Fluorescent lights have few components. The ballast, the pins and the bulbs. If the correct bulbs were installed and the flickering or hard starting persists you may have a bad connection but most often the problem is the ballast which has reached the end of its useful life. Have the ballast replaced or an LED fixture installed as a replacement.

Fluorescent bulbs and ballasts are slowly being phased out. Upgrade to an Led fixture, they save energy and most are maintenance free for 50,000 hours.

Just like anything else the ballast which drives the bulbs has a limited life. Old type ballasts are magnetic and have a insulation called askarel. When the ballast fails it can reach a extreme temperature and start to leak as seen in the photo.

Most homes in our area are wired with a 15 amp circuit which supplies the bathrooms. A hairdryer can draw 1875 watts which exceeds the capacity of the wire and will trip the circuit. 

It shouldn't under normal circumstances. The usual culprit is the unqualified person who assumes the microwave can be wired to the hood vent he just removed. A microwave uses the capacity of a 20 amp circuit by itself and needs to be on a dedicated circuit. Have a dedicated circuit installed to avoid tripping circuit breakers and the adverse conditions associated with overloading. Consult with qualified trades when doing projects or renovating.

Yes. It should be changed. Loose connections cause heat to buildup which will cause the receptacle to fail and may damage the cord of the connected device.

Not the clearest photo but a good example of what could happen when the receptacle doesn't hold the plug securely anymore.The byproduct of a loose connection is heat, here the plastic body of the plug overheated and the pin disengaged itself from the plug when being extracted from the receptacle.

It won't if it's done right !!! Get someone who knows what they are doing. Loose connections and certainly in this case the insulation of the wire was stripped improperly. Notice that only a few of the strands of wire are left intact where they enter the screw port of the receptacle, rendering it as having the ampacity of a much smaller wire. This amounts to a 50amp receptacle being fed with a 20amp wire. The resistance caused by having only a quarter of the conductor size available caused the receptacle to fail and crumble away when extracting the wire.

Well, that's Florida for you! With all the rain we get metal enclosures don't hold up that well especially if the paint gets nicked. It's hard to stop rust once it starts. If the enclosure isn't completely sealed water, small lizards or insects will make it a shelter. Its a common cause of short circuits and an awful way to go... Have rusted outdoor equipment replaced or possibly repaired before you loose your air conditioning on a hot day.

Simply, it means there are two wires landed under one set screw. It's not allowed on this type of circuit breaker. The added load drawn by the second wire could bring the circuit over the maximum value that the breaker can accomodate safely. For some reason an additional breaker was not installed for the second wire. It's a common violation that we can correct and provide documentation for.

A key part when learning the electrical trade is how to properly terminate wires and what parts are available to you to accomplish this. Splicing wires doesn't just mean joining wires, terminations must be in an enclosure and a raceway for safety and mechanical grounds must stay in continuity. Air splices or bare wires present a much higher risk of fires than properly terminated wires in the correct enclosure. This is one of the most common violations a home inspector will red tag you for in a real estate transaction.

This is a correctly wired receptacle. Outlets with reverse polarity are wired incorrectly or backwards meaning the electricity is flowing in the opposite direction. This can damage electronics, is a shock hazard and needs to be corrected. If the supplying outlet was wired incorrectly and a lamp was plugged in it would be a shock hazard. See diagram.

This is a useful tester every homeowner should have. It's inexpensive and easy to use. Simply plug into any receptacle to determine if it's wired correctly or has a condition that needs repair. It's usually an easy fix so don't hesitate to call us...