Electrical Construction & Maintenance Blog For Electricians

Prepare Against Barn Fires

You may have equipped your homes with smoke detectors, alarm systems, fire extinguishers, and maybe even a water sprinkler. But what about your barns?

You usually only find barns in farm and agricultural areas, but barns have tragically always been prone to fire of one sort or another. It has to do with the dry materials, like hay, that are often contained in barns, and lighting and heating solutions that are often left there unattended.

The best thing to do is to consult with an electrician to make sure that your barn is compliant with approved fire protection plans.

Smoke Detectors Need Maintenance, Too

House fires are terrible things. And studies show that house fires are most often caused by electrical fires.

Whatever the cause of the fire, there are ways by which we can prepare for such an incident, and one of them is having a smoke detector in your home.

But emergency personnel who responded to house fires noted that many of the homes they went to, and which had house fires, either had no smoke detectors, or had smoke detectors that were not working.

So the first question is, do you have a smoke detector installed in your home? If you do, when was the last time you had it checked to make sure it was working properly?

Banning a Fluorescent Bulb

In Vermont, lawmakers are urging the ban of the high – CRI T12 fluorescent bulb.

This type of bulb is often used in displays because it renders colors so well. Thus, you can usually see them at meat counters, car displays, makeup studios, and other boutique windows.

The argument is that new lighting solutions that are more energy efficient are now available that render colors just as efficiently, even more so, than the high CRI T12 bulbs. These bulbs at the middle of the controversy consume as much as 60 percent more energy.

There are those who oppose this move, citing the potential job losses if the manufacturer goes out of business, and the difficulties of residences and commercial establishments to provide the proper fixtures for newer lamps.

Higher Electrical Bills

Power and electricity usage usually peaks some time in winter, as a result of higher heating and lighting use among consumers to stave of the winter temperatures.

Unfortunately, it could also translate to a higher electricity bill. Too often, customers complain about the increases in their utility bills, but they fail to consider how much electricity they consumed in the previous month.

It’s another reason to consider ways in making your home more energy efficient. Why not call in an electrician to advise you on which areas of your home you could cut back on energy consumption?

Protect Against Electrical Surge

Kudos to the electricians who worked tirelessly in restoring power to Nova Scotia in the aftermath of the huge winter storm that struck their area early this month.

Electricians warn residents, however, against the possibility of power surges, which they say can still happen even after the storm has passed.

To protect yourself and your property from power surges, make sure that all your electrical equipment are unplugged so that a power surge will not affect them.

Or you may want to invest in a surge protector for your home, get in touch with your local electricians:

Power Outage Tips

Every so often, we experience a strange occurrence in cities: we realize again that it is dark at night, and that the stars shine bright in the sky.

Surprise! It’s a power outage. Here are a few tips to keep in mind if your area suffers from a power outage:

-  Keep your freezer and refrigerator doors closed. Even without electricity, a refrigerator can still maintain cool temperatures for about four hours, which means that your food won’t go bad immediately

-  Regulate your body temperature. If the power goes out during summer when the heat is intense, seek out cooler locations such as outdoors or in the basement, and drink plenty of liquids. If the power is out during winter, on the other hand, make sure to wear warm clothes and make further provisions for where to go to should the power outage last for too long

Things Can Go Wrong Without Regular Electrical Maintenance

You’ve heard it said that you should get an electrician to check out a home’s electrical wiring and installation before you move in, and that an electrician should conduct regular electrical maintenance of your electrical system. You thought perhaps it was just a way to drum up business for electricians.

But this family from Kansas City learned the hard way why these electrical checks are important.

In the very middle of winter, amid freezing temperatures, they found themselves without electricity and were forced to move out because they couldn’t get any electricity, and hardly any heat.

The problem? The electric meter of the house was burned out.

An electrician they called told them that they didn’t have enough voltage running to the house, because the electric supply wasn’t sufficient for the heaters they were using inside the home. So the electrician had to cut the power to the house, otherwise they would be risking a fire.

The lesson here is to make sure that a home’s electric system is sufficient for your particular electrical needs so that you don’t overload your system. And do remember to conduct electrical maintenance checks – preferably before the onset of winter. If you don’t want the same thing happening to you then follow the above, and if you have any electrical repair needs then I suggest you go here and let the pros take care of the problem.

Fire Resistant Cables

Did you know that the cables used in fire alarms and emergency lighting are different from ordinary cables?

Because these electrical installations are designed to work in an emergency such as a fire, the cables to which they connect must be fire resistant. The proper functioning of a fire-resistant cable could spell the difference between salvation and disaster during an emergency.

What makes these cables fire-resistant are the layers of mica tapes wrapped around the copper wires within the plastic sheath. Those mica tapes strengthen the cable’s resistance to extreme temperatures.

So the next time that you ask your electrician to install a fire alarm in your home, ask about the cables used for the installation. He might be surprised that you know the difference! Local electrician can install fire resistant cables in your premises - 

Electrical Work by Non-Electricians

Sometimes you can’t really blame non-electricians if they choose to take electrical work into their own hands.

This is what Puerto Rican residents did when, four months after Hurricane Maria, they still did not have power.

Led by a police chief, who was, incidentally, also a former employee of the electrical utility servicing the region, a group of local men worked daily to restore power to the municipality of San Sebastian.

These men even gave themselves a name, designed their own logo, and used it on their impromptu uniforms. This, despite opposition from the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, who should have been doing the job the men were doing.

It’s never good to have a monopoly in the electricity industry.

Tips for Reducing the Risk of Electrical Fires

During the winter months, the risk of electrical fires is greater. This is because of all the electrical equipment we have running to generate heat. Most electrical fires during this time are usually caused by faulty electrical equipment.

To reduce the risk of electrical fires, keep the following tips in mind:

- Remember to keep electrical equipment, particularly those heaters, away from combustible materials like curtains or sofas.

- Don’t overload sockets

- Make the shift to LED lighting

Solar Windows

The same perovskite crystals that are at the heart of solar technology are now also being tapped for the development of a new kind of “smart” windows.

Essentially, these windows are expected to darken in the sun, thus providing shade. And because they contain perovskite, they can also simultaneously generate electricity.

This project is still in development, but if successful, it could revolutionize solar power generation, as well as the building and construction industry by providing an efficient means for cooling a building while at the same time generating power.

Cheaper Electricity

As we continually develop nonrenewable energy technology, and continue to build up the resources and infrastructure to build up a good supply of sustainable energy, the cost of electricity will also go down. It is estimated that by 2020, wind and solar energy will be at the same price range as fossil fuels. In the succeeding years after this, it is hoped that the costs of wind and solar energy will continue to fall, thus making it a viable and cheap alternative to the more traditional sources of electricity.

This is great news, particularly for poorer countries where basic electricity services are still minimal or non-existent.