Electricity can be a lethal weapon that can threaten a person’s life or cause major injuries to yourself, others or your property. We would like to take the time to discuss some of the precautions to be taken after or during a power outage, flood or other life-threatening disaster.

Downed Power Lines carry large currents of electricity that could cause serious injury or even death. Never touch a downed power line with your hands or with any other object as your body is a conductor of electricity and the contact could electrocute you. If someone is in contact with the downed line, electricity can move through that person so do not touch the person. Call emergency right away.

Flooded Areas are also a large concern during a disaster. Submerged outlets or electrical cords could energize the water in a flooded area causing it to be a threat for anyone attempting to step into the area. Also, make sure to not use any electrical appliances that have been submerged under water until getting them checked by a professional. It is difficult to observe the electrical damage caused by water and without a trained eye, you could be putting yourself in danger.

Portable Generators, generally thought of as a good source of electricity and a “life saver” during a disaster, can also cause electrical safety issues. If the proper measures of care aren’t taken prior to the disaster, the portable generator could turn into an electrical safety hazard. Ensure that the generator is properly grounded, kept dry, and not overload. Do not connect the generator directly to household wiring. This can back feed along power lines and cause electrical danger to anyone who comes in contact with it.

If you are pre-warned of a potential disaster, turn off all your appliances, disconnect sockets, and switch off breakers. This will minimize the electrical dangers that may occur during or after the disaster and ultimately save the lives of your loved ones.

Contact Expert Electric at 604-681-8338 for more information on the precautions you should be taking to ensure the electrical safety of your home during a disaster.

We’re proud to announce the arrival of new high-CRI architectural retrofit LED downlights. The LED lights are available in a variety of sizes and wattages for applications ranging from retail, commercial, grocery store, hospital, and auditorium lighting to bathroom, basement, and kitchen lighting. Can light replacements have integral junction boxes with round and square knockouts, and architectural downlights are equipped with driver enclosure boxes. These energy-efficient LED lights can be easily wired to code and are IC rated for safe contact with insulation.

Did you get what you really wanted during the holidays this year? Maybe that new smartphone you've been eyeing, or that extra-big HDTV? Perhaps you even got a new laptop or tablet. Whatever your favorite gift was, if it plugs into the wall, it could be at risk of electrical surge damage.

Power surges happen all the time, and homeowners usually aren't even aware when they occur. That's because the typical power surge won't completely fry a gadget or appliance -- but it might do a small, imperceptible amount of damage that slightly shortens the life of the device. Add up hundreds of these surges over time, and you could be talking about years of life shaved off of your favorite electronics.

Where Do Surges Come From?

If you think of surge protection as a safeguard against damage from lightning strikes, think again. Surges caused by direct lighting strikes to a home are rare and usually so destructive that a surge protection system can't mitigate all the damage.

Most surges begin and end in your own home, and are generated by a major appliance starting up. Have you ever noticed the lights briefly dimming when the air conditioner kicks on? That's a sign of a power surge. These are the types of surges that damage your electronics one tiny bit at a time.

Other surges may originate at the electrical utility and travel along the power lines into your home. And during bad weather, it's much more likely that you'll get a surge because a fallen branch took down a power line than to experience a direct surge from a lightning strike.

Get Yourself Protected

Surge protection strips or adapters can offer critical protection for select devices, but this isn't the ideal solution. First of all, these adapters are often clunky and bulky, and they can only be used to protect a few things at a time.

They're also delicate, and can be rendered ineffective with just a single major surge. If there's no indicator light that shows whether surge protection is active, you may think you're protected when really you're not.

Whole-home surge protection is the best solution for the protection of all the devices and appliances in your home. Wired into your main electrical panel, a whole-home surge protector extends that protection to every outlet in your home, as well as to major appliances like your air conditioner and refrigerator. These devices can also withstand numerous surges and last for years.

If you're interested in getting this level of protection for the appliances and devices in your home, reach out to a licensed local electrician today for a no-obligation consultation.

We live in an area where there are many very old homes. Within these homes, as you’d expect, is very old wiring. Even if you have not had trouble with your wiring just yet, and even if your wiring appears to be in fine condition, you should keep in mind just how much the demand for electricity in our homes has gone up over the years. The original owners of your old home were not running whole-house cooling systems and charging multiple phones and tablets while also powering a dishwasher, after all. Overloading the circuits in your home can be quite dangerous, both to your family, your property, and your appliances/electronics.

Even if the circuits in your home are designed to keep up with your electrical demand, the fact remains that the materials composing your electrical and wiring systems will degrade over time. When they do, it really doesn’t matter if your wiring is capable of handling your existing electrical load or not. The degradation of wiring insulation and other materials will render any system unsafe.

While outdated circuitry and degraded materials can lead to a lot of blown fuses/tripped circuits and other issues, the real concern with very old wiring is, of course, the risk of a fire in your home. When it comes to old wiring, you really cannot afford to adopt an “out of sigh, out of mind” attitude. If you are uncertain of how old your electrical system is, but know that your house is quite old, you should give us call to have the system evaluated. We are happy to help.