Classic Electric Blog

Tamper resistant receptacle outlets (commonly referred to as plugs) have been on the market for a while now.  Their purpose is to protect young children. Here is some helpful information to understand their purpose, function, and where they have to be installed....

As a master electrician specializing in residential remodel, I go into a lot of existing houses every year and one of the most common questions I get from homeowners is why they have so many switches and what do they do. This can happen for different reasons....

When buying a home, you might have a home inspector prepare a report of the issues that need to be addressed in the home. It is very important to review those reports carefully and have a licensed master electrician review the suggested electrical repairs before you purchase the home.  Two common items seen on home inspection reports are reverse polarity (in receptacle outlets) and double taps (in the electrical panel). We want to explain what those mean and how they can be addressed....

  Nothing can be more frustrating than when you need to turn a circuit off in your house and you find that you don't know which one it is. Here is some information to explain how it should be done....

Ceiling fans can be very useful and add to the comfort level of your home in various ways. Here we will discuss a number of aspects you should consider when you are buying or having a ceiling fan installed in your home....

Why homeowners should get an electrical panel or service change Most electrical panel and/or service changes are done for two reasons:...

Everyone is spending more time outside now that the weather is getting nice and there are several projects you might be thinking about that require electrical work. Here are the top five electrical projects to enhance your outdoor living space....

Your electrical panel is the heart of your home’s electrical system. If it isn’t working right, then there is the potential for some serious problems. There are two electrical panel manufacturers known for being unsafe: Federal Pacific and Zinsco. Generally, I see more Federal Pacific panels in homes than Zinsco panels—at a rate of about five Federal Pacific to one Zinsco—but I see both of them. In fact, one home I was in had a Federal Pacific electrical panel for the main house panel and it had a Zinsco electrical panel for the subpanel! If your home has one of these panels, you should seriously consider having the electrical panel changed as soon as possible....

Tis the season for Christmas movies and tree hunting with the family, which got me thinking about one of the most hilarious and memorable movies that most watch year after year…. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. After watching this movie with my wife, I couldn't help but jot down a few "electrician thoughts" about several scenes....

    A contractor I once knew referred to electricians as prima donnas. Usually this isn't the case. However, I can very easily understand why he thought that generally speaking. Part of the so-called attitude starts in apprenticeship school. We are taught from the get-go that the Oregon electrical apprenticeship is the best in the nation. From all the studies I have read, we definitely rank high for sure....