FAQs

When you are resetting circuit breakers or changing fuses too often. When you’re lights flicker or go on and off. When you can smell electricity burning. When you have six electronic devices going into one outlet in the back of your electronics center. When you have receptacle outlets overburdened by multi-plug strips. When a three-prong plug needs a two-prong adapter. If you have to run extension cords to plug in electrical devices.

With all the new electronic devices, air conditioning, and electric heat, I would suggest at least 200 amps. This gives you some space for future additions. This is not a job for an unlicensed person to attempt. In most cases, it involves replacing everything from the service loop (this is the wire that extends from the top of your meter to the utility tie-in) up to and including the main panel.

Both devices, either breaker or fuse, are designed to trip (turn off) in the event of an electrical overload, i.e. 16Amps of electrical load on a 15Amp circuit would cause a trip. The only difference is that a breaker is mechanical and may be reset. Whereas, a fuse is one time only and must be replaced.

Please Note: Modern breakers are much more efficient and offer greater levels of protection.

First, disconnect any additional devices that may have caused the breaker to overload and trip. Breakers are mechanical devices and must be turned all the way off before turning back on. If this fails to reset the breaker, there may be a more serious problem, Call The Construction Zone Electrical Contracting at (240) 299-5861

A circuit breaker is designed to trip or shut off when too much current is drawn to protect the wiring. This can occur by faulty or overloaded electric equipment and appliances and will occur when there is an electrical short. A 15A breaker is designed for light-duty lighting and low-voltage electronics. A 20A breaker is designed for heavier-duty lighting and all household appliances, excluding those with heaters. Higher amp breakers are used for hot water heaters, air conditioning, dryers, and commercial/industrial equipment.

A short occurs when the metal parts of two power-carrying wires cross, or an exposed wire touches ‘ground’. This can create several dangerous scenarios:

• Charred electrical plugs and outlets
• Damaged electronics, appliances and lighting
• Exposed extension cords and wiring
• Circuit breakers that will not turn back on
• Fire

Check to see if the outlet is on a switch. Check and reset GFCI outlets and circuit breakers. Check light bulbs and replace them if necessary. If none of this is the problem, Call The Construction Zone Electrical Contracting at (240) 299-5861.

GFCI – Ground fault circuit interrupter. Is designed to save your life. It is an electrical wiring device that disconnects a circuit whenever it detects that the electric current is not balanced between the energized conductor and the return neutral conductor. Such an imbalance may indicate current leakage through the body of a person who is grounded and accidentally touching the energized part of the circuit. A lethal shock can result from these conditions. GFCIs are designed to disconnect quickly enough to prevent injury caused by such shocks. They are not intended to provide protection against over-current (overload) or short-circuit conditions. This hazard is so serious that the National Electrical Code requires all new homes to be equipped with them in the bathroom, kitchen, workroom, outdoor, basement, garage and swimming pool circuits.

The black button is a test button and when pressed, should deactivate the outlet and any other outlet fed from it – Indicating a properly functioning device.

The red button is the reset button that you depress to reactivate the outlet or outlets in the event of deactivation resulting from a fault.

Arc faults in a home are one of the leading causes for electrical wiring fires. AFCI breakers are designed to protect property. Each year in the United States, over 40,000 fires are attributed to home electrical wiring. These fires result in over 350 deaths and over 1,400 injuries each year. 

Conventional circuit breakers only respond to overloads and short circuits; so they do not protect against arcing conditions that produce erratic and often reduced current. An AFCI is selective so that normal arcs do not cause it to trip. The AFCI circuitry continuously monitors the current and discriminates between normal and unwanted arcing conditions. Once an unwanted arcing condition is detected, the AFCI opens its internal contacts, thus de-energizing the circuit and reducing the potential for a fire to occur. An AFCI should not trip during normal arcing conditions, which can occur when a switch is opened or a plug is pulled from a receptacle.

Recessed lights come in a variety of sizes such as: 6”, 5”, 4”, 3”, and 2”. When sizing recessed lights, The Construction Zone Inc. Electrical Contracting shall take into consideration the room, layout, and mood to choose the specific type, make, and model to suit your wants and needs. Recessed lighting is a great way to enhance areas in your house such as theaters, bars, and kitchens, as well as to show off amazing artwork.

There are many factors involved in your lighting decision.

