Message From The Editor
How to prevent arcing — update
This month we will talk a great deal about power quality and testing and maintenance. We begin these technical aspects with electric arcs. Revisions to NFPA 70 E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, are discussed here. In this first of a series of two articles, we present five key changes. You will also find our contributor on best practices for marketing your business, and statistics that will allow you to see what's coming. Good reading!
Line Goyette
Managing Editor
linegoyette@kerrwil.com
|
|
Changing Scene
|
Don't sweat it! Keep enclosures & equipment cool, save big on energy & costs!
This summer, there's a perfect way to prevent those enclosures and sensitive equipment from over-heating. Get the special promo prices on Rittal's CSA-approved air conditioners and fans, backed by Rittal's industry-leading technology and innovation, and save on enclosure cooling costs and energy.
Read More
|
2018 CE Code Essentials — Did You Know?
Electric Shock Drowning
2015 Code — 15 and 20 A receptacles require GFCI protection. 2018 Code — ground fault protection for feeders, GFCI protection for receptacles. Much research has been conducted on the phenomenon known as electric shock drowning. Section 78 has been extensively updated in the 2018 Code to require GFCI and ground fault protection for branch circuits and feeders respectively. The scope of Section 78 has been expanded to include additional types of structures such as floating piers and docking facilities, and the rules have been re-arranged to simplify navigation of the section.
Read More
|
Marketing
A Simple Sentence to Increase Referrals
By Jeff Mowatt
Ignore this tip if you work for a monopoly. If, however, your customers do have options to do business elsewhere, consider this. If your employees were able to generate more referrals by saying one sentence more often, imagine the impact to your bottom line. Keep in mind this money-making strategy costs you nothing, reduces the need to discount your prices to gain new business, and strengthens the loyalty of your current customers. I learned this technique from Corinne Lyall, Broker/Owner of Royal LePage Benchmark with over 150 associates. Her tip for asking for and getting referrals is this…
Read More
|
|
Safety
The 10 Most Important Changes in the 2018 NFPA 70e Standard, Part 1
By James R. White
With the recent release of the 2018 edition of the NFPA 70E standard, many users are finding it challenging to interpret what it says and prioritize where they should focus their attention. The short answer is that the entire 70E standard is important, not just one chapter, article or section. However, this article highlights 10 changes that the author believes are most important. Here in Part 1: changes 1-5.
Read More
|
Economy
February New Housing Investment Rises 9.5% YOY
The year-over-year increase was led by spending on multiple-unit construction (apartment buildings, row houses and semi-detached houses), while spending on single-family homes was down compared with February 2017. February marked the fourth consecutive month that the year-over-year increase in spending on apartment building construction outpaced spending on single houses. Apartment building construction rose in eight provinces, led by Quebec (+$182.4 million), Ontario (+$80.3 million) and British Columbia (+$74.3 million). Spending on row house construction increased 24.1% (+$97.7 million) compared with February 2017, mainly driven by investment in Ontario (+$50.8 million), Alberta (+$23.0 million) and British Columbia (+$18.6 million).
Read More
|
Eaton Case Study
Eaton: Variable Frequency Drives Enhance Energy Efficiency at Greenhouse Waste Recycling Plant
Sponsored by Eaton
In today’s market operational efficiency is essential. Whether it be upgrades to aging infrastructure or the application of new products into a modern facility there is a market wide drive to ensure that facilities are energy efficient and have proper control infrastructure. The push for efficiency has gone beyond the narrow consideration of manufacturing to incorporate a wide array of facilities that utilize modern machinery and control systems. One of the primary concerns in regard to energy consumption and machine wear is the frequency or speed of the motors. If a motor is improperly controlled, it consumes more energy than required and can create operational concerns as the motor and related equipment wear out faster.
Read More
|
From Our Last Issue
Master Electrician Steve Beeby Discusses the Market and Challenges Facing Small Electrical Contractor Companies
Sponsored by Schneider Electric
Electricians are highly trained individuals within their field. They receive significant hands-on training in trade school, but that training does fail to fully provide an understanding of the business portion of running a company. Surviving in the residential electrical market involves a lot of out of the box thinking and as we have said and can't stress enough, hard work. To gain insight into the various challenges faced by small electrical contractors, EIN sat down with Steve Beeby, Master Electrician, and owner/operator of Beehive Electric, a small residential electrical electrical contracting company based in Elmvale, Ontario.
Read More
|
Relamping? We have a solution for you
Whether it's a 4-foot fixture, or a high bay metal halide, Philips Lighting has a solution to suit your needs.
Philips T8 Energy Advantage fluorescent lamps offer instant energy savings from conventional 32W T8's, and extra low mercury for customers looking for a cost-effective environmentally responsible solution.
Read More
|
Q & A Brought to You by Britech
We recently had a fire hose cabinet valve freeze in our underground parking garage, yet when the pipe trace system was tested it performed perfectly. What could the problem be?
We often see pipe tracing temperature sensors installed on the piping near the thermostat located in an electrical room, often in the warmest part of the garage. Temperature sensors should be extended and installed near the roll-up garage door or near the intake air louvres where they can sense outdoor air temperatures rather than the warm air in the garage. A fire hose cabinet will be useless if it's frozen and unable to supply water in the event of a fire.
