If the oven and the dishwasher are on separate circuits, you could install them next to each other, however, you will need to have space between the two appliances to allow the heat to escape. If you place these two appliances on opposite sides of the kitchen, you will have a smoother look to the kitchen.

In a typical kitchen, keeping the major appliances away from each other will keep the flow of electricity through the kitchen evenly distributed.

Generally in living rooms, bedrooms and dining rooms you need to have an outlet every six feet and placed 18 inches off the floor. In the kitchen and bathroom, some people require a few more electrical outlets to run all the appliances and place them under cabinets and behind stoves, dishwashers, refrigerators and compactors. Be sure to consider special needs such as computer systems and air conditioners.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, aluminum wiring used in some homes built from the mid-60's to the early-70's, is a potential fire hazard.

• According to CPSC research, fires and even deaths have been reported to have been caused by this hazard.
• CPSC research shows that "homes wired with aluminum wire manufactured before 1972 are 55 times more likely to have one or more connections reach "Fire Hazard Conditions" than are homes wired with copper.
• Aluminum wiring is still permitted and used for certain applications, including residential service entrance wiring and single-purpose higher amperage circuits such as 240V air conditioning or electric range circuits.
• The fire risk from single purpose circuits is much less than for branch circuits.

Professional, licensed and insured electricians are aware of all housing codes and can install the needed outlets properly.

• Electrical outlets should be installed up to 24 inches apart for counter spaces.
• If you have an island, an outlet needs to be 12 inches from the top of the counter top.
• Kitchen appliances (like a coffee maker) that will be used by the sinks and water sources must be GFCI according to the housing code. These electrical outlets will stop current to the appliance if it is tripped because of water or moisture.
• Electrical outlets are needed behind the refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, and trash compactor.
• If you have a microwave and/or garbage disposal you will want that to have a dedicated electrical outlets.
• You may also need electrical outlets by the kitchen table or on walls where you will have a television or radio.

During an electrical storm it is best to do nothing except adhere to the following precautions. A lightening strike could send a power surge into the homes electrical system and can travel through water to an open outlet.

• Do not shower or handwash dishes.
• Stay off the telephones during an electrical storm.
• Shut down computers.
• Even if you have a surge protector, it is best to power down until the storm passes.
• Turn off all electronics that are not necessary to keep running. The potential for fire or an electrical shock will be greatly reduced.

There are two sides to this argument of whether the ground lug should be up or down. Most electricians will tell you to have the ground lug facing up to prevent them from shorting out. This makes sense when you think about it. If the lug is up, you have protection for a loose plug that continually pops out. Something that falls on the plug such as metal is not going to short out the receptacle. It will hit the ground lug first.

If the lug is facing down and the same thing happens, the receptacle can short out. On the other, placing the ground lug facing down will not cause the plug to pop out or become loose.

Depending on the area you are placing the receptacle in and what it will be used for is another determination of which way to face the ground lug. It is never a good idea to face the ground lug down if you are using the receptacle for operating appliances or other large pieces of equipment.

There are many reasons why lights dim.

• The lights are on a circuit with a larger appliance such as a refrigerator or air conditioner.
• You might have a corroded, broken or loose neutral wire which causes the lights to get brighter and dimmer.
• There is frayed wiring or loose connections.
• It could be the light bulb itself or it could be something more serious. Observe appliances when they are first turned on and then while they are running.

If an electrician is bonded, it's like having a guarantee that your work will be started and completed in a timely with a satisfactory end result.
An electrician that is bonded has paid for this guarantee and if the electrician does not adhere to this guarantee, and you are dissatisfied, the bonding company compensates you. Many bonding companies also offer a referral service which enables you to check references through the company.

A GFI outlet is a ground fault interrupter that can disconnect or open the power to a receptacle. The GFI can tell the difference between the flow of the current from a hot wire that flows through a neutral. If the difference is significant, the circuit is tripped by the ground fault. The outlets are designed to protect electrical items as well as people who handle the items.

You do not want to use a GFI for a washer or a refrigerator. These appliances have motor winding that can trip the circuit. GFI outlets are meant for bathrooms, kitchens, garages and anywhere outside that you need an electrical outlet. GFI outlets are to be placed by sinks, bathtubs, hot tubs, spas, Jacuzzis or water sources in homes that need an electrical outlet within six feet of the source.

