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One type of call I get often as an electrician in Phillipsburg, New Jersey and its surrounding areas is for open ground receptacles-that is when a receptacle has no equipment grounding conductor connected. This is commonly noted on inspection reports when a home is inspected by a representative of prospective buyers, or by a town inspector for a rental property. This "open ground" condition is very common in older homes with older wiring methods such as Knob & Tube, Cloth ins

An above ground #pool requires an equipotential bonding ring be ran in #8 solid copper around it. 18-24" off of the water, 4-6" deep all the way around the pool. In-ground pools have even more complicated bonding requirements. The pool shell, pool water, and pump bonded together to bring metallic components to the same potential and reduce the chance of shock from stray voltages in the ground…does your pool have this? If you don't see a copper wire attached to the pool filt

Phillipsburg NJ- Another week, Another melted wire! Hard to say what caused this, as we don’t know if it melted 2 years ago or 20 years ago. What I did notice was the breaker this wire came off of was a General Electric and the panel was a Bryant (now Eaton BR Type) Just because a breaker fits doesn’t mean it is UL listed for use in a panel. This breaker did not clip on to the buss in the panel very well and resistance of a loose connection causes heat! Only use breakers UL l

Some breaker/panel designs have stood the test of time and are still in production today (Square D QO, Cutler Hammer BR & CH lines). Others, like Bulldog’s (later ITE) Push O Matic breakers are considered unreliable. These are usually flagged for replacement by insurance companies when a house is sold, which is what prompted this panel’s replacement. Some other brands to look out for are Federal Pacific, Challenger and Zinsco panel boards. If you see these in your home it’s t

Some breakers are designed to have two wires under one breaker terminal. These Siemens breakers are not UL listed to be used this way. Home inspectors will often note this as needing correction on home inspection reports when a home is sold. Problem solved by connecting the two wires with a wire nut and running one wire to the breaker, known as a "pigtail." If you notice improper wire termination in your home's panel or this is noted in your home inspection report, give us a