Be aware of Electrical dangers

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GFCI outlets and breakers monitor the amount of electricity returning on the neutral wire. If the difference between the hot and neutral is over 5ma , the GFCI trips to protect from people being Shocked. They should be protecting kitchen outlets, bathrooms, garages, and outdoor outlets. It is code for new builds to comply with these requirements, but also a good idea to upgrade older homes.

There have been many brands and styles of breaker panels over the decades. Some were found to be dangerous and have caused many fires. If you have one in your home it is a good idea to upgrade to a modern and safer panel.

These include Zinsco Panels, Federal Pacific "Stab-Lok", Pushmatic, and Fuse boxes. Fuses aren't inherently dangerous, but the old wiring associated with them is typically a hazard. These obsolete systems are also difficult to find replacement parts for, and not particularly advisable to keep in service. 

If you have outlets or switches that are inconsistently working, or are making noises have an electrician inspect it immediately.  Loose connections can cause arcing and heating which can result in a fire. Loose connections can occur at the breaker, at junction boxes, on switches or outlets or at devices like light fixtures.  Be aware of popping, cracking noises, or inconsistent power, like switches that don't always work.  If your plugs fall out of wall outlets it is a good indication that you should replace the outlets. Loose plugs are another point of failure and heating from loose connections.

We hear it all the time, "Electrical isn't that hard, I can do it myself." While it is possible for many people to perform some function of electrical repair on their own, it is a good idea to consult an electrician beforehand. There are codes for a reason, to prevent dangers to people property and equipment. We often run into installations that have previously been done by someone without the requisite knowledge or experience that results in dangerous installations that could result in fire or bodily injury. 

Older homes were not built with the expectation of the electrical loads we use in our homes today.  Many kitchens were wired with only one circuit, often running the refrigerator, microwave and all countertop outlets.  We can add new circuits to your home, dedicated circuits for appliances like a refrigerator or microwave, or split up circuits that were overloaded.  This is both for convenience and safety as an overloaded circuit can damage electrical wiring and result in a fire.

Tamper resistant outlets are now code for new build homes,  but like most codes, they are based on a reasonable danger that makes it a good idea to retrofit your home to the code.  Tamper resistant outlets are very good at preventing children or anyone else from inserting items into one side of the outlet where they could be exposed to electrocution. Call us to upgrade your outlets and protect your home.

Two prong outlets went out of fashion long ago.  in 1971 it became code to have grounded outlets and thus became the norm.  Many of these antiquated outlets still exist, and are a nuisance to those who use them.  The problem is, that when changing them out they are often changed for a three prong outlet, but the ground on the three prong outlet isn't connected to anything.  The cheapest remedy is to install a GFCI outlet protecting these outlets to provide shock and electrocution protection to those using the outlets.