Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

Electrical fittings are everywhere in home and business distribution systems – so much so, you might think they’re all interchangeable. But for contractors working in multiple indoor and outdoor locations, that’s not the case. Not all connectors or other fittings offer the same level of protection for the cabling running through them, which is why matching this hardware to its specific applications is so important.

If you're a J.R.R. Tolkien fan, you recognized that headline reference. Or if you're a movie buff and watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you're familiar with the little jar of liquid that lit up when you talked to it.

But in any case, if you're an electrician, you've been in dark places because of power outages or new construction.

I've been in my share of them, for sure.

A number of materials can be used to manufacture electrical connectors and couplers, with steel and zinc leading the pack. Each material has its advantages that can make it more appropriate for specific applications, but it’s important to remember that all such fittings have to meet specific requirements to gain a UL listing. For example, die-cast zinc alloy offerings can add value where corrosion is a threat.

As a small business owner, I’ve come to count on a number of software packages to track my workload and manage my finances. I use different packages for overseeing my personal finances, keeping a calendar, tracking invoices and the once-a-year joy of preparing my annual income taxes. I spend a lot of time transferring data from one of these programs to another, mostly by hand.

When dealing with low, medium, or high AC voltages (or DC voltages for that matter), removing power from the circuit is crucial for any maintenance, servicing, or installation operation.

Most of the disconnects I've dealt with through the years have been fused and non-fused safety switches, switchgear disconnects, and disconnects mounted on starter buckets. Of course, circuit breakers are also a form of disconnect, but not normally designated as such.

Online shopping has certainly experienced a boom over the last six months, as many of us have felt less comfortable in physical stores. While electronic transactions might seem like a direct communication with retailers like Amazon or delivery services that work with your local supermarket, they’re actually pretty complicated transactions.