Get Help From An Electrician Immediately If You Spot These Problems

Electrical problems are surprisingly prevalent across the country. As much as 45,210 home structure fires due to an electrical failure or malfunction occurred in the U.S. from 2010 to 2014. These fires lead to an annual average of 1,370 civilian injuries. Some victims managed to recover from their injuries in just a few weeks, but others were not so lucky.

The consequences of improper home electrical maintenance are real. It’s best to take a more proactive approach by getting your electrical system checked by professionals regularly in order to avoid them. Here are some signs that indicate you need to call an electrician to your home as soon as possible.

Flickering Lights

Have you noticed a slight flicker of the lights as you switch on an appliance? This may indicate an overloaded electrical circuit. What this means is there’s not enough power to supply both the lights and the appliance in a single electrical circuit. Overloading happens when certain appliances draw too much current. To solve this, they will need to have its own power supply circuit. Read more from this article: http://bit.ly/2twWOA6

Electricians Recommend These 4 Tips to Reduce Electrical Consumption

Are you concerned about how much you are spending on electrical bills every month? It’s a common cause of concern among homeowners in Easthampton, MA and other areas in Massachusetts. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to help reduce your home’s electrical consumption. Some of the steps respected electricians, such as the ones from Electrical Experts, recommend trying the following:

Check the Energy Star Rating

Take the time to look at a particular appliance’s Energy Star rating before you buy it. This is especially important if you’ll be replacing power-hungry appliances like refrigerators or air conditioning units. As a rule of thumb, you want to choose an appliance that boasts the highest energy efficiency rating you can afford if you want to maximize your long-term savings. Read more from this article: http://bit.ly/2r97NhY

The Two Types of Surge Protection Your Electrician Would Recommend

Computers, expensive entertainment systems, and even HVAC systems can all benefit from surge protection. If voltage suddenly drops or surges, the change in current flow can seriously damage anything that runs on electricity. Get the peace of mind you deserve by having the right type of surge protection in your home. The basic types of surge protection are surge suppressors and surge arresters. Here's what you need to know.

Surge Suppressors

A surge suppressor is a device that protects electronic devices from power surges by intercepting excess voltage before it has a chance to do any damage. It's usually in the form of a small box with a power switch and multiple outlets and a three-wire cord that goes into a wall outlet.

Why Hire An Electrician: Possible Consequences of DIY Electrical Work

In theory, do-it-yourself projects save homeowners time and money. If a project is simple enough, why wait and pay for a professional’s services?

This logic isn’t foolproof when one considers hiring an electrician. A homeowner’s smallest mistake in attempting electrical tasks could have serious consequences. 

Electrical fires

One likely risk is electrical fires – commonly caused by faulty installations, incompatible parts, and defective wiring. A professional electrician can ensure none of these occur through a job well and thoroughly done.

Take the seemingly straightforward task of replacing a light fixture. Do-it-yourselfers may manage the act of unscrewing the old bulb and screwing on the new, but they might overlook the kind of bulb needed for the job.

Professionals would not only check the wattage needed for an installation. They would also inspect switches, cords, and nearby wiring, to make sure turning on the new bulb does not light up a network of hazards.

How Electricians Can Help You Prepare Your Home for Strong Storms

Severe storms and other similar forces of nature can deal a variety of dangerous electrical situations in and around the home. Lightning, downed power lines, wet electrical equipment, power surges—these are just a few of the electrical safety hazards that come with storms. Here’s how to protect yourself, your family, and the electrical equipment in your home from these hazards.

Lightning

A direct lightning strike can damage a home in various ways. Exterior electrical equipment such as air conditioners and heaters can be potentially destroyed. And if lightning’s power carries into the home via electrical wires, home appliances can be damaged as well. The correct lightning protection installed by a competent electrician can help your home fend off lightning damage.

Holiday Lights: Avoid Electric Overload with Help from an Electrician

No other types of lights can be as versatile, charming, and cost-efficient as string lights. Available in a range of color combinations, designs, and lighting effects (e.g. steady single color, blinking with different colors), string lights are often used as unique decorations and for mood lighting. When creatively arranged, string lights can significantly enhance the festive mood in special occasions, such as weddings, outdoor parties, and Holiday celebrations.

Know the Limits of Your Breakers

Before hanging up those boxes of lights, however, it would be a great idea to determine the electrical capacity of your home and ensure its safety with the help of an experienced electrician. An electrician can determine the limits of your breakers or your home’s total wattage capacity and let you know the best kind of lights to put up without creating a fire hazard. Although most homes have a capacity of 200 amps electrical power and an overload is unlikely to happen with string lights, you should still know how many lights you can plug in a single circuit.

Check the Lights

Regardless if your lights are used or brand new, take time to make sure that they’re in good condition and are functioning properly. Throw out lights with frayed, open, or damaged wires. Check the wattage or amp rating of bulbs so you won’t exceed the total load capacity of a circuit. See to it that your lights have a UL label and are used accordingly, wherein indoor lights should be kept indoors and not used as outside decor. Moreover, keep an eye on your extension cords to prevent overheating. When they’re too hot, unplug them and try to keep connector pieces off the ground.

Use Low Wattage LED Lights

Low wattage LED lights reduces the risk of circuit overloads and allows for more energy savings. Unlike ordinary lights, LED lights have a more subdued glow and generate less heat. Since they consume only 20 percent the amount of electricity that regular incandescent lights use, LED lights minimize the load on each electrical outlet.

Source:

Christmas Lights, Without Tripping Breakers, Networx.com

2 Main Reasons Why Outlets Stop Working, According to Electricians

A malfunctioning outlet can be a source of frustration. When one of your outlets suddenly stops working, it is easy to give up on it and delay the inspection and repair until you need the outlet again. A malfunctioning outlet, however, could be indicative of a more serious problem with your home’s electrical system, so it is best to have it checked ASAP.

There are two usual reasons behind a malfunctioning outlet: a tripped circuit breaker or a faulty or burned-out outlet.

Tripped breakers

If you suspect that an outlet stopped working due a tripped breaker, check the electrical panel and reset any breakers that shut off. You will see that once a circuit breaker trips, the knob may not flip to the opposite side. It’s also possible that other plugs have been affected, especially if the circuit was overloaded.

The problem might also be caused by a GFCI outlet, especially if the outlet in question is in your bathroom or kitchen. These outlets are designed to shut down by themselves once they detect a short or overheat. Should this be the case, try resetting all GFCI outlets in the room.

 

Faulty outlets

At times, the problem lies with the outlet itself. Its contacts might be loose, or perhaps it wasn’t properly installed in the first place. You can easily check if a faulty outlet is the real cause of your electrical woes by plugging a different appliance into the outlet.

In some extreme cases, however, electrical outlets may literally burn out and start a fire. For this reason, a broken outlet must be replaced immediately to avoid the risk of electrical fires. Jobs of this nature are best left to the hands of professionals to best ensure your home’s safety. Make sure to call a licensed electrician who can help you with other electrical problems as well.

Sources:

Why Is My Electrical Outlet Not Working?, Angie’s List

What Would Cause a Wall Outlet to Not Work?, SFGate