photocells

Photocells are used for turning lights on and off.They can be used with a time clock but that is mostly done in commercial applications.The average home owner uses them for security such as lighting up a porch or back yard.Some lighting comes with the photocell already in the light thse are an easy hook up ,just add 120 volts and the light should come on when it gets dark (some require some ajustment).If you have ligts already installed and want to add a photo cell.All you have to do is find where power is being fed to the light and break the switch here.You can feed a row of lights as long as they do not exceed the wattage of the photo cell.There is a black,red and white wire on the photocell.The black goes to the line or (incoming voltage) the red is the load or (votage going out to light)the white wire ties all the nuetrals together.The red wire is only hot when it is dark or the eye is covered.I hope this helps you out ,as always if you have any questions give me a call 361 433-6039.You can click on 2011 below to see pictures of jobs and other helpful hints and videos that i have posted.

200 amp service

 

 

 

 

 

This is a before and after.If you would like a new service or any other electrical work give me a call at 361 433-6039 i will be glad to give you a free estimate

ceiling fans

I know summer is over,but here is a good tip for putting up your ceiling fan ,that i think is worth talking about.Instead of putting the fan together in the air and fighting the screw holes,put it together on the ground.This saves time and headaches.I get the box it came in and flip it over and put the motor on top of the box.Then i put the blades together and install them on the fan.After that i put the light fixture on.When i have it all together,i flip it over get on my ladder and hang it up.After this i all most done,except for wiring it up.I hope this tip saves you some time.As always if you have any questions give me a call at 361 433-6039.Thanks for looking at my blog.

aloe field job

below are some pictures of the job we did jast week.We installed a 200 amp service and ran coduit under ground for some rv plugs. thamk you for looking at my blog if you have an questions please give me a call at 361 433-6039.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

water wells

Water wells are an easy hook up.Buy i read a foutune cookie that said no job is so simple that it cant be messed up.A water well is hooked up to a pressure switch which tells the pump to come on when the pressure drops to a certain point.There are four screws on the switch two are the line and two are your load.Power in is line power to switch.Power out is load to the motor.Thanks for looking at my blog. if you have any questions give me a call 361 433-6039.Next i will be posting pictures of a job we are doing at the airport.

electrical wiring

coustmer calls

Ihave not posted any videos lately but i will on my next post.Today i want to clear up some confusion about breakers.If you have a tripping breaker, putting in a bigger breaker will not solve your problem it will only make it worse .The thing to do is get the amp draw off of the circuit.This in most cases is an ac which will draw a good amount of current.The best fix here is to put the ac in its own BREAKER .This is a simple fix but an effective one.I hope this helps you out some.Thanks for reading my blog and call me if you have any questiones.John 361 433-6039

money saving tips

Outside plugs are controlled by gfis this is a ground fault interupter.if they are not working the easiest thing to do is go arounf the house and push in the button on these plugs.that is an easy fix and usally the right one.Another call i get is that someone has taken out a switch and it has three wires and they can not figure which one goes where.Here is the solution,you have what is called a three way switch.There are two travellers and one hot or switch leg which go on the black screw.An easy way to tell this is the one that goes on the black screw is a two wire with a ground .Three are several videos explaing this,some i have posted on my blog.Remember always turn off the electrity before working on anything electrical.As always if you have any questions give me a call 361 433-6039.Thank you for looking at my blog.

our times

Service electric does work in Victoria and suroundng counties.Our office hours are from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm monday thru friday. If you call after hours and leave a message we will get back to you as soon as we can.If you call during the week and can not get an get me it is that i am proably out of area.Leave me a message and i will get back to you as soon as i can. i offer free estimates to home and business owners only.If you are buying a house and need a estimate i can do it but there will be a charge.My fax number is 210 401-8933.My email is jscott@serviceelectric.us ,As always if you have any questions please give me a call at 361 433-6039.Thank you for reading my blog and looking at my web site.

We have been working in York town this week and next if you are trying to call and only get voice mail it is because i do not get service there.Please leave me a message and i will get back to you as quick as i can.Thank you for your patience.And as always if you have question call me at 361 433-6039.John

Heat Stress

I dont have tell you its hot.Anyone who is working outside in the heat needs to be careful.A friend went down last week while loading some iron .He remains in the hospital and may not make it.If you are working outside take plenty of breaks and drink lots of water.This is one of the hottest years on record, so we all need to be careful wether we are at home or work.Be safe and as always call me with any electrical questions you may have 361 433-6039.

$79.00 ceiling fan install

From now to Oct. 31, i am offering 79.00 ceiling fan install.I am also offering a free home electrical inspection for home owners.This is a special for home owners only on the inspection.Please no realtors or home buyers on this offer.
Thank you for reading my blog,if you have any questions call me at 361 433-6039.

Permits

If your electrical service is downed by a mother nature or some other happening you are going to need an electrical permit.This is usally the responsability of the electrician you hire to do the work.If you are the home owner and are going to do the job yourself you can get a home owners permit, but it still needs to be inspected and must meet code.A permit is only required in the city limits.As always if you have a question cal me at 361 433-6039.Thanks for looking at my blog.

Basics of Your Home's Electrical System - The Home Depot

My PhoneBook Add

My phone book add has come out.This will make it easier for our coustmers to contact us.If you have an electriclal question ask me,if i dont know it i will look it up for you.Please check out my web site all you have to do is click on the van.Thank you to all of our coustmers for calling us and giving us a chance to do work for you.Service calls are our specilty.

Panels and Meters

There are many homes in the Victoria area that have old and outdated electrical services.An electrical service is the outside panel and meter coming into your home.In homes that 40 years or older, Federal Pacific panels have been installed which are not made any more.You can still get breakers for them but they are more expencive and harder to find.Generally older homes have 60 to 100 amp services which may have been fine 40 years ago but now we have more appliances and A/C s ,which demand more electricity.I recomend upgrading your service to 200 amp.It will cost you in the short term but will add value safety and protection to your home.As always if you have any questions , give me a call at 361 433-6039.John

Air Conditioners

Every year durring the summer months i get calls from coustmers about a/c tripping the breaker.Small window units can pull between 8 to 15 amps.If anything else is on the same cicuit it can trip the breaker.If you are going to have several small ac cooling your house itis a good idea to have them on there own breaker.This requires running a isolated circuit from the panel box.The best bet if you have the money is to run central air for the whole house. The savings could show up in your electric bill.As always if you have any questions give me a call John 361 433-6039

Generators

I have been getting calls asking about generators.When purchasing a generator there is no need to buy one to run the whole house.If the power does go out it usally just for a few days.A portable genertor may be your best choice,they are easy to store and are less money than an in ground unit. Be sure to keep a running generator away from your house and in a well vetilated area.If you have any questions call me at 361 433-6039

Golds Gym

We worked last week getting Golds Gym up and running we were working as subs for denco construction out of Dallas.They had fallen behind and needed some help.We were glad to do it and grateful for the work.On 07/20/2011 we will be building a service for Pecan grove mobile home park.We are just starting out in Victoria and are always looking for new jobs.If you have a question ,post it or e-mail me at john@service-electric.us.Thank you to all are coustmers for calling us and allowing us to do work for them.