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blog http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/news/ Do Your Compact Fluorescent Lamps Flicker? http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/news/do-your-compact-fluorescent-lamps-flicker/ Do your energy-saver lamps flicker – even when they are turned off? Here’s why.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps have become very popular as energy savers. The shapes they come in are growing but most of us know them as the “pigtail” lamps with the tube folded up into a corkscrew, loop, or spiral. Commonly called CFLs or energy-savers, the lamps are actually a small fluorescent tube with some electronics. As the cost has come down and we all become more energy and cost conscious, compact fluorescent lamps have found their way into a very broad range of applications. We have seen a number of installations where the CFL flickers dimly, when the power to it is off. This isn’t dangerous, and in most cases isn’t noticeable unless you look directly at the lamp in the dark.
 
<div class="captionImage leftAlone" style="width: 401px;"><img class="leftAlone" src="http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/assets/Uploads/CFLs.jpg" alt="Compact Fluorescent Lamps" title="Compact Fluorescent Lamps" width="401" height="298"/>Compact Fluorescent Lamps
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In the cases we’ve investigated the cause has been the same.
CFLs use very small amounts of electricity and sometimes there’s enough interference (or “pickup”) in the wiring to the lamp to make it glow or flicker. Where it is most likely to happen is where you have “two-way” switching with two or more switches to allow the light to be turned on or off from different locations – usually in a hallway or down stairs. 
The way these switches are wired makes it more likely there will be electrical pickup between the supply wire to the switch and the wire going to the light. 
We’ve seen several installations where the light on the stairs was seen to flicker dimly even when it was switched off. Turning on the switch at either end operated the light normally. Different makes of CFL seem to be more affected than others so simply trying a different CFL may fix the problem. Otherwise, if it is an annoyance, the best solution is just to fit a standard “old” tungsten filament lamp. If that doesn’t fix the problem, <a href="http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/contact-us/">give us a call</a> – we work across the entire Greater Wellington region and are happy to investigate and resolve. Sun, 02 Oct 2011 10:28:31 +1300 http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/news/do-your-compact-fluorescent-lamps-flicker/ Are you in hot water? http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/news/are-you-in-hot-water/ Is your electrical hot water system up to scratch?
Traditional hot water cylinders are one of the biggest users of electricity in your home.<img class="right" src="http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/assets/_resampled/resizedimage102120-Thermostat.jpg" width="102" height="120" alt="" title=""/>
Set incorrectly, the thermostat can risk burns from hot taps, waste a lot of energy, lead to continuous noisy boiling, or leave you in the cold more than you’d like.
If your cylinder is noisy or the water is cold or too hot, it often means the thermostat is faulty or needs to be adjusted.
It should not be more than 55° Celsius at the tap so it is low enough not to burn, and it must be 60° Celsius at the cylinder to prevent the growth of Legionella bacteria. Don't have the thermostat on your hot water system higher than necessary - an extra 10° Celsius could cost you $20 to $30 a year in wasted electricity.
Key Electrical can replace and adjust thermostats and elements to ensure you a safe, reliable supply of hot water.
If there’s no water at all it’s probably a plumber’s job - and we can recommend a good plumber to help.
We can also offer advice on other types of water heating for renovations or new builds, including “instant” systems and cylinders with boost elements for quick recovery.
Call Key Electrical on 04 499-0033 for any hot water problems where the temperature is not right – we're can service the entire Wellington region and we’ll get you out of both hot and cold water! Tue, 28 Sep 2010 22:52:16 +1300 http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/news/are-you-in-hot-water/ Tired of being tripped? http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/news/tired-of-being-tripped/ We're not just talking about tripping over power cords! We're talking about a power trip (and not the kind your boss takes, either). Many properties built before and during the 1960s weren't built to meet the needs of our current electronic age, which means there are not nearly enough power sockets installed in the rooms of these houses.
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We often see people using multiple double plugs or multi-boards to accommodate plugs for heaters, electric blankets, hair dryers and bedside lamps off one socket in their bedroom and its here that the power trip problem begins.
Using one wall socket for a number of appliances can cause circuits to be overloaded and 'trip' - shutting down power to the whole circuit, not to mention increasing the risk of a fire.
<a href="http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/contact-us/">Contact Key Electrical</a> for an obligation-free assessment and quote to install extra wall sockets <a href="http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/residential/">in your home</a> and save the pain caused by avoidable power trips.
We service the entire Wellington region. Tue, 28 Sep 2010 22:47:35 +1300 http://www.keyelectrical.co.nz/news/tired-of-being-tripped/