Yonkers Paint & Hardware · Electrical & Lighting
Quality components to keep homes safe and bright: Visit our 65 Main Street store in downtown Yonkers for the full in-store selection and practical help at the counter.
In-store department
Our electrical aisle stocks NM-B and THHN wire, switches, outlets, GFCIs and wallplates, LED bulbs and fixtures, extension cords and surge protection, timers and thermostats, plus connectors, boxes, conduit and batteries. A good rule before starting anything: electrical work is governed by code, and in New York some of it must be done or inspected by a licensed electrician. Swapping a like-for-like fixture or a switch is ordinary homeowner territory; new circuits, panel work and anything you are unsure about are not. The two numbers worth knowing are the breaker rating on the circuit and the gauge of the wire feeding it, because those two have to agree. If you bring the old device with you, matching it is straightforward.
Electrical & Lighting · In-store selection
From a single outlet run to your whole-home rewire.
Electrical & Lighting · In-store selection
Upgrade safety, style and convenience.
Electrical & Lighting · In-store selection
Bright ideas for every fixture.
Electrical & Lighting · In-store selection
Stay powered — safely.
Electrical & Lighting · In-store selection
Automate comfort and energy savings.
Electrical & Lighting · In-store selection
Finish the job with the details that matter.
Good to know
Call our electrical desk at 914-963-3525 — we’ll walk you through it.
Back to Departments »Before you stop in
Quick answers to common questions about this department. For a specific product, size, finish or part, call the store before making the trip.
In ordinary residential branch circuits, 14 AWG copper pairs with a 15-amp breaker and 12 AWG with a 20-amp breaker; heavier loads step up from there. The wire has to be sized for the breaker, never the other way round, because the breaker is what protects the wire from overheating. Local code, cable type, length of run and how the cable is bundled all affect the answer, so confirm anything unusual with an electrician or your inspector.
A GFCI compares the current going out on the hot with the current coming back on the neutral. If the two stop matching, the difference is leaking somewhere it should not be — possibly through a person — and the device cuts power in a fraction of a second. That is why they are required near water. It is not the same thing as a circuit breaker, which protects the wiring from overload rather than protecting you from a shock.
Match on lumens, not watts. Lumens measure light output; watts only measure power draw, and LEDs draw far less for the same light. As a rough guide, an old 60-watt incandescent is around 800 lumens. Then choose colour temperature: about 2700K is the warm, yellowish light people associate with incandescent bulbs, while 4000K and up reads cool and blue-white. Check the fixture too — enclosed and dimmed fixtures need bulbs rated for it.
Need help choosing?
Visit Yonkers Paint & Hardware at 65 Main Street in Getty Square for Electrical & Lighting supplies and practical help at the counter. If you need something specific, call before you make the trip.