Homeowners in Allen and other parts of North Texas know what time of year this is—and they keep the phone number for their top Allen electrician handy. Why? Springtime in North Texas is well-known for its potentially severe weather. Severe storms, along with extreme temperatures and lightning are just a few of the conditions responsible for rolling blackouts, power surges and power outages. Our weakened power grid and a growing population does nothing to alleviate the situation, which is why many turn to their top Allen electrician for tips on how to deal with the storm season.

Storm Season Tips

With the weather in North Texas being so unpredictable, how can you be sure that you are prepared to tackle what Mother Nature dishes out? Follow these simple tips to protect your home, your electrical system and your family from dangerous and frightening conditions.

#1 Have your electrical system checked regularly. With this storm season upon us, it is extremely important that you get in touch with your Allen electrician and have him look over your circuit breakers, wiring and outlets as part of his regular maintenance. Flaws in your electrical system, be it with breakers, wiring or any other aspect, combined with unpredictable weather, is the recipe for a very, very bad situation.

#2 Use power surge protectors on all your appliances. Did you know that, even a lightning strike that hits miles from your home can affect your appliances? Power surge protectors show up often in storm season tips everywhere, and there’s a reason why. Power surges can be deadly for your appliances and anything else hooked up directly into the outlet, particularly during lightning storms.

#3 Install a built-in surge protector on your circuit panel. This will protect everything hooked to the circuit panel from potentially damaging surges. Even when the power is restored after an outage, it often still does not come on right away; instead, it flickers, which shoots and cuts off electricity randomly to your appliances, ultimately causing damage.

#4 Always keep a weather radio handy. Weather alert radios are an invaluable addition to your home’s severe weather kit. In case of an emergency, an outage, lightning strike or blackout, you will have access to weather updates, evacuation information (if necessary), and instructions on how to keep your family and home safe in the event of bad weather.

#5 Invest in an indoor generator. Indoor generators are a great way to take a little pressure off of the overloaded power grid during a power surge or blackout. When there’s a blackout, the indoor generator kicks in, keeping a steady flow of electricity going to your home and keeping your appliances from getting damaged. Some generators are solar-powered, which can save you energy, time and money.

ElectricMan: Helping You Prepare

Severe stormy weather doesn’t have to be scary, inconvenient, dangerous or costly. Following these simple storm season tips can ensure that you and your family are spared the expenses and headaches that come with unpredictable weather in North Texas. For 27 years, ElectricMan has dealt with all sorts of electrical issues resulting from severe weather. Call us today at 972-301-2630 to learn more about how we can help you prepare for a stormy season. For more helpful tips on keeping your home’s electrical system running well, keep checking in with us at blog.electricmaninc.com or check out our website at www.electricmaninc.com today!

The electrical infrastructure that is the backbone to power our electrical devices is a manmade marvel. The ability to provide power to cities and towns all over the country is a benefit that we can all enjoy. Power lines are a basic component to provide electrical current throughout cities, neighbourhoods and ultimately our homes. These high-powered lines are packed with strong current and can be highly dangerous if not respected. It is critical that we exercise caution when working around electrical power lines. We have assembled some tips to bear in mind.

Depending on the location of power lines around your home and property, you may encounter situations where you must work nearby electrical lines. Often trimming hedges or trees will bring us within a short distance of live wires or poles.

Standing on ladders, can put you into harms way. Power lines carry a high capacity of electrical current that flows through the wires themselves. By placing yourself closer to high power lines, you may be at risk of causing an electrical arc. If your hedge clippers or ladder comes too close to power lines, the electrical current may jump to the metal ladder, or electrical device. These objects act as a conductor for the electricity to travel to the ground. The result of this could easily be an electrical shock or burn to your body. When performing jobs near power lines, always look up and be conscious of your proximity to the lines. You should always remain at least three meters or 10 feet away from power lines.

If you are trimming a tree, take extreme caution that your falling debris does not come into contact with the power line. A falling branch could cause a spark or stress on the lines that may result in an electrical fire.

During periods of heavy wind, trees may bend and break under the stress of the wind. Should a tree or large branch break and fall, it may pull down and disconnect a power line from an adjacent pole. Should a power pole fail due to a car accident at the base of the pole, this may also cause power lines to break and fall. During any of these events, take extreme caution and remain at least 33 feet or 10 meters away from a downed power line (The equivalent of one school bus in length). The line is likely still active and charged. If you come across a downed power line ensure that nobody moves near the power line and call 911 immediately. Quick actions can prevent serious loss of life.

As much as we love electrical use in our daily lives, it can be very dangerous. If you have questions or concerns with power lines in your neighbourhood you can contact BC Hydro. For assistance with your home electrical, surge protection or service panel upgrades use a licence electrician. Contact your local Expert Electric at 604-681-8338.

If you’ve ever seen “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” you’ll know that Clark Griswold’s perception of Christmas decorating is a bit extreme.  Although that movie is comical, in reality electrical safety is no laughing matter, and an electrical fire can ruin your holidays instantly.  Here are a few holiday decorating safety tips.

The holidays are meant to be enjoyed with friends and loved ones, and by following these few safety tips, you can help to make sure you’re not a victim of a “Clark Griswold” Christmas.  If you want to learn more about your home’s current electrical state, contact the best electrician Plano has to offer.

Happy Holidays!

Now that you have the holes for lamp sockets, we need to start wiring the lamp sockets.

Kevy, an eCommerce Marketing Automation ​company that specializes in automating and personalizing the shopping experience. ​ ​​Kevy gives online retailers the tools they need to help visitors find the products they care about most. When she is not at Kevy, Brooke and her husband Ryan love creating new projects and are always looking for a new DIY opportunity around the house.

By Kellie Pearson

Pack away sweaters and scarfs and break out the floaties and flip flops – summer is here! Whether your ideal seasonal activity is tanning poolside or spiking a volleyball along a sandy seashore, there’s no doubt summertime offers a lot of fun.  However, it can present many safety concerns for homeowners. Here are a few reminders from Mr. Electric® to give you and your family peace of mind this summer.

With the summer sun shining bright, the warm, moist air provides optimal fuel for hurricanes to form.  Are you and your family prepared? In the case of a power outage, you’ll want to have a generator handy.  If you’re unsure of the amount of power that will be needed for a generator in your home, ask Mr. Electric to determine that for you. If your house draws more power than the generator can produce, then you may blow a fuse on the generator or damage the connected equipment. A generator should only be operated outdoors in an area with unobstructed air flow and ventilation. Even if the garage door is open to the exterior, carbon monoxide can still build up to toxic levels. Placing carbon monoxide detectors near all the bedrooms of your home will alert you and your family when there is a risk of being poisoned.

Because of extreme heat and electrical charge in the air, lighting storms are also common during this season. In the case of a power surge, a good preventive option is to install a whole home surge protection system if you want to protect devices plugged into outlets anywhere in the home.