, some “tamper proof” outlets don’t fully close the openings to the outlet and a child could still push something like a safety pin in the hole and experience an electrical shock. There are even some products that require you to screw the plugs in place. This is not only inconvenient, it presents a fire hazard.

Call Cain Electric to install the right child proof outlets in your home today. 

Can injuries be prevented?

Injuries can be prevented by installing appropriate tamper resistant outlets. Tamper resistant outlets have been so successful at preventing injuries that the 2008 National Electrical Code requires them to be installed in all new homes. If you home is older, you can easily meet safety code by adding child proof outlets throughout your home.

St Louis Electrician installs Solar Power for the MO Botanical Garden

Cain Electric has completed the installation of a 25-kilowatt solar electric system that will bring new on site clean energy to the Missouri Botanical Garden.

 

The solar project involved a unique partnership that included Express Scripts ( sponsor), Microgrid Energy(System Designer) and Cain Electric ( Licensed Electrical Contractor). Through this partnership and team effort the Missouri Botanical Garden now has one of the most advance technological solar electric systems up and running in the area.

The solar array is mounted on an approximately 3000 square foot area on the roof top of the Missouri Botanical Garden's Commerce Bank Education for Science Center (CBEC), and is visible from Highway 44 between the Kingshighway and Vandeventer exits. The 110 solar modules (panels) will produce an estimated 32,000 kilowatt hours of power annually. The power created by this system is equivalent to the energy needed to power four to six homes. Over the life of the system which is expected to be 30 years, the system is estimated to produce 870,000 kilowatt hours of energy and displace 800 tons of carbon dioxide. The saving in emissions is equivalent to eliminating 2500 gallons of gasoline burned in vehicles per year or 29 acres of hardwood forest.

A touch-screen monitoring station in the CBEC lobby offers an opportunity for the visitors to learn more about solar, including viewing the real-time power production of the solar panels and the daily energy harnessed. Visitors can also measure the array's power production tallies for the current week, month and its lifetime to date.

If you have interest in a renewable energy solar installation at your home or facility Give Us a Call at Cain Electric.

Watch for our post on another installation soon to be completed.