There are basically three types of electrician classifications. The Master electrician; the Journeyman electrician; and the Residential electrician. All three types of electricians are, accordingly, issued a license by the folks at theTexas Department of Licensing and Regulation to validate their competency and knowledge of electrical installations.

Master Electrician (8 years experience) :
Must (1) have at least 12,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a Master electrician; and (2) have held a Journeyman electrician license for at least two years; and (3) pass a Master electrician examination.

Journeyman Electrician (4 years experience) :
Must (1) have at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a Master electrician; and (2) pass a Journeyman electrician examination.

Residential Electrician (2 years experience) :
Must (1) have at least 4,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a Master electrician or Residential wireman; and (2) pass a Residential wireman examination.

   Are you aware that in one-of-three situations that a circuit breaker will not 'trip' off without having a ground wire properly installed as part of the circuit? Although a circuit can turn-on something without installing a ground wire -- There is three different ways in which circuit breakers 'trip', and one of the ways relies on the ground wire.*

Short-Circuit : A situation that occurs when hot (black) and neutral (white) wires come in contact with each other. Circuit breakers protect against fire that could result from this short-circuit condition.

Overload : A situation that occurs when any current is in excess of the rated current of equipment or devices. The operation of equipment in excess of normal full-load rating. Circuit breakers protect against fire that could result from this overload condition.

*Ground-Fault : A fault in the Ground condition where the Hot power wire (black) comes in contact with the metal portion of equipment, and devices. Under this condition, without a ground wire installed, the circuit breaker will not 'trip' off, resulting in the metal (conductive) portions of electrical equipment to become energized -- waiting to electrocute someone. (ex: touching the outside of a washer/ dryer.)

   The bidding wars between some electrical contractors sometimes generates lower prices for the cost of a particular contracted job. Although low-bid contracts appear to be good on the surface, low-bid jobs are cheap -- for a reason. Not all electrical contractors bid the same, of course, and the reasonable explanation is that they are submitting bids with different quality materials in mind.

It may come as a surprise to some people that it is impossible to obtain high-quality material on a low-bid job. Why? From the contractor's viewpoint, the object of the bid is to get the job. If Cowtown Electric were to put together a bid that includes good-quality, high-end material and our competitor makes a bid that includes cheap material, our bid will be significantly higher -- which could jeopardize getting the job.

As a homeowner, you should know that when you choose the lowest bid, you may get exactly what you pay for. But if you specify in advance the type and exact grade of materials you want, so that all contractors are bidding with the same standards in mind, you can choose the lowest price knowing that you have not compromised quality... at least regarding the material. The installation is another story.

  The National Electric Code (NEC) is used as the minimum safety standard, and governs all electrical installations in the nation -- but meeting code is not good enough. Minimum code means exactly that -- it's the absolute minimum required to pass inspection (green tag). And I'm sorry to admit that on many electrical systems in businesses and homes even minimum codes sometimes are not enforced.

Most inspectors are already backlogged and overworked -- they have time only to check for the obvious electrical safety violations. They simply cannot check the entire electrical system for hazards, or trace every single wire in your business or home. Therefore, you cannot assume that an electrical system has been installed correctly or even safely just because it has passed inspection.

Although it's up to the electrical company and electrician to know how and what needs to be installed -- the bottom line is, if it's actually been done correctly -- intentionally or not. So ask yourself if your business or home electrical system is wired; below the minimum safety standards; or equal to the minimum safety standards; or above the minimum safety standards? Not sure? Then have Cowtown Electric answer that for you!