Gord's Electric
105 Hillcrest Drive L1n 3C3 Whitby, ON, Canada

A quote from the Fall 2019 Plugged In newsletter: Over the past year, ESA inspectors have identified more than 2,000 defects related to the installation of non-metallic-sheathed cables (NMSC) near heating ducts. Below are before and after photos of a client's "home runs" (from his distribution panel). Much safer now.

Sometimes you get lucky.... This is not my work, it was done by the previous "electrician". My client was extremely lucky that this did not burn up before I repaired it. There was 1500W or 12.5A running intermittently on this circuit. As is quite often the case, my client was completely unaware of this mess hidden within their walls. Making good connections requires knowledge and skill. Bad connections are not good! This is especially true with aluminum wiring.

The problem: My client had an issue with family and pets getting tangled in the extension cords strung about so that tablets, phones, etc. could be charged/powered while sitting on the couch in the living room. The solution..... floor receptacle boxes beside the couch. The challenge..... to not destroy a beautiful hardwood floor. The outcome...... Success! No tripping accidents.... no damaged cords.

The name of the game is to spot the wiring defects in the photo. Wrong: This junction box is able to hold (8) #12s. It contains the equivalent of (14) #12s... Incorrect wire nuts installed for aluminum wire connections. (2) cables entering clamp approved for only (1) cable. (I have seen cables fail because of this). Can't see this in the photo, but (1) cable was not supported properly. Right: the j-box was mounted solidly to the joist. The cover plate was installed when I got there, and when I left the job. All fixed, now!

"Fishy Smell" in my home https://energytoday.biz//this-weird-smell-means-your-home- Recently, one Of my clients called me to investigate this issue.... Her home was wired with aluminum wiring, and the connections were made the way connections were made circa 1970. The repair was done with modern approved methods. Either aluminum or copper connections that are improperly made can fail, resulting in burning. If you don't know how to make electrical power connections, you should consult a Licensed Electrical Contractor. https://www.esasafe.com/cons/hiring-an-electrician/overview See more

Interesting fan design. No lighting module needed here, as there is adequate lighting in the room. The absence of the lighting module actually removers the busy look of a fan with a light module. My client can reverse the direction of the fan to push air towards the ceiling, displacing the warm air at the ceiling into the living area at floor level during the cooler weather. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLHRHdy6Nuc

The storage room. Dingy and scary it was before the Standard Pro LED/CL8/14W/40K/FM/RND/WH/STD (65457) 14Watt 8" round light fixture installation. The lighting installation changed from 19W 1600Lumens to 70W 5000Lumens A wall switch replace the pull cord that kept breaking..... Now the mice have nowhere to hide.

The Wiser Energy Residential Energy Monitoring System Technology isn't taking a break just yet. I can remember back to circa 2013 when I struggled to convert anyone to use LED lighting! The following (4) videos describe the monitoring system hardware and the function and operational features of the app. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auTgPtm1P9E

A Heatline video discussing misconception of power consumption. Some think that low voltage means low power consumption. Power is measured in Watts, which is the product (multiplication) of voltage and current. So even though the voltage is low, if the circuit draws high current, a high Wattage is produced. Also, discussed in this video is t...he fact that these cables are self-regulating and will apply extra current (thus power) in areas where the cable is cold and power is required. This not only focuses power in the desired area, (conserving power) but prevents plastic piping from overheating. Because the cable is self-regulating, it is difficult to determine how much total power it will use. The only way to determine how much power is being consumed at any given time is to measure the current draw, and multiply that current by the system voltage. Or by exposing the entire length of the cable at a temperature that will cause the cable to produce its maximum output, which in a practical situation, probably would not happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch

Out with the bad!! These were recently found energized in a home and removed. They were replaced with a much safer (and legal) installation. The home owner inherited these, and was glad to be rid of them.

DALS under cabinet lighting. A Canadian company that produces quality lighting products. I have been using DALS under cabinet lighting for about 7 years, and have never encountered a disappointed client. https://www.dalslighting.com/en/about-us

100A fuse panel gone, 100A Homeline panel installed. Oh yes, must not forget to mention spaghetti removal......

