When is 20% off not a good deal?

It amazes me when I see competitors advertising high percentage off...20% off...deals...when compared to a company that is not inflating their prices and giving you a good deal from the start....

For example, for what we charge for troubleshooting 129$ plus most minor repairs between  60$ and $95 for a total of between 189$-224$.......the 20% off guy starts his troubleshooting at $400 with 20% off 80 dollars off so troubleshooting at $320..its almost 75-100$ more than what are troubleshooting and repair would come to.  Panels changes can be $3000-$4000 with the 20% off it would be $2400-$3200... where our panel changes are between $1500 and $2000 you would save between $900 and $1200 dollars.  If your getting a big job done....does not hurt to ask for a second opinion. I always tell customers check around...if a customer calls me and describes his or her problem and what the tech is proposing for a repair, I'd gladly give my honest advise, if its a good deal I tell them it is.  But most of the time when you run to the 20% off guy...no names mentioned....its not a good deal.  I have had many customers tell me of what high prices they want, so be aware of the percentage off guys.

Zinsco Electrical Panel Problems

Lately we have seen a lot of Zinsco electrical panel problems.

Zinsco & Sylvania (Panels that were produced when Sylvania took over the Zinsco brand) Zinsco panels and Sylvania panels from the late 1970s and early 1980s when Sylvania bought out Zinsco have an inconsistent history of various problems associated with them. Typically, the panels are outdated and even dangerous by today's standards. Zinsco and Sylvania panels are no longer manufactured, and while some replacement parts might be available, they might be difficult to find and expensive to buy. Zinsco circuit breakers may fail to trip in response to an overcurrent or a short circuit. A circuit breaker that may not trip does not afford the protection that is intended and required, creating a fire hazard. Simply replacing the circuit breakers might not be a reliable repair. There appears to be no official recall on these panels, mainly because the companies that made these panels are out of business.
Below is a Thermal Image a home inspector took at a recent home inspection of a Zinsco electrical panel

Shown is the places where the breakers connect of pinch the bus bars are showing overheat, which usually means that the breakers are arcing to the busbars.



To Learn more about Electrical Panels and other Types of Dangerous Panels Contact Phillip @ Solomon Electrical Services, for a electrical safety inspection.

Check these LED bulbs out.....at Dixieline stores

Was buying a bullet proof gate latch pull wire kit at Dixieline and ran across these very affordable LED bulbs.  SDG&E is subsidizing part of the price and they are $7.99 for a BR30 recessed light style bulb the previous low price I could find on these was at cost co for $10.99 and Home Depot at $19.99

Recent Trouble Call for The San Diego Electrican

 Electrical fire caused by a loose wire.

This outlet was found in a san diego pizza business.  It was caused by a

loose wire on the outlet from a soda machine cooler.  Had the outlets

been checked the loose wire would have been found and corrected. 

We find loose connections make up a large percentage of the problems

we find from loose wires on outlets to loose wire nuts to loose wires at

circuit breakers.  Luckily the business was open and when this wire and

outlet started smoking the person at the business called the fire

department and it was quickly extinguished.

Lets Get This Blog Show On The Road

So here we have had the SES, Solomon Electrical Service's blog active since 2011 and now lets start posting more often.....My side kick and business partner.....Phillip "Lil Bird" Solomon, otherwise known as my son, or Junior (Jr) took an unfortunate fall and twisted his knee so he has been side lined since April....so I am going to put him to work keeping the blog updated and post a lot more often...stay tuned to more facts and information and just the wacky things we see in the Electrical world working as your San Diego Electrician.....

The First Blog Post For Solomon Electrical....How Does It Look?

This is the first test post on my Blog for Solomon Electrical Services here in San Diego, CA. I hope to be able to use the resource to document the week to week activity of our company. Display some of the types of work that we do and answer questions people may have about the electrical in their homes.