Dolphines Electrical Contractors

07/02/2021

Morning folks

05/01/2015

Top 10 Electrical Safety Tips:

1. Develop a zero-tolerance policy toward energized work. Get serious about “no hot work.” This includes conducting an electrical hazard analysis for energized work.

2. Get out in the field or plant and see what your workers are doing.

3. Develop checklists or other ways to track who is qualified to perform which tasks. Some businesses use job-task analyses to provide a blueprint of employees’ activities.

4. Train your employees. To be qualified to perform any task, they must know the construction, operation, and hazards associated with the equipment they’re using. Supervisors should be responsible for knowing what employees can do safely.

5. Develop safe work practices and procedures. Practices like energized electrical work permits, clearance procedures, and switching orders can help prevent accidents and can help document that the right steps were taken. This is especially important in case of an accident.

6. Perform periodic safety audits. When workers know they will be subject to random audits, they will try to maintain safe work procedures and practices.

7. Conduct job briefings any time the scope of the work changes significantly and when new or different hazards are present.

8. Be cautious about implementing safety awards programs, especially if they may discourage accident reporting.

9. Become familiar with NFPA 70E and the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Guide for Performing Arc Flash Hazard Calculations.

10. Document everything. “If you don’t have it in writing, you never did it.”
Show a good-faith effort; OSHA will notice.

10/10/2014

Projects acquire resources within the context of a company's staffing approach. But have you ever thought about how an organization makes staffing decisions? Some companies tend to make decisions on a case-by-case basis. These companies make staffing decisions based on what makes sense for their particular situation or for a particular team. If everyone makes staff-related decisions based on their individual needs, you typically end up being inefficient from an organization perspective. What you really need is for the senior managers in your organization to develop a Staffing Strategy to provide a framework for dealing with the current staff and new staffing decisions.
Your Staffing Strategy provides overall guidance on how you acquire and manage staff at a macro (high) level. The strategy must reflect current realities, but also set the direction for where you want to be in three to five years. The parts to a viable Staffing Strategy include:
• Alignment to Organization Goals and Strategy. The Staffing Strategy does not exist in isolation. It is one part of what is required to achieve your organizational goals and strategies and to fulfill your organization mission. For instance, if you have an organizational strategy to outsource non-essential job functions, your Staffing Strategy must reflect this as well.
• Filling Openings. Describe how you would like to fill staff openings. For example, you could require that all openings be posted internally before a manager looks for outside candidates. If your preference is to fill openings internally, there should be much more mobility in terms of employee transfers.
• Staff Balance. Provide guidance as to whether employees or contractors should fill openings. The question is twofold. First, what is the organization’s preference in terms of the percentage of contractors versus employees? Second, provide high-level guidance as to what an individual manager should consider when an opening exists.
• Diversity Goals. Discuss your portfolio’s position on diversity. This could be in terms of mandates to the managers, or just guidance. For instance, discuss how important it is that your workforce contains diversity in terms of men and women, and also in terms of race and culture. This diversity policy may, in turn, affect how you identify candidates and how the hiring process works.
• Retention. Describe your overall retention strategy. This includes the level of turnover you are willing to accept and the lengths that you will go to retain staff. For instance, will you consider counteroffers for your best performers if they decide to leave?
• Employee Development. Discuss your overall philosophy for developing staff. This includes growth in professional, business and technical skills. Every employee cannot know everything, but this section provides guidance to managers about the emphasis on employee development, how proactive the managers should be, and the responsibility of each employee in their personal development program.
• Work Environment. Describe any aspects of the overall work environment that you feel are important from a staffing perspective. Again, you are giving guidance here. You are not describing policies in detail. For instance, you could discuss your organization’s policy for discrimination and intimidation (none!), your philosophy for how people should be treated, how conflict should be resolved, how managers and employees communicate, etc.
Each year the Staffing Strategy is driven down to a Staffing Plan. The Staffing Plan provides specific guidance on open positions, the number of employees and contractors, the training budget, specific retention initiatives, etc. Your organization will be much more effective and efficient if all of these staffing decisions are based on the guidance of an overall Staffing Strategy that ensures everyone is moving in the same direction..................................................

