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Electrical Tips
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We proudly share some tips to help you get the most from your electrical experience. Feel free to call us to discuss any of the material below. Each year many Americans are injured in and around their homes. Unsafe conditions such as overloaded circuits and damaged insulation as well as the misuse of extension cords and electrical products create fire hazards and may result in electrocutions.Take a few minutes to look for and correct electrical safety hazards in your home. It does not take too long to check the insulation on a cord, move an appliance away from water, check for correct wattage light bulbs or install a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter). Invest your time. It could prevent an electrical safety hazard and save lives.
Studies of residential electrical fires show that the majority of serious fires could have been prevented. The conditions that caused the fires probably would have been detected by an electrical inspection. Most problems are not detected or corrected because most homes do not have inspections. In a number of cases investigated by CPSC, homes ranging from 40 to 100 years old had not been inspected since they were built.
A safety inspection should be performed by a qualified electrical or 5-star rated electrical inspector. To insure the electrical safety of your home, your electrical inspection should be up-to-date and defects corrected. There are no hard-and-fast rules about frequency of inspection but here are some suggestions: To determine when your electrical system was last inspected, examine the door and cover of your electrical panel(s). The panel should contain a label or tag with a date, a signature, or initials on it. If there is more than one date, the most recent one should be the date of the last inspection. DO NOT remove the service-panel cover. This is a job for a qualified electrician.
If your last inspection was 40 or more years ago, inspection is overdue 10-40 years. Inspection is advisable, especially if substantial electrical loads (high-wattage appliances, lights and wall outlets or extension cords) have been added or if some of the warning signs discussed are present. Less than 10 years ago, inspection may not be needed, unless some of the warning signs described are present or temporary wiring has been added. ou may live in an area that is not served by state or local electrical inspectors, so that no inspection record will be found on your electrical panel. In that case, use the age of the house as a guide to the probable need for an inspection.
Circuits can only handle a specified total wattage of all the electrical products connected to that circuit. If too much wattage is plugged into a circuit, serious electrical problems can result. Here is a guide to knowing what a circuit can handle:
Find the nameplate onĀ each appliance indicating its power (watts) rating. Add up the total watts for appliances that you may use at the same time on the same branch circuit.
Most home lighting and wall outlet branch circuits may carry as much as 1500 watts (15 ampere branch); Some kitchen circuits, as much as 2000 watts (20 ampere)
Wiremasters obviously would like to be the contractor of choice.Ā However, we want you to feel perfectly comfortable with your decision.Ā So with that said, we are providing guidelines to ensure that you indeed select the right electrician for the job (us!)
Electrical repairs are an investment. You want to get the job done right the first time. Before you spend your money, spend time learning how to evaluate electrical contractors. All contractors are not alike, and NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association) recommends that you prequalify electrical contractors to get the job done right the first time. The following guidelines will help you select a professional:
Vampire power, phantom loads, idling standby current, and wall warts all basically refer to the same thing: electronic devices with two sharp, pointy teeth that latch into your wall sockets and use electricity all day, all night, whether on or āoff,ā whether charging batteries or not. These devices include TVās, VCRās, DVD players, answering machines, iPods, cell phones, stereos, laptops, desktops, anything with a remote, anything with a charger, anything with a clock display.
Most people think that when you turn something off, it actually turns off. Most people assume that it stops drawing power. Unfortunately, thatās not true in the case of most electric devices. Most of them just hover in standby mode, waiting for you to āturn onā the power again.
A 1999 study in New Zealand conducted by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority indicated that 40% of microwave ovens used more electricity to power the clock and the keypad over the course of the year than actually heating food. Big screen TVās (and their respective cable boxes and satellites) up to 30 watts when off.
A computer left turned on can potentially draw as much current as a refrigerator. And what about those chargers? Even when your cell phone (or other battery operated device) isnāt charging, even if itās not even plugged in, itās still drawing power. It may even add as much as 10% to your energy bill. This is bad news for your wallet and bad news for the environment.
Studies conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimate that standby power consumption in the US accounts for 5% of all residential power consumption. That means Americans spend more than $3.5 billion annually on wasted power. It also means that our standby power is responsible for 27 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that globally standby power is responsible for 1% of carbon dioxide emissions (to contextualize that number, it is estimated that 2-3% of CO2 emissions are from air travel). And letās be honest. Those numbers are probably growing given the affinity many of us have for new gadgets and fancy appliances.
If you said yes to any of the questions above, you could be at risk of an electrical fire.
Call Wiremasters today to install a safe, reliable circuit panel.
If you have an old FPE or Zinsco electric panel you and your family could be in danger and you wouldnāt even know it! Call Wiremasters now to have your circuit breakers inspected!
A full one-third of home destroying fires are caused by faulty electrical outlets and old wiring. In less than a minute, a spark can grow into an unmanageable flame ā putting you, your family, and a lifetime of precious memories at risk.
Donāt be caught by surprise. For a full evaluation of your home wiring system, give us a call today. This may be the most valuable phone call you ever make.
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We reconfirm appointments twice.Ā Once from our office and once from the technician as he is on his way to your job.
Our booties arenāt something youāll see us wearing on Saturday night.Ā But in your home, theyāre our best way to make sure your carpet stays clean.Ā Our trucks carry vacuums to ensure that we leave your home or business as clean (or cleaner) than we found it.
Our trucks are full-size vans. Thatās because we stock them with thousands of parts.Ā Itās almost like having an electric supply store in your driveway. For you, that means we have the best chance to do the work fast and right with only one visit.
Customers call electricians because safety, efficiency, and quality are essential. Ongoing training ensures that we do the work right, so you can rest assured that you made the right call when you chose Wiremasters Electric.
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