LED Flood Light Replacements

We get a lot of calls from customers telling us they want to change the type of lighting they are getting in their newer homes from the standard 120 watt incandescent down lighting.

After much study and research I have found a replacement bulb at The Home Depot that generates much brighter light and creates a much more pleasant home environment.

The 2 replacement bulbs I recommend are the EcoSmart 16-Watt BR40 LED Flood Light Bulb for standard down cans and the 14-Watt BR30 LED Flood Light Bulb for directional cans. 

The steps for replacing these bulbs are as follows:

1. Count your down cans and directional cans in your home.
2. Purchase your bulbs and try to see if the manager at The Home Depot will give you a discount for these bulbs.  They run between $29 and $35 each but last up to 25,000 hours, use about 20% of the energy of a standard bulb and produce almost no heat.  All of this can save you as much at $250 over the life of the bulb.
3. Remove the existing incandescent flood light.  If the bulb being replaced is the same length as the LED bulb, go to number 6.
4. If you happen to have a short version of the flood, about 1" shorter than the new bulb, you will need to adjust the bulb support inside the can.  This is done by removing the cover from the can, loosening the wing nut that holds the bulb support, move the bracket up toward the top of the can by about 1" and then retighten the retaining wing nut.
5. Once the bulb bracket is secure replace the cover.
6. Install the new LED light bulb and test it to make sure it turns on and off properly.
7. Repeat the first 6 steps on every down can until you have replaced all the bulbs.
8. Discard all replaced bulbs properly as required by your local garbage collection or recycling authority.
9. If you are unable to make any of the above adjustments or steps please call a professional to assist you.

If you have any questions please email us at sales@onecallhomehandyman.com or go to our site at http://www.onecallhomehandyman.com/

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) Plugs

Seems like almost every day we get a call from a customer with a plug that does not work in their kitchen, bath, or outside their home.  We ask them if they checked their breakers and the response is usually yes and then we ask if they checked their GFCI plug and the response is "What?"

For those that do not know what a GFCI plug looks like an example is shown to the right.

The red button is the reset button and the black is the test. If for some reason you have a short across to the ground on any plug attached to one of these GFCI plugs, the red button will pop out and disconnect the circuit.

To turn the power back on you need to reset the circuit by pussing red button in until it pops. Once reset the power will be restored and the plugs can be used again.

You can also test the circuit by pussing the black test button, which will pop the red one indicating that the plub is working properly. You will then need to reset the plug again so power will be restored.

GFCIs help protect against electrical shocks due to ground faults. They are required by the National Electrical Code (NEC) in all wet or damp locations such as kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, basements, garages and workshops. Important reminder: GFCIs can become damaged over time, they must be tested monthly to ensure they are providing protection.

If you have one of these plugs pop all the time when you attach an appliance to that circuit the appliance is either bad or the GFCI is weak. 

The best way to test the appliance is to move to another circuit controlled by a GFCI and plug it in.  If it trips that circuit as well you can bet the appliance has an issue and trash it.  Getting electricuted is not fun and can kill you.  Just get rid of the appliance.

If you attach the appliance to another GFCI circuit and the circuit does not trip, then the other GFCI is week or bad and you need to have it replaced by a qualified tradesman...

If you have any questions please email us at sales@onecallhomehandyman.com or go to our site at http://www.onecallhomehandyman.com/