Electrical service upgrade reaps many rewards. Recently, I upgraded a 100A service to 200A. The existing 100A conduit was installed underground, and entered the home below grade. Fortunately, after years, only a tiny bit of rust was found in the service panel. After re-building the conduit, it entered the home above grade, was provided with drainage, and blocking to prevent moisture an vapour from entering the new panel. The new panel was equipped with whole-house surge p...rotection (Important with the sensitive electronics of today's appliances). We were also able to eliminate the existing sub-panel that was added because of the lack of space available in the original panel. See more

Many times I've heard something like "when I plug my toaster into this outlet, the breaker trips, and my refrigerator stops". I actually corrected this specific condition for a client, as the previous "electrician" had decided to connect too much load to the circuit. If your house is newer than 1968 or so, and you have nuisance tripping in the kitchen, there is a possibility that someone has been altering your kitchen circuits. The Canadian Electrical Code has, for many y...ears now, been strengthening the circuit requirements for kitchens to prevent nuisance tripping. I installed this this sub-panel to supply mostly kitchen circuits. 9 out the 14 circuits that this panel feeds are kitchen counter receptacles and appliances. My client wanted extra kitchen counter receptacles, so we could have gotten away with 7 circuits to satisfy code, but it's always nice to have an abundance of power in the kitchen. Realizing that your refrigerator has not been running just after you loaded it with this week's grocery shopping would not be a good thing! See more

The recent flooding in Bracebridge and the dangers associated with water and electrical equipment prompts me to share information links. Thinking also of my friends and family who have had water damage to their homes (not to mention my own home) could face the danger of electric shock. https://www.esasafe.com//sa/storm-safety/flood-safety-info... https://www.newswire.ca//flooding-in-bracebridge-and-heavy

Another Heat-Line solution for those who use wells as a water source. I have used Heat-Line solutions for several years now, and am completely confident in their product, and mostly in their design support team. It's a great benefit to be able to design a functional installation right from the start by providing them with accurate details of how the water system is constructed. https://www.youtube.com/watch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Gord’s Electric Crowned 2019 HomeStars Best of Award Winner! Toronto, ON March 6, 2019 Gord’s Electric announced today that they have been selected as a 2019 Best of Award Winner by HomeStars. Hailed as HomeStars’ highest honour, the Best of Awards, presented by DEWALT, Canadian Contractor, and RenoRun, recognizes the most trusted home service professionals in HomeStars’ network of over 60k pros, vetted and crowned for their commitment to consisten...cy, integrity and unparalleled customer service. Our Best of Award Winners set the standard for home service pros in our network, says Nancy Peterson, CEO of HomeStars. This award is a testament to their unwavering excellence and commitment towards the quality of their trade. Gord’s Electric was honoured at this year’s Best of Awards on March 5th at The Vue in Toronto, where winners accepted their awards, had their photo taken with Nancy and networked with fellow winners as a celebration of their incredible achievements. A HomeStars Best of 2019 badge now appears on Gord’s Electric’s profile as a sign of their commitment to quality, showing homeowners they’re a top choice for their next home reno or repair project. It’s a great feeling when your work is appreciated, and receiving a Best of Award is truly an honour, says Scott McClelland, owner of Gord’s Electric. Providing our customers with excellent service and quality work is the reason we got into this business in the first place, and it’s so fulfilling to see it recognized in the industry. See what customers have to say on HomeStars gordselectric.homestars.com and join hundreds of happy clients who have made Gord’s Electric their first choice for hire.

Just found this, and was quite intrigued by it. I'm guessing it to be 50 years old?? They don't make 'em like they used to!!

An old fuse panel with burnt fuses and burnt busbar. Most things grow old! Fortunately, the circuits in this panel burned completely open, which interrupted the circuit, stopped the burning and warned the occupants of a problem. We were able to replace the old damaged panel with a new breaker panel. This provided capacity for many more circuits to be installed, which is normal for modern day residential house wiring. This advantage was used to provide new circuits for th...e new media room. It also allowed us to provide a dedicated circuit for the refrigerator, a dedicated 20A circuit for the electric fireplace. This not only satisfied modern code compliance, but ensured no chance of nuisance tripping due to overloaded circuits. We were also able to install a surge protection package to protect all of the appliances throughout the whole house against damaging voltage surges. See more

This family room was lit by a 4-lamp track light with (4) 50W GU10 Halogen bulbs (200W) that were continuously burning out. Because of the off-centre location of the track light in the room, and poor lighting distribution, table or standing lamps were needed at the room's perimeter to avoid dark corners or "cave effect". We installed (6) Standard Pro 4" 11W (for a total of 66W) recessed light fixtures to distribute lighting evenly in the room, and to place one of the fixtures directly above the fireplace. Addition of calibrated dimming control allows the room to fit many moods. The light fixtures were chosen to be 3000K (soft white or warm white) deliver 750 lumens each, and boast a 36,000 hour lifespan.

Wow! I have never hung so much jewelry on a light fixture. It took just as long to dress it as it did to hang it up and connect it.

Please don't do things like this. Yes, the device box is blackened from smoke, and yes, the connector has been destroyed by heat. There are at least 7 code & trade practice violations in these photos. The good thing is that the burning was contained in the steel box, and the cover plate was installed. If you are not sure of how to wire devices, call a professional.... The cost of a mistake could be very large. See more