There is a line side and a load side to the GFI outlets. This means the incoming power is the line side and the outgoing power is the load side. If this outlet is installed incorrectly, it will not work. The GFI outlet has a test button and a reset button. If the outlet is working correctly, you can press the test button and the outlet will be shut down until you press the reset button. The test button should be tested monthly to insure it is working correctly.

The AFCI is an arc fault circuit interrupter breaker that is done by special circuit breakers and should be installed on all the electrical branch circuits that serve bedrooms or sleeping areas. If there is a slight arc in the outlet, the AFCI breaker will shut down the outlet in a split second preventing potential fires and/ or death. If the arching goes for long periods of time, the wires can reach high temperatures and easily start a fire.

This is different from GFCI which protects you from electrical shock while the AFCI protects you from fire caused by arcing. Soon there may be one outlet that serves both purposes.

The power factor is defined as the ratio between kilowatts and kilo-volt amps that is drawn from the electrical load. This is an involved subject requiring a professional but to explain in non-technical language...the utility company supplies you with kilo-volt amps. However, they bill you for kilowatts. An example of this is a 13-watt fluorescent lamp with a magnetic adapter. Divided by the power factor .25 this equals 64 volt-amps.

The formula is volts x amps x power factor = watts.

The NEC, also known as the National Electric Code safeguards people and property from the hazards that comes from using electricity and brings about the foundation of electrical safety. Updated every three years the NEC states the minimum guidelines for safety standards for any wiring and electrical work. All professional electricians need to know all the guidelines of the NEC to receive a license. Every community also has additional code regulations.

When you receive the electrical current from the utility company, you are receiving a single phase 240 volt. In order to use this in your home and receive 120 volts, the voltage is split into two by way of a center tap that is called a neutral wire (also called the grounded conductor or earth wire).

This white and grey wire is attached to the water main or even an electrode, then to your electrical panel. This grounds your electrical items and is the safest way to protect your property from fire and to prevent electrical shock.

Choosing the right size generator for your home is determined by the number of total watts you need. The formula to use is

Amps x Volts = Total Watts

Generators are set to run automatically in the event of power loss so you also want the generator to have a switch to turn the system off if you personally kill the power in the home to do any electrical work.

The minimum service in homes is 100 amps. However, most of the new homes built today are have 200 amps. Considering that computers, appliances, picture frames, aquariums, printers and all your bathroom appliances use electricity you will find that starting out with a 200-amp service is going to give you more freedom to add even more electrical items to you home in the future.

Any time you need indoor or outdoor electrical work done, that's the time to call to call on a professional, licensed electrcian or electrical contractor. What might seem like a simple situation to you, might actually be a potential danger. Most electrical fires occur because a homeowner didn't think there was a serious problem. Here are some situations where it would be wise to call an electrician:

• You need to upgrade your service.
• You have old knob and tube wiring that might not meet current housing codes.
• Your lights are dimming and flickering.
• You need to add some additional outlets.
• You have power surges when the refrigerators kicks in.
• You keep tripping a circuit breaker or blowing a fuse.
• Any time something unusual is happening with your electrical system.

A smoke detector should be on every level and in every bedroom of your home, including the basement. For a wall mount they must be placed four to twelve inches from the ceiling. Four a ceiling mount they should be four inches from the closest wall and at the highest point if the ceiling has a pitch. In the basement, you should have a smoke detector on the ceiling or wall near dryers, washers and furnaces, and one at the top of the stairs.

Remember to keep away from air vents when installing the smoke detectors and to install and check the batteries regularly, even for hard-wired detectors.

The reason you need a transfer switch on the generator is to guarantee you do not run the generator and electrical power together. If this would happen, you could damage the wiring in your home.

The reason you need to isolate the neutral in a sub panel is that the neutral is the only ground in the service panel. There is nowhere else in your house where the white neutral conductor and the green bare ground conductor are connected.In a normal situation the grounding conductor does not carry any type of current. As a result, there is no voltage drop.

If you would bond the ground and the neutral by the sub panel, any stray current can enter the equipment ground on any of the electrical items that are fed from this sub panel. By isolating the ground and the neutral at the sub panel, the current goes to the main panel and finds its way to the service ground. You want to the equipment ground and the neutral at the main panel.