Read More
|
Survey Says
Electrical Engineering Hourly Rates by Job
See how the rates for electricians working in electrical engineering compare to technicians, engineers and others.
Read More
|
Survey Says From Recent Issues
- Electrical Contractor Median Bonus by Job
On average electrical project managers receive the biggest job bonus. Electrical foremen receive the smallest, below that of electricians.
- Electrical Contractors' Most Popular Benefits
Electrical contractors often receive one or more benefits from their employers. Company cell phones are ranked the most popular perk by 27% of survey respondants, with a relatively even split among 6 other perks offered by employers.
- Electrical Market Customer Distribution
Electrical and other contractors dominate the electrical market in terms of purchasing electrical products from full-line electrical distributors. Industrial, OEM, MRO, and Automation follow with a combined market share of 24%.
|
New Products and Solutions
Brady's Predictive Maintenance Irreversible Temperature Indicating Label
Brady's irreversible TIL series provides a permanent record of the highest temperature reached on a piece of equipment. When the equipment reaches a certain temperature, the white area on the label turns irreversibly black, giving clear proof of the highest temperature attained — a cost-effective solution for temperature checks during maintenance or for trouble spotting during research and development, especially where other measuring systems fail to record an external temperature of a machine or system.
Read More
|
Viso Moss Explores the Interconnection Between Organic Design and LED Technology
Viso Inc.'s pendant light, Moss, blends LED technology with organic design. Moss's polycarbonate body is surrounded by 43 1W LED glass globes. When lit, this energy efficient pendant light exudes an organic feeling, as if you are walking through a forest. The metalization process used to form the polycarbonate body ensures that the finishes on the fixture does not peel, bubble, or fade. Each globe is put into a vacuum, along with the corresponding metals required for the finish to avoid contamination during the process. The pendant itself measures 710mm (28") in circumference and hangs 3710mm (145") from floor to ceiling. The polycarbonate body is available in chrome, gold or copper finish and the glass globes come in fully frosted or half metalized.
Read More
|
New Extech Laser Distance Meters Measure up to Jobsite Challenges
Extech Instruments' new DT-M series of pro-grade laser distance meters make it easy to measure distances, compute area and volume, measure angles, and stake out distances between objects. Users can quickly take measurements with one-button, point-and-shoot convenience, saving time and dollars resulting from estimating errors. The DT-M series includes three meters with distance capabilities for a range of jobs: DT40M: 131ft, 40m, DT60M: 196ft, 60m and DT100M: 330ft, 100m. The DT-M meters feature a bright laser and large, backlit, 4-line display, making it easy to measure targets with 0.08" (2mm) accuracy. The pocket-sized meters are ideal for one-hand operation, and measurements can be taken from the front or rear edge. A built-in bubble level ensures the accuracy of horizontal measurements.
Read More
|
Liteline New SlimLED Multi
Further rounding off Liteline's SlimLED program, the SlimLED Multi easily installs into a standard octagon box or 4" recessed housing. The unit is wet location rated, includes three interchangeable plastic magnetic trims (white, black, and silver), fire-rated when used in a fire-rated octagon box, available in 2700 K, 3000 K, 3500 K and 4000 K, and p;rovides up to 540 lumens and 90 CRI. The unit is air tight and features a built-in driver.
Read More
|
Flir Thermal Imaging for Next-Gen DJI Zenmuse XT2 Dual-Sensor Commercial Drone Camera
DJI, the world's leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging, will integrate a Flir thermal imaging sensor technology into its new DJI Zenmuse XT2 drone camera. The DJI Zenmuse XT2, DJI's first dual-sensor and its most advanced gimbal-stabilized camera for commercial drone applications, furthers the collaboration between Flir and DJI. Built with industrial and public safety applications in mind, the DJI Zenmuse XT2 expands upon the benefits in the first thermal-equipped camera jointly developed by Flir and DJI, the DJI Zenmuse XT. The new drone camera includes both a high-definition 4K colour video camera and a high-resolution radiometric thermal camera, allowing operators to switch between thermal and visible cameras in flight. The Zenmuse XT2 also uses Flir's patented MSX technology, or multispectral dynamic imaging, which embosses high-fidelity, visible-light details onto the thermal imagery to enhance image quality and perspective.
Read More
|
Thomas & Betts Nexus Monitoring System
Nexus is an emergency lighting management system that allows the user to see the real-time status of the entire emergency lighting and exit sign system, run system diagnostics, perform required monthly and annual functional tests, generate maintenance logs, run compliance reports, and perform other system-critical functions quickly and easily all from a central control unit. Compared to manual management, automated monitoring is more efficient and less costly, and provides higher quality data that are not subject to human error.
Read More
|
Current Copper Prices
 Monitor daily and 6-month $US prices for copper — the preferred electrical conductor for most categories of electrical wiring.
View Current
|
The Electrical Stock Market
 Track the stock market performance of 25 publicly traded electrical equipment suppliers and electrical wholesalers. Updated weekly.
View Current
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.jpg)
|
|
|
|
|
|
In The Next Issue
More on the CE Code with Bill Burr |
Join The Electrical Industry News Week Reader Advisory Board
Help shape what content you need and when. Gain access to special product launches and promotions. Give your input and ideas on best practices and practical methods.
Click here to join |
|
