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Electrician Services

Need an electrician?
Forest City Electric will send a fully qualified Master Electrician, thus ensuring safe, professional service.

Forest City Electric is available days & evenings, 7 days.
Never an overtime charge.
Small jobs welcome.

Examples of the work done by Forest City Electric:
Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Retail, and
Light Industrial.

Panel changes, fluorescent lighting installations and maintenance repairs, hot tubs, aluminum wiring, knob & tube
wiring, electrical problem solving, lights, switches,
receptacles, occupancy sensors, and much more.

Please scroll down . . . .

Outdoor and Security Lighting

Weather conditions can be harsh, causing light
fixtures to corrode. Replacement fixtures can
have additional features, such as dusk-to-dawn
operation or motion-activation.

Installing LED Lighting

Save energy with LED light fixtures, or simply
replacing the existing Edison style bulbs (or
G24, etc.) with replacement lamps. Available
in different colour temperatures, and in both
dimmable or non-dimmable versions.

Installing Indoor Lighting

Available in an extremely large assortment
of designs, LED or traditional. Ideally the customer
should choose their own fixtureand then call in the electrician for a safe and proper installation.

Replace Fuse Panels.....

Although fuses are very reliable protective devices, most existing fuse
panels are quite old, and when a fuse "blows", it isn't always obvious
which one needs replacing. Often customers then need an electrician.

Another common problem is the use of fuses rated too high for the
wire size, for example a 30 amp fuse illegally replacing a 15 amp one.

Also, due to the restrictive design, the number of circuits possible is
far less than what most homes or businesses require.

With Breaker Panels

A new breaker panel offers the customer the convenience of simply
resetting a breaker if a circuit has been overloaded. At the time of the
replacement, the breakers are installed professionally, and the circuits
are then properly labelled on the panelboard.

At this time, other options can be completed....such as using Arc Fault
breakers, or installing a whole home surge suppressor for added protection
of your home's electronic equipment.

Perhaps the best reason for installing a new panel is to allow the addition
of new circuits, greatly reducing the possibility of overloading them.

GFCI Receptacles

Another very important life safety device is
the GFCI receptacle. For new installations
they are mandatory for outdoor receptacles
and for bathroom receptacles and for
kitchen counter receptacles near sinks.

The GFCI feature senses unbalanced
electrical current passing through it,
and if found, it will immediately shut
off, or "trip" to prevent accidental
electrical shock.

Installing Ceiling Fans

Just like indoor lighting fixtures, there are
many different styles of ceiling fans.
Available in different sizes, different
number of fan blades, with or without
integrated lights, and some with remote
controls. Due to their weight, in new
construction the device electrical box
that the fan is wired to, is heavier and
stronger, with a "ceiling fan" rating,
not found in typical octagon boxes.

Switches

Switches are one of the most common devices.
There are single pole, 3-way, 4-way, and some
are illuminated. There are also a number of
specialty switches, like dimmers, occupancy
sensors, reversing switches, timer switches, and
variable speed switches.

One important consideration in choosing a dimmer
is the type of light it is controlling: LED, incandescent,
etc. Note that very few CFL lights are dimmable.



Knob & Tube Wiring . . . .

An older method of wiring, knob & tube is also unacceptable to
some insurance companies.  For our electrical code requirements,
any exposed knob & tube should be replaced with (in most cases)
newer "romex" wiring.

As well, since there is no bonding (or ground) wire, any receptacles
should be replaced with GFCI types, to make it safe to use a 3-prong
cord end (rather than illegally removing the 3rd bonding prong).  A
standard 3-prong receptacle would be illegal without the bond.

. . . . Often Misunderstood

As we can see in this image of a receptacle powered by
knob & tube wiring, the black and white wires follow
different paths through the walls, unlike romex where
they are run paralled within the cable jacket.

For this reason, anyone replacing this wiring should
exhibit a great deal of knowledge and care.

Aluminum Wiring . . . .

Aluminum wiring was used in homes for a few years around 1970,
then promptly banned for residential use after the problems became
known.  The 2 main issues were: The soft wire would expand and then
contract causing loose connections, resulting in arcing, and in some
cases, house fires.  Second, when aluminum oxidizes, unlike the obvious
"rust" we see in steel, the oxidation isn't obvious, but it acts as an
insulator preventing the passage of electrical current.

. . . . A Potentially Serious Problem

Although some insurance companies refuse to insure homes with
aluminum wiring, the Electrical Safety Authority accepts existing
aluminum wiring as long as it is handled correctly.

This includes using aluminum rated switches and receptacles, or
connecting copper wire to bridge between the aluminum wiring
and the copper rated devices.  The wire connectors ("marrettes")
need to be rated for both copper and aluminum for this option.
(These connectors are usually either purple or dark brown.)

As well, if the aluminum wire is stranded, it requires a special
anti-oxidant to be applied to the strands.

Fluorescent Lighting

Fluorescent, LED, and hybrid fluorescent/LED lighting is very popular in offices, hallways, utility rooms, and in household basement areas.  There are also more decorative versions suitable for kitchen areas, for example.  Forest City Electric can install these fixtures for you, and maintain/repair them.

There are various colour temperature choices in lighting.  From 2700K (soft white), to 3000K (warm white), to 3500K (neutral white), to 4100K (cool white), to 5000K (near full spectrum), and, to 6500K (daylight) which is at the cold end of the spectrum.  Traditionally, architects would specify "warm white" in areas where people worked, and "cool white" in areas such as boiler rooms and basement corridors.

"Cool White" fluorescent tubes, although the cheapest and most common, have been found to induce depression in some people.  In fact, they have been banned in some jurisdictions, particularly in Europe.

Industrial/Commercial 

Specialty lighting, such as the vapour-tight fixtures shown here, are often used in industrial and/or commercial environments.  Other variations include fluorescent lighting with wireguards, used in areas where there is the possibility of people or equipment accidentally knocking against them.  Other options include adding occupancy sensors to each individual fixture, so the light only comes on when someone is in ;the immediate vicinity.  Less common options are the extreme cold versions, and the vandalism-resistant fixtures.