Although most local power companies work around the clock to ensure that everyone has reliable and consistent electricity, power outages do happen. Whether a storm, damaged lines or a freak accident causes it, there is a good chance that sometime in your life you will have to depend on an alternative source of electricity. While it is prudent to keep supplies on hand, such as candles, lanterns and other lighting and heat sources, one of the best ways to keep your power going during an outage is with the help of a backup generator. With proper use, a backup generator can keep your electrical essentials running for several days at a time. Adding one to your house, however, is not as simple as plugging it in. There are many dangers involved in connecting a generator to your electrical system. A licensed Electrician in the Great Falls Area, such as Certified Electrical Technologies, should always perform all electric generator installs to ensure that it is done safely and properly.

What Does a Generator Protect?
When operating your electric generator, it is important to power on only the most necessary items. This typically includes appliances such as heating equipment, sump pumps, water pumps, refrigerators, freezers and any home health equipment. You will also want to use the generator to help provide a limited amount of lighting. Keep in mind that your generator will only operate as long as it has fuel. If fuel is abundant, and it is easy to get more, you may power more items. If you are stuck in a snowstorm, or otherwise unable to leave your home, you will want to keep usage to a bare minimum. If you have any questions about what you should and should not power with your generator, feel free to contact Certified Electrical Technologies, a knowledgeable electrician in Great Falls VA.
Types of Generators

The best generators for home use are those that have their engine directly connected to the generator. This type of generator is the most readily available and comes in several different sizes. You can talk to your electrician in Great Falls to determine which size best suits your home. These use a double-throw switch to stop the electricity from feeding back onto the electrical lines, which could cause severe injury to anyone performing outdoor electrical safety assessments or repair work. A certified electrician in Great Falls must install these generators.

If you happen to live on a farm or someplace where a tractor is readily available, you may choose a power-take-off-drive type of generator. This type of generator will connect to your farmstead meter pole, and will allow you to distribute power to your entire home and farm through your current system, with no electrical rewiring required. In this situation, the generator is normally installed permanently in a small building next to the meter pole. An opening is left for the tractor’s power shaft.

Regardless of the type of generator that you select, the most important thing to remember is that the installation must be completed by a qualified electrician in Great Falls. If an installation is done incorrectly, serious damage could be done to your home or to nearby power lines.
While your Great Falls electrician is at your place installing a generator, this is the best time for them to do any type of electrical troubleshooting, home rewiring or electrical upgrade that is necessary to properly support an added generator. You may, for example, need new electrical circuits installed or electrical outlets replaced. These are all considerations that your Great Falls Electrician will take into account when installing your new electrical generator.

If you do a quick search on the Internet for electrician Great Falls MD, you’ll easily be able to find Certified Electrical Technologies, and you’ll be glad you did!

If you need any electrical work in Great Falls, please don’t hesitate to contact us at:

Certified Electrical Technologies
9893 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA 22066
703-955-4629
visit our website electrician in Great Falls

Adding landscape lighting to your lawn and garden is a great way to accent the pieces that you are particularly proud of. This type of lighting will also give you an increased level of safety, due to the fact that there is much more visibility around your house at night. Whether you are just lighting up one flower bed, or if you’re adding custom lighting for every tree, bush, nook and cranny, you may want to consider having a Germantown electrician do the job for you. There are many to choose from, each bringing different expertise and experience to the table.

DIY Lighting Kits

There are lots of do-it-yourself lighting kits available to the aspiring garden decorator, and one of the greatest things about this type of landscape lighting is the price. However, if you talk to any Germantown Electrician about your project however, they will quickly educate about some of the reasons that you may not want to go this route. Although you may initially believe that any electrician in Germantown would be biased against these kits, it is important to take a closer look at the pros and cons of the different types of exterior home lighting.

While they are ideal for very small projects, landscape lighting kits may not work very well for some of the larger projects that you have in mind. If you want to install a spot in front of a tree in your front yard, for example, it may not make sense for you to run wiring across the yard to power the light. In addition to the limited abilities of these kits, you must also take into consideration that you will be doing all of the work yourself. You will need very few tools and electrical experience, but the finished product will be nowhere near as professional as it would be if completed by a licensed and experienced Electrician in Germantown.

Aside from the ease of installation and the fact that you will be doing all of the work, DIY lighting kits are very inexpensive because they are often slightly disappointing due to poor quality. The finished photographs of the outdoor lighting on the box look great, don’t they? Of course they do! If the lights didn’t look phenomenal on the box, they wouldn’t ever sell any units. One of the biggest complaints about this type of kit is that when it’s completely installed, it’s not very impressive. The casing is made of plastic, which will fade and wear quickly. Plastic also does not stand up very well to heat, meaning that the bulbs are low quality, low wattage bulbs that

will not have much output.

Professional Lighting
In addition to being able to provide an electrical service call, new electrical circuits and interior lighting, your typical electrician Germantown offers will also help you install great looking, long-lasting landscape lighting. Certified Electrical Technologies, for example, has been installing systems like these for years.

When you choose to have an Electrician in Germantown install your lights, you will have the maximum level of customizability, meaning that you will get exactly what you want. You will be able to choose the look of your lights, and they will be constructed of materials that are made to last. Whether you are installing some recessed garden lighting, or safety lighting around the exterior of your home, strength and durability are important. With the help of a high quality technician from Certified Electrical Technologies, a dependable and trustworthy electrician Germantown MD has, you will end up with a landscape lighting system that always works, lasts for a long time, and looks like it was meant to be there.

Because your Germantown electrician will work hard to custom install your lighting, you can be assured that there will be no unsightly wires or transformer boxes. Enjoy your new lighting!

If you need any electrical work in Germantown, please don’t hesitate to contact us at:

Certified Electrical Technologies
13017 Wisteria Dr., Germantown, MD 20874
301-825-8182
visit our website electrician in Germantown MD