02/04/2014

Residential Wiring Best Practices

What is lurking within your walls? Part 2 of Series
Residential Wiring: Rewiring Options, Benefits and Drawbacks
PART TWO

In Part One I discussed k**b and tube wiring and the potential problems and issues that may arise if your home still contains legacy k**b and tube. Perhaps your home still contains k**b and tube? Or you are considering remodeling or planning new construction. In this article I will explain current options and residential wiring best practices. I will also explain the pros and cons for the two most popular wiring types, Romex and BX, and why I ALWAYS use BX in any new wiring I install myself, and insist it be used in any project in which I am managing or consulting.

Since the 1960’s, K**b and Tube has not met current electrical code thus any renovations or new construction built in the last 50 years should contain more modern wiring.

Today, residential construction primarily uses three types of wiring, Romex being the most common; followed by BX (also know as Armor Clad, or Flexible Metal Conduit); and individual conductors run inside conduit.

1) ROMEX: Romex is a composite cable consisting of 1 or more “hot” conductors, a neutral conductor, and a ground wire. All the conductors are individually insulated and the entire bundle is sheathed in PVC plastic to make a nice, neat package.
Romex is flexible, heat & fire resistant, easy to install, and relatively inexpensive.

Romex cable
Romex is by far the most common type of wire used in single-family residential applications today, and been used extensively for the past 40 years.

Romex has several advantages over k**b and tube. The wire is protected by 2 layers of insulation, with each individual conductor being insulated and the entire bundle also being insulated. This makes insulation failure a rare occurrence and reduces the risk of accidental electrocution and arcing. The plastic used is resistant to moisture and microbes, and is very durable. The plastic sheathing also has a very high melting point thus is heat and flame resistant. Splices are done in junction boxes, thus protected from the elements and pests. Plus all the wires needed for a circuit are right there together in one neat package.

One added benefit of Romex over k**b and tube is that k**b and tube emits fairly high levels of low frequency alternating current magnetic fields, due to the separation of the hot and neutral conductors. The magnetic field strength around k**b and tube carries a good distance from the wires, and is proportional to the distance between the hot and neutral conductors. Inside Romex cable, the hot and neutral conductors are side by side, thus Romex emits a much smaller, more localized and weaker magnetic field. The magnetic field strength drops very quickly with distance from the Romex cable.

2) BX: BX is also known as Armor Clad, or Flexible Metal Conduit cable. BX contains one or more individually insulated “hot” conductors, one individually insulated neutral conductor, and a ground wire, which may or may not be individually insulated.

BX is also known as Armor Clad, or Flexible Metal Conduit cable.
BX is sheathed in a flexible metal spiral made either from aluminum or galvanized steel. BX provides all the advantages of Romex plus some additional benefits.

The flexible metal sheathing is easy to install, about as easy as Romex. It resists puncture by nails and screws, and, as I will describe later, is more resistant to being chewed through by rodents and other pests than Romex and k**b and tube.

BX is as good as Romex from a Magnetic Field (MF) standpoint, but has the added benefit of shielding Electric Fields (EF). The metal sheathing absorbs the electric fields emitted by the wires and shunts it to ground. The plastic sheathing of Romex does not shield electric fields.

The main drawback is that BX is more expensive. It is about 35-40% more for the cable than BX. It is also slightly more difficult to install, as cutting the metal sheathing takes slightly more time, than cutting Romex.

3) Individual conductors run inside conduit: Individual conductors run inside conduit is used primarily in industrial and commercial applications, and is rarely used in residential wiring. It consists of individual, insulated conductors pulled from a spool through conduit, either metal or PVC. This is a more difficult and time consuming wiring method, but is more efficient in commercial applications where wiring runs must be exposed and thus must be inside some form of conduit. If the conduit used is PVC, the benefits are the same as Romex, low Magnetic Fields (MF) but no Electric Field (EF) shielding. If the conduit used is galvanized steel, the benefits are the same as BX, good resistance to puncture, low MF emittance, and good EF shielding.

Why I ALWAYS choose BX over Romex: A real world example.
Sometimes individual conductors run inside conduit is the only option, but when I have a choice between Romex and BX, I always choose BX. There are two main reasons:

1) BX shields electric fields. Many of my concerned clients have spent a lot of effort and money to shield against and reduce their exposure to electric fields. Some even go as far to turn off the circuits to their bedrooms when they sleep to reduce their exposure. If construction, remodels and renovations are done with BX, the electric field exposure is significantly reduced. The cost is greater, but for a 250 foot roll of BX, it is only about $30 more expensive than Romex. So for a small job the extra cost may only be $100 or so, and even for a large job the extra cost should not exceed $1,000.

