Artisan Electric | Midwest Indiana Electrical Consultants

Found this mess in a lighting control panel last week. These type of crimp on terminal connectors don’t work on solid wire.

We just completed this project last week. Retro fit of a new 800 amp service on a 12 unit building. The old service was not installed correctly and failed due to water and rust.

We have worked with many of the potters in the area for kiln installs and repair work. We did this install with vent a few weeks ago.

Made up these 300′ extension cords this week. 30 amp / 240 volt with twist lock ends and strain relief grips. These will be used to drop down the towers while they are under construction.

This is a picture of a new 200 amp service done the Artisan Way!

2010 has been a banner year for us marked by some signification changes in how we do business and interact with our clients.  Despite the soft economy and all the doom and gloom coming out of Washington we have had a considerable amount of growth this year.

Looking forward into 2011 we are pleased to roll out the next phase of our targeted web development plan - MonticelloElectric.Com. This web site will be a mini version of our standard site with a focus on the unique skills we can bring to the Monticello market.

Here are just a few of the things we can do for our Monticello Clients:

• Historic re-wires
• Service upgrades
• Boat Dock electrical systems
• Boat lift motor service
• Pump motor service
• Home theater and audio distribution
• Computer networks
• TV Cable / HD antenna systems
• Deck and Landscape lighting
• Custom kitchen and bathroom projects
• Those “unique” and “difficult” projects
• Commercial business service and fit-outs

Artisan Electric – “doing the right things, the right way, period”

Days are short right now, it’s dark A LOT.  Its dark during the morning commute to work, and for most people dark on their way home.  Combine that with the crazy number of commercial business spaces that are closed up and sitting empty these days and you have a golden opportunity to make your place of business really stand out.

So what does your current lighting say about your business?  Does it say “take a look at us, we are in it to win it”?  or are you projecting another image, one that makes people ask “is that place even still open”?

So here are a few points to consider:

1. Signage – do you have lighted signs that are clearly visible at night and working properly.  Nothing says “we don’t care” quicker then a place of business that does not keep their own company singe in good repair (or working at all)
2. Parking lot lights – do you have pole mounted parking lot lights that are sufficient and functional?  Do they flicker or come off and on at random intervals?  Maybe they hum really bad…
3. Building Lights – does your building or space have wall pack lighting, soffit lighting, or specialty feature lighting – is it working?  Are there lamps out all over the place and a general state of disrepair, or are things squared away?
4. Lighting Controls - how do your lights come on?  Is the photo eye or automated controller working correctly and set to the correct time?  The seasonal time on / time off settings change by as much as 4 hours over the course of the year.
5. Store front lights - do you have adequate store front lighting that is showing off the features of your building as well as your products and / or services.  The need(s) and type(s) of store front lighting can be a petty wide range, you don’t light an industrial building the same way as an art gallery – but in either case you are sending a message.  What does your message say?
6. Display Window Lighting – this is typically that first impression you give at night… even more important if you have a destination business that is open late or located in an areas with high visibility and high foot traffic.  Are you making your potential clients take a glance or a long hard look?
7. Safety – are you providing adequate lighting for your clients and staff to safely get to and from your place of business on those dark winter days?  This can tell your team a lot about how you are dong business.  Are  you telling them you “really care” or “good luck in the dark”?
8. Fun and Unique – what does your lighting tell people.  Are you in a type of business that fun, unique, and interesting lighting might make a significant impact on your image and the overall “feeling”?   Do you need to project an industrial or “squared away” no frills image – is that what you are getting from your lightning plan?

Signs and lighting say a lot about you and your business.  If your not happy about that image let us help!

