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What our customers
have to say
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 Metro's Best Electric
"Great attention to detail, careful and care taking of our property and house. Highly recommend this company."
Debbie - NE Portland
"I am VERY pleased with the results and with the work that Metro's Best Electric did. Not only do I have plenty of power to all my appliances and outlets, I have reliable smoke detectors and security lights and a working doorbell and lights in closets where I was constantly replacing battery-operated lights. They was punctual every morning, picked up/cleaned up every afternoon, was clear about what work he would be doing each day, worked around my need for electricity while in the house, had great ideas to help me make the house more safe and secure, installed electrical conduits to support planned renovations of the upstairs attic and the kitchen, and was willing to explain everything I wanted to understand. I got to know him well enough that I actually miss having him around!"
Lisa - SE Portland "They were punctual, courteous and completely professional (even put on booties upon entering my house)." Jodi - NE Portland "As usual, work was performed promptly and explained in detail". Dan Ziglinski, Tigard ____________________________Thanks to all for the above comments!
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| Electrical Fun Facts | |
One lightning bolt has enough electricity to service 200 000 homes.
First Lighthouse to use electricity - Statue of Liberty (1886)
In 1800 Count Alassandro Volta made the "voltaic pile", a battery. His experiments,along with Luigi Galvani, applying electricity to frogs legs and making them jump when touched by an electric wire prompted Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley to write FRANKENSTEIN in 1818.
In 1957 a battery was discovered in Bagdad. It was made by the Parthians, who ruled Bagdad from 250 B.C.E. to 224 C.E., and was used to electroplate silver.
The Brooklyn Bridge was the first bridge to be lit using electricity.
Every year, American homes waste more than $13 billion in energy - an average of $150 per family.
More than 10,000 homes in the United States are powered entirely by solar energy.
The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) was one of the most well known inventors of all time with 1093 patents
During the whole of his life, Edison received only three months of formal schooling, and was dismissed from school as being retarded.
The Livermore Centennial Light was manufactured in 1901 by the Shelby Electric Company. It is a hand-blown bulb with a carbon filament. It uses approximately 4 watts of electricity. The bulb has been left burning continuously in the firehouse as a night light over the fire trucks since 1901.
Electrocution is one of the top five causes of workplace deaths.
The first use of water to generate electricity was in 1882 on the Fox river, in the USA, which produced enough power to light two paper mills and a house.
10 percent of total US generating capacity is fueled by natural gas, about the same as hydropower. More than half of US capacity is coal-fired, with nuclear accounting for 20 percent.
$212 billion in electrical bills paid by US customers each year.
An electric oven uses one kilowatt-hour of electricity in about 20 minutes, but one kilowatt-hour will power a TV for 3 hours, run a 100-watt bulb for 12 hours, and keep an electric clock ticking for 3 months.
An Electric eel can produce an electric shock of up to 650 volts at one ampere.
Currents of approximately 0.2 A are potentially fatal, because they can make the heart fibrillate, or beat in an uncontrolled manner.
Early in their history, Christmas lights were so expensive that they were more commonly rented than sold.
An electrically lighted tree was a status symbol in the early 1900s.
A 100 watt modern light bulb emits about 1600 lumens, while a single flame oil lamp form the 1800s emitted about 2400 lumens.
A generator is a device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. The process is based on the relationship between magnetism and electricity.
The cost of electricity is going up (both in dollars and in environmental and health impacts) and it doesn't show any signs of doing otherwise.
About half of the energy in the American grid is coal generated.
Electric energy is an intermediate form of energy. It is produced in thermal power stations (where fuel oil, gas, coal, biomass, etc. are burnt), in hydroelectric power stations and nuclear power stations. Smaller quantities are produced by wind, photovoltaic solar panels, sea tides, etc.
When electricity was first introduced into the domestic environment it was primarily for lighting.
Demand for electricity grows with great rapidity as a nation modernises and its economy develops. The United States showed a 12% increase in demand during each year of the first three decades of the twentieth century.
In the late-1800s, Nikola Tesla pioneered the generation, transmission, and use of alternating current (AC) electricity, which can be transmitted over much greater distances than direct current. Tesla's inventions used electricity to bring indoor lighting to our homes and to power industrial machines.
Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge.
Before electricity generation began over 100 years ago, houses were lit with kerosene lamps, food was cooled in iceboxes, and rooms were warmed by wood-burning or coal-burning stoves.
Demand for solar electric energy has consistently grown by 20-25% per year over the past 20 years.
A battery produces electricity using two different metals in a chemical solution. A chemical reaction between the metals and the chemicals frees more electrons in one metal than in the other.
There are several advantages and disadvantages to hydro electric energy production. One big advantage is that energy is free once the dam is built.
In 1882 water was used to electrify two paper mills and a house on the Fox River. This was the first application of hydro electric energy.