2) Perhaps you are not concerned with electric fields. Here is another reason to use BX over Romex that can save you well over $1,000. BX is resistant to nails and screws and rodents and other pests. If you have to tear out a wall to replace a wire that has been punctured by a nail, supposing you were hanging a picture, this repair could cost well over $1,000. Here is a true story from when I worked as an electrician: I was working on a job where whenever the client switched on the recessed lights in the living room ceiling, the circuit breaker would trip. Diagnosing this problem required over 2 hours crawling around in an attic and isolating the area where there was a short circuit. I was frustrated to find TWO separate areas and narrowed down the area enough to open up the ceiling and see the problem. A rat, or other rodent, had completely chewed through the insulation of the Romex, allowing the hot and neutral wires to touch and create a short circuit. This had happened in TWO places in the living room ceiling!

02/04/2014

HOW IT IS DONE !!!!!!

03/12/2013

Our Services

With ever rising energy costs, specifying a home heating system requires a practical and considered approach. The level of heating in your home environment must not only deliver the right amount of warmth for your own comfort, but also be efficiently delivered and affordable to run.

Why should you consider us?

Cost Effective Heating prides itself on providing quality, service and reliability at all times. We are aware that our reputation depends and survives on the quality of our work and therefore we do not and will not compromise when carrying out a heating installation. Visit our testimonials page and take a look at what our customers have had to say about us.

Where do we start?

Prior to any installation a heating survey must be carried out so that we are able to calculate the correct size and number of electric radiators required to heat your property efficiently on the coldest of days.

During the survey we first need to establish how much energy is being lost in each room, the many types of building materials used to construct your property, draughts from doors & windows, heat lost through ventilation, your property location and aspect. (North / South Facing etc) All of this information is then used to calculate and establish the most suitable and efficient electric radiators to fulfil your heating requirements.

What happens next?

Within 3 days of our survey you will receive a bespoke, no obligation written quotation by email or post showing all the heating options available to you. It will outline the number of electric radiators required to heat your property efficiently, any services such as the removal and disposal of the existing storage heaters (if required), total cost of installation (no hidden extras) and payment schedules.

All prices quoted will be valid for a period of 30 day’s.
Should you wish to accept our quotation we aim to carry out your installation within two weeks of acceptance. Please contact us to discuss your requirements and arrange a detailed survey (evening and weekend surveys available).
Are we qualified?

Our Surveyor has a National Certificate in Engineering and also holds a Gold CSCS Skills Card for Engineering Services in Domestic Heating.

Our Electrician is fully qualified and registered with the National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers (NAPIT) for short.

16/08/2013

Whole House Video Distribution

Your video source could be a HDTV signal from an Antenna, a Satellite service, Cable TV service or video feed from security cameras. The Cable used for residential video application is RG6 Coaxial Cable Coaxial cable is called "coaxial" because it includes one physical channel that carries the signal surrounded by another concentric physical channel, both running along the same axis. The two channels are seperated by a layer of insulation and there is additional insulation around the outer concentric physical layer.

To allow for viewing of any video source in any room, the recommendation for new home video wiring are:
Run RG6 coax cable from all video sources to the central located structured wiring panel.
Run two RG6 cables to each TV location.
Ensure availability of Telephone and Internet at the Video locations for pay-per-view or other future services.
If you are planning to install a flat panel TV on wall, install wallplates at appropriate height from the floor.

31/01/2013

When it’s Time for an Electrical Wiring Upgrade

The lights come on when you flip the switch, the TV works, and the refrigerator keeps food cold. That means the electrical wiring must be fine, right? Not necessarily. There may be times, especially if your house is more than 40 years old, when you need to upgrade electrical wiring for safety, or because the existing wiring no longer meets your family’s power needs. Rewiring can be a messy and expensive proposition, but with a little upfront planning you can minimize the disruptions and even turn the job into an opportunity to add features that will increase the valueofyourhome.