With the cost of HD TV’s coming down by the week, and a great many new services being offered by providers more and more people are making the switch or are upgrading to better units.  We are seeing a major influx of TV related cable and electrical issues.  Let’s take a look at a few things you should know, first a basic list of  symptoms:

• Pixelation or “fuzzy” picture
• Pictures and images that just don’t seem to look as good as it “did in the store”
• Audio drop outs (called digital drop) or loss of sync between audio and the picture
• Frame skip or jump
• TV’s and equipment that seem to “go bad” prematurely
• Internet and voice over Internet (VOIP) services that are unreliable and not stable
• Unidentified noise in the audio (Example – you can here the sound of the furnace kicking on or the refrigerate in your audio system)
• And of course install issues by providers (cable stapled or strapped around the exterior the home and drilled thru the walls)

Now, lets talk about some of these in detail and the related fixes

1)  OLD CABLE – There is “old’ cable and “new” cable.  In this case we are specifically talking about the cable wire.  Old cable (RG59) typically does not like to support the newer higher Meg-Hz cable signals.  If you have a large home and the cable is original or has not been upgraded in the last 15 years or so chances are you have the older RG59 type – which typically seems slightly smaller in diameter and slightly more flexible.  Probably need to look at getting some of the runs upgraded

2)  SPLITTERS AND TERMINATIONS – If you go down in your basement (or maybe your garage or crawl space) and there is an area that looks like a 3 year old went crazy with wire and splitters then some improvements are in order – this is typically one of the first places we start in a clean up project.  Every split and every fitting causes signal loss – and again if some of this work is older the splitters and cable end fittings used may not support HD signal well.  It is always best to make every run count, use the least amount of cable possible, only install the best HD rated splitters, and only split what is in use.

3)  GROUNDING – like most things of an electrical / electronic nature grounding is  huge in the audio and video world – sadly most homeowners and install techs pay it little attention to it.  Here is a quick run down on how to REALLY ground your cable.  First, at the point of entry the first cable fitting should have a ground connection that bounds by #10 gauge or better copper wire from the cable fighting to the main grounding bar in the electrical panel, it may also be grounded directly to the ground rod (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT).  Second, all the splitters in the systems should be grounded back to the same location or at least bounded to the homes ground wire system.  Why, well there are a lot of reasons, but the easiest explanation we like to call the “Ghost in the Machine”  effect – if cables are not grounded they have a no way to dissipate things that shouldn’t be there unless they do so at the connection points at your TV, computer, or audio system – the exact places we are trying to improve signal quality.

4)  Install methods – this is always a sticking point for me… do these service providers really feel like stapling cables on the outside of your home or business is doing a god job?  I once watched a SAT TV installer drill a hole thru a pocket door in a historic home, stick on a cable box, and proceed to install they equipment and leave… no really – THIS HAPPENED, they installed it in a door!  We just finished up a job this week were cable TV tech ran the cables to the different rooms of the home by laying them in the gutters, not kidding.   Fit and finish of any system effects the outcome and the install quality, as well as the ability to work on the system in the future  Cables should be ran INSIDE of the dwelling unit and concealed in wall spaces where ever possible.

So, if you have been frustrated or not satisfied with your HD TV we can help!  We can do full set up and installation of almost any gear, while provide a proper install and a warranty on the work.

From the City of Lafayette web site:  “Building permits must be issued before any permanent structure is built, modified, or remodeled within the city limits. Any proposed work within the street right-of-way requires a permit. Permits are also required for large sheds and both above and in-ground swimming pools. Site plans are reviewed for conformance to city standards for parking lots, utility connections, street access, and landscaping. The Engineering Department also reviews all subdivision plans and inspects all infrastructure”.

Its that time of year again and (gasp) bad weather will be upon us soon.  This weeks tip is a simple one… it will save you a bundle to deal with outdoor light fixture repairs before the snow flies and things freeze… in some case, like in ground landscape lighting, if a problem occurs after it has hard frozen for the winter we have little choice but to put the repair work off until spring thaw

In other areas, like commercial parking lot lights, wall packs, those pesky motion detector sensor lights – getting fresh lamps in and checking out the systems before winter is money well spent.  Things break when it gets cold, and planning for bucket truck / large ladder use during those bad winter months will always cost more then doing the same work during favorable weather.

And of course – PLANNED maintenance is always more cost effective then emergency or unplanned repair work!