• Incandescent – Outdated, least efficient bulb, though some prefer the color output indoors.

• Fluorescent (or CFL) – Smaller color spectrum, but uses about 25% of the electricity of an incandescent and about 10x the lifespan. Some of these are now compatible with dimmers.

• Light Emitting Diode (LED) – Extremely efficient with about 20% power usage of the standard incandescent. Prices have fallen and are now competitive, these can last a lifetime. Unlike CFL bulbs, LED’s don’t need warm up time for full brightness. LED’s are dimmable. 

Absolutely! The Construction Zone Inc. Electrical Contracting often uses attics and crawl spaces to limit the damage of your ceiling. If these are not available, The Construction Zone Inc. Electrical Contracting, Inc. technicians are equipped with special tools, cameras, and drills to preserve the structure of your home while keeping the cost of repairs to a minimum. 

• You could have the wrong type of bulb installed. A higher rated watt bulb will create too much heat and will trip the thermal device turning the recessed light off
• There may be insulation packed around the recessed light– not letting the heat dissipate and in return tripping the thermal device. After the recessed light cools down, it will cycle back on.

This is usually caused by several factors.

• Use of non-brand named bulbs.
• Larger wattage bulbs, which cause excessive heat build-up shorting the life of the bulb.
• Power Surges.
• Water is getting into the fixture and causing damage.

Yes, but first you must make sure the electrical box is properly braced and rated for the weight and torque of the ceiling fan you are installing. Saddle boxes are designed for hanging heavy fixtures up to about 50 pounds. Since a ceiling fan moves, these boxes are good for about a 35-pound ceiling fan.

Two of the locations will use a three-way switch and the other location will need a four-way switch.

Yes. We will match the specific dimmer to the lights in your home. There are different bulbs required for specific dimmers. Such bulbs include incandescent, CFLs and LEDs.

This could mean one of two things.

• An intermittent chirp is probably an indication of a defective smoke detector.
• A consistent chirp is probably an indication of a low battery condition and the smoke detector requires a new battery.

They are designed to indicate their use, but be careful because they are not always hooked correctly. Hot wires, those carrying current at full voltage, are usually black, red or white with black marks. Neutral wires are usually white or gray. Ground wires are usually either green or bare copper.

‘Ground’ usually refers to the wire added with green or no insulation. This wire is a safety mechanism designed to be at zero electric potential to connect to a metal chassis or electrical box. If a high-voltage wire touches, it will trip the circuit breaker. The ground can also refer to earth where grounding rods are buried to provide zero potential. All electrical outlets are required to be grounded by code.

No, the third prong is the grounding prong. If you cut it off or use a plug adapter then it’s not grounded, you will disable a feature that is designed to protect against electrical shock.

These products are “double-insulated” and do not need the added protection of a grounding plug. You can plug them into ungrounded outlets and still be protected.

The plug falls out of the outlet without touching it, or the outlet is not secure and will move easily when touching it. When the outlet is warm or hot to the touch, you need to immediately take care of the issue by unplugging the device and calling The Construction Zone Inc. Electrical Contracting (240) 299-5861 as this type of problem can result in a fire.

This is a normal process. The electric company has regulations that will not allow them to turn on the electricity if it has been off for over a year unless a registered electrician or inspector checks the service to ensure its safety of it. An inspection will need to take place to ensure that when they reconnect power no damage has taken place in the amount of time the power was off and no one will be hurt through reconnection. One of our licensed electricians will examine the entire service and make any repairs that are necessary if needed. Then, we’ll call a third-party inspector to pass the service. Once the service is passed, we will have the electric company reconnect the electricity and you will be ready to go.

In Maryland, it is unlawful for anyone except an individual licensed by The Authority Having Jurisdiction to install electrical equipment and wiring

Handymen are not allowed to install wiring.

The owner of any property wherein any such installation is discovered shall be issued a violation by the Department of Licenses and Inspections.

The limited exceptions include replacing devices and fixtures at existing outlets.

Contact the Department of Licenses and Inspections for more information.

LIFE SAFETY WARNING! [disclaimer]

Electricity is dangerous!

You can be injured or killed!

Improper installations can cause fire, injury and death!

Are you qualified to do this work?

National Electrical Code definition, NFPA 70 2008 Article 100: Qualified Person. “One who has skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of the electrical equipment and installations and has received safety training to recognize and avoid the hazards involved.”