Flat Screen TV’s

September 30th, 2011

Flat Screen TelevisionPlasma – LCD ­– HDTV ­– Blu-Ray! So you’ve spent time educating yourself on the latest video entertainment technology. And you’ve purchased, or are about to purchase your new equipment. You understand pixels, resolution, aspect ration, phosphors, 5-way surround sound—more than you need to know. Now your ready to dump your old, bulky CRT set, and install that nice flat screen in your favorite location. But wait! Have you thought about how your going to protect this new expense? Mounting a heavy flat panel screen on a wall deserves some consideration, if not experience. Doing it wrong could lead to a very expensive mistake.

Special brackets are made for flat panel televisions, and some of them offer a tilt feature for variable viewing angles. For smaller displays, a swing arm is an option for even more viewing versatility. R&T Electric will help you pick the right mounting bracket for your set, and provide the expert service to install it for you.

Mounting your new flat screen is only one step in the process. One of the most overlooked, yet important considerations in the pre-planning phase are the electrical and audio/video connections. Without a proper amount of consideration and experience, your installation can look like a rat’s nest of cables. And with the popularity of home entertainment systems, those cables and electrical wires deserve even more planning. R&T Electric will ensure that your system is served with adequate power for safety and performance. We can install a special HD box inside your wall so that HDMI connections are clean and tidy with an in-wall cable access port.

Let R&T Electric be part of your important planning process. Give us a call. We’ll do all the work so that all you have left to do is make the popcorn!

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Have You Checked Your Smoke Alarm Lately?

November 9th, 2010
As the days shorten and winter slowly applies its grip, we spend more time at home. And when we do this, opportunities for a house fire increase dramatically. Sources may be a kitchen stove, a space heater, a careless smoker, faulty wiring and often, wood burning stoves and fireplaces. Businesses must also keep vigilant against the risk of fire –for many of us, we spend almost as much time at work as we do at home. And let’s not forget public places: schools, auditoriums, gyms, churches and the like. Most municipal fire codes mandate specific smoke detection systems for public places.
Smoke alarms are the first line of defense in detecting fire in a home or business. According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire deaths have been cut in half since the introduction of smoke alarms in the late 1970’s. Consider these related facts:
  • Two-thirds of reported residential fire deaths occurred in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
  • Fire deaths in homes with working smoke alarms are 51 percent less than the death rate for homes without alarms.
  • An estimated 20 percent of U.S. homes do not have working smoke alarms, primarily because of missing or dead batteries.
There are two types of smoke detectors. One is ionization and the other is photoelectric. Both are effective means of sensing smoke in residential environments.
The photoelectric type alarms are generally most effective at detecting slow, smoldering fires which smolder for hours before bursting into flame. Sources of these fires may include cigarettes burning in couches or bedding.
The ionization type alarms are generally most effective at detecting fast, flaming fires which consume combustible materials rapidly and spread quickly. Sources of these fires may include paper burning in a waste container or a grease fire in the kitchen. The National Fire Protection Agency recommends having both types of smoke alarms in your home.
For most homeowners, a hard wired detector on each level with a battery back-up is sufficient. If you have a home security system, detectors can send an alarm directly to the local fire department. R&T Electric recommends that you test alarms no less than annually; preferably every six months.
Dave Averill, Security and Alarm Specialist, has been with R&T for over 22 years. He offers these suggestions on where alarms should be installed:
“Generally alarms should be installed in hallways as close to the bedrooms as possible, so people sleeping on the other side of closed doors can hear it. All alarms should be installed in conjunction with the manufacturers’ instructions. There are also guidelines on where not to install them, such as kitchens.”
R&T Electric offers FireX brand smoke alarm installations for both residences and businesses.  Carbon monoxide and low temperature alarms are also available. And while R&T services some of the largest commercial properties in New Hampshire, it has never forgotten its roots as a residential electrical service provider.
R&T has been in the electrical services business since early 1972. That’s 39 years! Large or small, commercial or residential, R&T Electric has the tools and the people to do the job right – and we’re a company you can count on in an emergency.

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Power Options When the Lights Go Out

October 9th, 2010
Remember February 26, 2010? That was the day of the great wind storm that knocked power out for more 300,000 New Hampshire households. And then there was December 11, 2008, the day of the last great ice storm in the state. Fully half of New Hampshire households lost power, many for days, and some for weeks. There was even one fatality attributed to a poorly-ventilated portable generator.
Extreme weather and power outages are a staple of New Hampshire’s weather. A generator and the backup power it provides can be a welcome, reassuring presence when the electricity goes out at home.
Portable gasoline-powered generators are one way to get backup power, though the electricity they provide is limited – and typically a portable generator will use 12-18 gallons of gas a day when heavily loaded.
They can also be a hassle – you have to have a transfer switch installed to run direct-wired appliances such as your heating system, or run extension cords in and out of your house for plug-in fixtures – and they pose a very real safety threat if you don’t use them properly.
“With a portable generator, you might have to run cords, store gas, and stabilize the gas so you don’t gum up the carburetor,” says Jon Ruggles, owner of R&T Electric.
A better and safer alternative is a stationery generator. Not only are they safer, they provide much more power than portable units. And you can leave for that long-planned for winter getaway without worrying about the weather back home. If the power goes out, a stationery generator will automatically power on – no frozen pipes to come home to! Typically New Hampshire home and business owners will power a stationery generator with propane dispensed from a permanently-installed tank.
R&T Electric sells and services Generac and Siemens generators. It has been in the electrical services business since 1972. That’s 38 years! Large or small, commercial or residential, R&T Electric has the tools and the people to do the job right – and we’re a company you can count on in an emergency.
We provide free estimates and 24 hour emergency service.  Call us at 224-4782 .

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