Electricity is by no means a purely human invention, and may be observed in several forms in nature, a prominent manifestation of which is lightning. |
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Recipe of the Month
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Marinated Grilled Shrimp
By: BLONDIEPEREZ "A very simple and easy marinade that makes your shrimp so yummy you don't even need cocktail sauce! Don't let the cayenne pepper scare you, you don't even taste it. My 2 and 4 year-olds love it and eat more shrimp than their parents!!! It is also a big hit with company, and easy to prepare. I make this with frozen or fresh shrimp and use my indoor electric grill if the weather is not good for outside grilling. Try it with a salad, baked potato, and garlic bread. You will not be disappointed!!!"Prep Time:15 Min Cook Time:6 Min Ready In:55 Min Servings: 6 Ingredients3 cloves garlic, minced 1/3 cup olive oil 1/4 cup tomato sauce 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined skewers DirectionsIn a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice. Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque. FootnotesThe nutrition data for this recipe includes information for the full amount of the marinade ingredients. Depending on marinating time, ingredients, cooking method, etc., the actual amount of the marinade consumed will vary. Nutritional Information Amount Per Serving Calories: 273 | Total Fat: 14.7g | Cholesterol: 230mg
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 June 2011
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Greetings!
I want to first of all wish you and your family a wonderful Fourth of July filled with good food and family fun. Our office will be closed on the 4th but emergency service will still be available.
As we move in to summer months, it's a great idea to tackle those annoying electrical repairs and maybe even begin some long overdue projects. Be sure and check out our Diamond Club Plus article in this Newsletter for ways to save a bundle on your repairs.
I have also included information regarding a couple of unsafe electrical panels. Check your panel today to see if it is a Federal Pacific or a Zinsco. I highly recommend replacing them if you do have one and the summertime is an excellent time to get the work done. And finally, as stated in the "Fire Hazard" article below, you can save $100 off any panel replacement just by mentioning this Newsletter.
So again, let's not only have a fun Fourth of July holiday but let's also take a moment to reflect on the holiday's meaning. We do in fact live in the greatest country on earth and our founders, the signers of the Declaration of Independence, of which we will be celebrating, paved the way for all of us to live as free citizens of this great country!
Until next month,
 Brenda Casey / Owner and Operations Manager
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Is your electrical panel a fire hazard?
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Do you have a Federal Pacific or Zinsco electrical panel in your home. If you do, you should consider replacing it as soon as you can as they are fire hazards. Consider the following information taken directly from official reports... Federal Pacific Electric "Stab-Lok" service panels and breakers are a latent hazard and FPE circuit breakers can fail to trip in response to overcurrent, leading to electrical fires. The breakers may also fail to shut off internally even if the toggle is switched to "off." Some double-pole (240-Volt) FPE circuit breakers and single-pole FPE Stab-Lok circuit breakers simply do not work safely. There are other FPE panel-defects independent of the breaker problems, panel and panel-bus fires and arcing failures in some equipment. The failure rates for these circuit breakers were and still are significant. In some cases failure to trip occurs 60% of the time - a serious fire and electrical shock hazard. Failures are documented in the CPSC study and by independent research. Additional independent testing and research are on-going and are reported here. FPE Stab-Lok electrical panels should be replaced. Do not simply swap in some replacement breakers. More on FPE panels... What is the Proper Repair for FPE Stab-Lok Panels and Circuit Breakers? Homeowners and renovators who encounter these panels should replace the entire panel and circuit breaker set with new equipment. Panel replacement, can involve significant expense, typically $800 to $1800 depending on service size and other factors.
Do not simply replace individual FPE Stab-Lok circuit breakers: No Evidence of Improved FPE Stag-Lok Replacement Circuit Breaker Performance
First of all, there is no data suggesting that new stock, replacement FPE breakers, or "new old stock" FPE breakers found in storage somewhere perform any better than the ones already in the FPE Stab-lok panel. In fact, limited testing of replacement FPE Stab-Lok circuit breakers also detected failures to trip in response to overcurrent conditions. In at least some cases, replacement circuit breakers are manufactured in Asia as copies of the original, problematic breaker design, as we discuss at #3 below.
Other FPE problems besides circuit breakers FPE Second, there are other functional and safety concerns in the panel besides the breakers themselves. We've seen panel bus damage, panel bus meltdowns, and failure of breakers to remain secured in or onto the connecting bus itself.
Replacement Federal Pacific Electric FPE Stab-Lok Circuit Breakers For several reasons we do not recommend attempting to "repair" an individual failed Stab-lok breaker by buying a replacement either from used stock, new stock, or "compatible" stock. The replacement equipment has not been independently tested and demonstrated to perform any better than the original materials.
Engineers involved in this research have explained that a good part of the source of product failure for FPE Stab-Loks was in the original design and its specifications.
It appears that while there were some "on the fly" (and unapproved) changes from time to time on the manufacturing line for this product, there was never a redesign suitable to attempt to "design out" the product failure.
One expert mentioned to us privately that he believed that the original product's price point in the electrical equipment market was at the low end, and that had Federal Pacific attempted a redesign they'd not have had a product they could sell at their price point.
There are other hazards in the equipment besides the breakers, including bus and bus insulation meltdowns and shorts.
