Posts Tagged ‘Electrical Safety’

Handy and Expensive

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

I just left a home in Denton where a previous tenant had helped the landlord make repairs to his rental home. When some appliances started to fail and the breakers sizzled and popped when they were re-set, the home owner called us to inspect and find the problem.

When I arrived and saw indoor wire strung under the eves of the roof and attached to the house with bent over nails, I went no further than the phone and called the homeowner.

The whole time I was there, the tenant explained to me how the work in question was performed by a “certified” electrician. I suspect the tenant ( a remodel carpenter) was responsible for the work. He had knowledge of all the splices and joints and even explained the breaker panel breaker sizing to me.

Well, I explained to the owner the fire hazards and the safety/shock hazards. The work in question needed to be removed and proper materials used to install the circuits. Also, the city would require a permit and inspection since the work had never been inspected by an electrical inspector.

All in all, the work was done twice. The 1st time was supposedly inexpensive, but dangerous. The second time the work was safe and had a 5 yr warranty. Done twice, twice the cost.  Next time, please call a licensed electrical contractor before making this expensive mistake.

 
Jeffries electric has great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches. we are your Denton electrician, Coppell electrician, lewisville electrician, highland village electrician, Frisco electrician, Plano electrician, corinth electrician. We fix gfci plugs and repair breakers. We install whole house surge protector. Licensed electrician and insured electrician. Add phone outlets. We repair landscape lights. We fix light switches. Install ground rod. Electric repair work should be performed by a licensed electrician. Be safe and turn off the breaker first.

Fall off your ladder

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

How many people do you know that have been injured by a ladder accident?

Don't let this fall be an accident

Summer then Fall

 The chances of being injured or even killed are greater than you might imagine. Learn how to properly use a ladder and then don’t take a chance. Make sure you have stable footing for the ladder and don’t reach out too far. If you climb too high on a ladder, the ladder will become unstable. If you don’t have stable footing, an extension ladder can slide and you will ride this ladder to the ground. ( OUCH)

If you call a handy man to do the work, check and make sure they have insurance. In many states, if a worker is injured on your property, they can sue you and take your money and property in a court settlement. ( it has happened many times) So how much money can you save on a temp worker vs hiring an insured professional?

As always, the choice is yours. Now you have more information so that you can make a decision on how much do you really want to spend for these festive lights.

Jeffries electric has great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches. we are your Denton electrician, Coppell electrician, lewisville electrician, highland village electrician, Frisco electrician, Plano electrician, corinth electrician. We fix gfci plugs and repair breakers. We install whole house surge protector. Licensed electrician and insured electrician. Add phone outlets. We repair landscape lights. We fix light switches. Install ground rod. Electric repair work should be performed by a licensed electrician. Be safe and turn off the breaker first.

Portable Heaters and fire damage

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

Portable Heaters – Cold Weather is here    (thanks Jim Simmons for this original article and sharing it with everyone)

 

 Portable heaters (any heater that plugs into an outlet) are wonderful things. They can keep us warm and increase our comfort, but they can also be dangerous. More than 25,000 residential fires, and 300 deaths are associated with the use of portable space heaters every year. (Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). As an electrical contractor, one of our jobs is to repair wiring in homes and businesses that have been damaged. In many instances in the winter months we find wiring that has been damaged by overloading it with portable heaters. Most homes have electrical wiring for outlets and lights that is rated at 15 amps. A standard 15 amp general circuit will have a combination of 10 – 20 lights and outlets which will serve TV’s, lights, computers, exhaust fans and similar items. A typical portable heater uses 1500 watts or 12.5 amps (the heater nameplate has this information). When you connect a portable heater rated at 12.5 amps to a circuit that is designed to handle 15 amps maximum, the problem is easy to see. You can easily overload the typical electrical wiring in your home if a few lights, TV’s, computers or other electrical appliances are turned on at the same time that you are running a portable heater.

This little device has caused more fires in homes than playing with matches

Do you like to gamble?

Companies like; Ednepure, Heat Surge, Amish Heaters, and many others spend a lot of money to convince you that you can save money with their heaters. The truth is all portable heaters basically work the same and can save you money. But the savings come from heating a smaller area, not the heater itself.

You should always use the original heating system that was installed in your home. If it is not working properly, get it repaired. If it is not efficient have it replaced.

Remember portable heaters should never be used as permanent heat sources unless they are connected to a dedicated circuit (an outlet with nothing else on the circuit). They can, and in many cases will cause damage to your electrical system and will possibly cause a fire. If you are using portable heaters to heat your home – please stop! Be safe! Don’t cause a fire!

Jeffries electric has great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches. we are your Denton electrician, Coppell electrician, lewisville electrician, highland village electrician, Frisco electrician, Plano electrician, corinth electrician. We fix gfci plugs and repair breakers. We install whole house surge protector. Licensed electrician and insured electrician. Add phone outlets. We repair landscape lights. We fix light switches. Install ground rod. Electric repair work should be performed by a licensed electrician. Be safe and turn off the breaker first. Please be careful this holiday season. Ladders injure as many people as do auto accidents. Always use a gfci outlet for outdoor lighting. If your cords are damaged or frayed, please replace them with new outdoor cords.

Fires in the HOME

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

 

An estimated 253,500 fires in one- and two-family residential buildings occur each year in the United States. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has released new data on homes and the causes of fires. Here is the link to see these reports.

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/media/press/2010releases/072910a.shtm

Homes over 40 years old seem to be most at risk. Seems that damage to the wiring or code issues make the older homes more at risk.

Jeffries electric has great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches. we are your Denton electrician, Coppell electrician, lewisville electrician, highland village electrician, Frisco electrician, Plano electrician, corinth electrician. We fix gfci plugs and repair breakers. We install whole house surge protector. Licensed electrician and insured electrician. Add phone outlets. We repair landscape lights. We fix light switches. Install ground rod. Electric repair work should be performed by a licensed electrician. Be safe and turn off the breaker first.

Grounding for Safety !

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

Unless you are in the business of Electrical Repairs or you are an Electrical Engineer, you may not know how important proper grounding is for your home or business.

Surge and lightning protection devices will not work properly unless they are grounded properly.

The breakers in your home will not trip to off in case of a wire failure unless they are grounded properly.

Even your PC or MAC has a central processing unit that requires a good ground. The better the ground for your electrical system, the better all these devices will work.

failure was quick

Steel ground rod

I just removed this short (18 in) piece of steel rod from a home in Collin Co., TX.  It was doomed from the start. You can see how the corrosion ate away at the buried portion. This is about 8 yrs old. The 2011 NEC (National Electric Code) requires two ( 2) ground rods at a minimum and they must be 8 – 10 feet long. Copper or Zinc coated and Not 18 inches!

Copper vs Steel

 The copper coated steel rod at left will tarnish and turn brown in time. The familiar green patina ( rust ) will be apparent above ground. This copper rod will last for years and years.

 

The new code requires two of these rods and also building steel or cold water copper to be bonded together. This is a major step forward in electrical safety.

 

 

Jeffries electric has great residential electric repairs and commercial electric repairs. We install 200 amp panels and replace federal breaker panels. We install landscape lights and recessed lights. We fix electrical plugs and electrical switches and 3 way switches. we are your Denton electrician, Coppell electrician, lewisville electrician, highland village electrician, Frisco electrician, Plano electrician, corinth electrician. We fix gfci plugs and repair breakers. We install whole house surge protector. Licensed electrician and insured electrician. Add phone outlets. We repair landscape lights. We fix light switches. Install ground rod. Electric repair work should be performed by a licensed electrician. Be safe and turn off the breaker first.