Safety issues with older wiring
Faulty wiring is the leading cause of residential fires, according to a 2009 study by the National Fire Prevention Association. And the older your house is, the greater the chances that the wiring might be outdated or unsafe.
Old wiring—even k**b and tube wiring that dates back to the early 20th century—isn’t inherently dangerous, but unless you were around when the house was built, you can’t be sure the electrical system is up to code. Plus, materials such as wire insulation can deteriorate over time.
If you don’t know when your wiring was last inspected, it’s worth paying a licensed electrician to give it a once-over, especially if you have any of these warning signs:
• Breakers that trip or fuses that blow repeatedly
• A tingling sensation when you touch an appliance
• Flickering or dimming lights
• A persistent burning smell from a room or appliance
• Warm, discolored, or sparking outlets or two-prong ungrounded outlets throughout the house
• No ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets in kitchens, baths, and other areas exposed to moisture.
Another reason to consider upgrading is that some carriers refuse to insure houses with older wiring, or charge owners higher premiums.
Be on the lookout for aluminum wiring
Instead of the standard copper wire, many houses built in the 1960s and early 1970s have aluminum wiring, which is considered a safety hazard. “Aluminum wiring connections often loosen up over time,” says Greg Fletcher, a master electrician, educator, and author of several books on wiring. “That can cause overheating and possibly fires at receptacles when appliances are plugged in to them.” An inspection can determine whether it’s safe to leave the wiring in place. Sometimes the addition of copper connectors, called pigtails, at receptacles and circuit breakers can resolve potential problems.
When you need more power
Sixty amps used to be the standard for household power. Today, houses often need 200 amps to run air conditioners, flat-screen TVs, computer equipment, and all the other gadgets our parents and grandparents hardly imagined.
Not having enough power isn’t just an inconvenience; it can actually damage sensitive electronics. “It’s very hard on these devices if the voltage drops off,” says San Francisco-based builder Bob Hauser. Even with adequate power, you may need to add outlets to avoid relying on power strips and extension cords, an inconvenience and a potential safety hazard.
Prepare to open your walls—and your wallet
Upgrading electrical wiring is a big job, for one simple reason: All the wires are behind the walls. Every house is different and prices vary by market, but for a whole-house rewiring job, you’re easily looking at a bill of several thousand dollars. The vast majority of that is the labor involved to get to the wires, run new ones, connect them to every switch and outlet, close up the holes, and clean up the mess.
The easiest time to tackle this work is during a larger remodeling project, such as redoing a kitchen or building an addition, when contractors are knocking holes in the walls anyway. That speeds the process, which can take anywhere from five days to two weeks for an entire house, according to Lansdale, Pa., electrical contractor Wes Carver.
Depending on the circumstances, though, you might not need a top-to-bottom rewiring. Examples are when you need to add circuits to run a new appliance or power an addition like a swimming pool. In those situations, the expense and disruption could be reduced.

Plan ahead for future power needs
If you’re going to spend the money and cut holes in the walls, you might as well run all the wires you can. That way, you’ll be ready for any possible future power needs. “There are things to be bought and plugged into a receptacle 10 or 20 years from now that are not even invented yet,” says Fletcher.
One smart investment is structured wiring. These are heavy-duty data cables that enable the latest features of TVs, stereo equipment, computers, game consoles, phones, security systems—even Internet-based remote control of house systems like heating and lighting. While a standard electrical upgrade essentially maintains the value of your home, adding structured wiring can increase it. According to a 2009 study by the Consumer Electronics Association and the National Association of Home Builders Research Center, almost 50% of homes built in 2008 included structured wiring, a sure sign of its growing value to home owners.

18/01/2013

19/12/2012

The Christmas is a date to give and receive. During this year, we have received a lot from you and we want to take a chance on this so special day to give you the respective thanks for your preference and trust. Merry Christmas and a venturous new year!

09/10/2012

NEW INNOVATION!!!!!! MOSQUITO REPELLING BULBS. SOON CUSTOMERS WILL EXPERIENCE THIS REVOLUTION. THINK FAST AND BE THE FIRST AMONGST MANY. IT'S ONLY HERE THAT WE STAY FAR AHEAD.

26/10/2011

http://www.structuredhomewiring.com/Projects.aspx

Sample structured home wiring projects