A few other warnings concerning efforts people will attempt to reduce their hazards of FPE Stab-Lok Breakers: "Exercising" the circuit breakers by turning them on and off has not been shown to "un-stick" or in any other manner improve the probability of working properly, and conversely, such activity may in fact increase the chances of a future failure.
"Testing" circuit breakers by applying a load may give an instantaneous picture of the performance of individual breakers but it does not predict their performance when a real safety problem occurs (overcurrent) later. More important, except if performed by a very expert person, in-place testing is very dangerous, risking fires in the building being tested.
In sum, if you could replace all the FPE Stab-Lok equipment with all "new" FPE Stab-Lok equipment (found in a used-or new-old-stock warehouse for example) the risk level for the building would not be sufficiently different from before the replacement and would remain high: there remains a latent risk of fire from failure of these breakers to trip in response to overcurrent.
Replacement Federal Pacific Electric FPE Stab-Lok Panels is Recommended All the above information was taken from Taken from inspectapedia.com And finally, check out the News Story below to get a feel of how real the problem is.  In summary, after reviewing all the data concerning these panels, I don't think anyone could claim they are safe. So how about you? Do you have a Federal Pacific or Zinsco electrical panel in your home? If so, you really should consider replacing it as soon as possible. Give Metro's Best Electric a call today for your free panel replacement estimate. Mention this Newsletter for an instant $100 savings on any electrical panel replacement (cannot be used with other offers or work previously performed). Call Today - 503-643-8843  Back To Top |
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Tips for hiring a contractor
By Bill Casey
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Check with the CCB (verify contractor's license), before asking for bids or entering into any agreements with a contractor. When checking a contractor's license:
Verify the contractor is actively licensed. This means the contractor can legally work in Oregon, has a surety bond, provided proof of liability insurance at the time of application and insurance renewal*, and assures that you have access to the CCB (Construction Contractors Board), Dispute Resolution Process.
Check the contractor's history of complaints (disputes) and any other licenses associated with the contractor's name.
Get more than one bid from licensed contractors before making a decision.
Don't automatically accept the lowest bid. A higher bid may be worth the price in better materials or workmanship. If you get a very low bid, the contractor may have made a mistake or not bid everything. If the bid is too low to make a profit, they may use cheaper materials or take shortcuts.
Ask for references. Check with previous customers. Were they satisfied with the work? Was the work completed on time? Did the contractor return phone calls?
Check the BBB (Better Business Board) and Angie's List for records of complaints and / or praise.
Learn as much as you can about the contractor you are hiring.
Read "Building/ Remodeling Checklist" and "16 Ways to Avoid Remodeling, Repair and Construction Problems" for a more comprehensive list of issues to consider when hiring a contractor.
*Many insurance companies do not contact the CCB when the policy is cancelled since they are not required by law to do so. Consumers may want to verify coverage is still in effect.
The above information was taken straight from the CCB as we believe they are your best resource for checking licensing.
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MONEY SAVING COUPONS
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COUPONS NOT GOOD WITH OTHER OFFERS
OR WORK PREVIOUSLY PERFORMED
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A Word From Bill Casey
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It's getting to be a real problem in our world today. Innocent homeowners call contractors looking to have work performed on their home.
A service person shows up, and the homeowner doesn't think twice about letting that person into their home. They presume that person is honest and coming to help them with their problem. All too often these seemingly innocent calls turn tragic.
Not long ago, I read about a Florida woman who was killed by a registered sex offender who was performing work in her home. In another instance, a service technician in the Minneapolis area was convicted on several counts for stealing from customers' homes. In yet another story, an unsuspecting housewife in Missouri hired a contractor only to have him call back two weeks later and make lewd remarks over the telephone. What if this guy had done more than just make telephone calls? You don't think about this possibly happening until it's too late.
You and your family deserve to feel comfortable and safe in your own home; to live life without fear. Women home alone with small children, the elderly, or the disabled shouldn't have to be wary of their security when calling a contractor. As a person who's been in this industry for years, it sickens me that this has
become an issue... but it has.
Knowing this, we have made a commitment to you and all of our loyal customers. You will never have to worry about a person from our company that enters your home or be concerned about their true intentions. As a service to you, every single one of our employees is background checked and drug tested. No criminal or drug addict will ever wear one of our uniforms. We have one of the most difficult hiring processes around, and only people of high moral character are given the opportunity to be employed by us. We then take these hard working people and provide them with the best technical and communication training offered in the country. So, you'll know that when one of our people shows up, they're upstanding citizens who are eager and able to help you with any and all of your home's needs.
Many contractors in the home services business do not bother to practice such stringent policies... But that's what distinguishes us from the rest. Indeed, recently when screening applicants to fill an opening we had for a journeyman plumber, only a very small percentage passed the drug screening. And these people are now working for someone!?
When you call Metro's Best Electric, you know you're dealing with professionals who care about your personal safety, the safety of your family, and the well-being and security of your home. We feel that's the least we can do for you.
Thanks your continued patronage.
Sincerely,
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