Benefits of Annual Home Electrical Maintenance

When it comes to the electric in your home, you might be happy as long as the appliances work and the lights go on when you need them to do so. However, home electrical maintenance is about more than just what you can see. Instead of waiting for issues to arise, consider the benefits of having an annual check of your home’s system.

Protecting against Fires

As you’re considering fire safety, you might think of steps such as creating a plan for the family, not leaving the stove on unattended and putting out candles before going into another room. However, home electrical maintenance also has to do with fire safety. Electrical issues can cause devastating fires that destroy your home and claim lives. By having annual checks, you can learn about issues before they have the chance to create destruction.

Upgrading Your System

After adding some new features to your home, you may feel quite eager to just start enjoying them, yet these upgrades could add to fire safety issues and other malfunctions if your house does not have the proper electrical system to support all of the devices. Home electrical maintenance can allow you to get electrical inspections to see if upgrades are needed. For example, you may need to increase the amount of amps to your house.

Grounding Your Home

Opting for inspections could also reveal that your house isn’t grounded, which could pose a serious threat to your family. While this project can take some time and cost money, it is worth it for the safety of your loved ones. Without home electrical inspections, you may not know that your house lacks grounding. In fact, you may not even know what grounding is and why it matters for safety purposes.

Protecting Equipment

Chances are that you have a number of different devices and appliances plugged in at any given moment. When the system in your house is bad, these devices might be destroyed. In addition to posing a fire safety issue, you could lose hundreds or thousands of dollars on items that are ruined by an improper electrical system. By hiring experts, you can learn about damage that has already occurred and ways to prevent future damage.

Saving You Money

You may feel hesitant to call because you’re afraid of the price tag attached to such a visit. However, failing to have proper checks done on your home could actually lead to greater costs in the long run. For example, if you have an inspection now, you can learn about problems while they are in their early stages. By waiting, the issues may have expanded into gigantic tasks by the time you recognize what it happening.

Meeting Code

While you may not realize it, the electric in your home is actually supposed to meet the standards of the National Electric Code in order to protect you with the highest levels of safety. When new work is performed, it must meet this code. Opting for annual home electrical maintenance can let you know if your home is not up to code. You may wonder why you can’t just code requirements checked once. The reason is that the code has and does change. Chances are that more requirements for your safety will be put into place in the future.

Knowing Your Home

After a year goes by, you will likely need to explain the particulars of your house to the electricians again as they have many other clients, but as time goes on, working with one electrical company can have benefits. As the electricians get to know your house and where electrical components are located, the process can run more seamlessly. You might also start to follow the professionals on social media to see when they have new features and products to offer.

Asking Questions

If you notice that something seems off with your electrical system, you should call a professional immediately. Having this service performed also means that you get the opportunity to ask questions. Knowing your home is important, especially when it comes to the parts of it that could pose a serious threat to your loved ones.

Noting Issues

By having annual home electrical maintenance, you can also learn about safety hazards and usage problems that you have accidentally created. For example, you might be improperly using extension cords in your house, or you may be running an air conditioner without having it on its own line. Without professionals, you may not even know that these situations could cause problems. Experts in the industry can identify the issues and help you determine how to resolve them.

Making Upgrades

You might also want to make some other upgrades to your house. Putting some new lighting fixtures into the ceiling can brighten up the place, or seeking a new surge protector can help you to feel more comfortable with your electronics. Speaking with a professional about these upgrades is a smart decision. By having these conversations during your appointment, you can learn about the savviest and safest options for your home.

Preparing for Sale

If you’re planning to sell your house, you may need to make some changes. When you have your annual home electrical maintenance appointment, you can speak with the team about changes that can enhance your home. Also, when your house is not up to code or contains dangerous issues, you are likely to encounter a difficult time selling the property. Dealing with that stress and extra time later on can just add to the burden of selling a house. Take the time to deal with these issues now.

Waiting until a problem arises with your electrical system is not the best idea. Doing so can cost you time and money. Furthermore, waiting can even pose a hazard to the structure of your home and, more importantly, to the safety of your loved ones. Call and make an appointment with us today!

Mister Sparky Electrician NWA, America’s On-Time Electrician in Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville services the Northwest Arkansas area with a team of licensed electricians. In addition to flickering lights, some of the electrician services provided by the company include electrical outlet/switch repair, ceiling fan installation, lighting installation, electrical wiring repair, landscape lighting installation and home electrical inspections.

Top 5 Uses of LED Lighting

Those light emitting diodes better known as LEDs are actually 90% more efficient at producing light than the incandescent light bulbs. How do they do that? LED lighting works by passing an electrical current through a microchip. As the current passes through the microchip, it illuminates the tiny LED light producing a visible light. Performance issues of the LEDs lighting are prevented by the absorption of its heat into a heat sink.

Unlike compact fluorescent or incandescent lights, the LEDs don’t “burn out”. They simply experience “lumen depreciation” by their brightness slowly diming over time. Therefore, the lifetime of the LED lighting is based on a prediction of when the output of light will decrease by 30 percent.

You now know how LED lights work, but how are they currently used best?

#1: Every Day Uses in the Home

You can find many LED bulbs in various different shapes including recessed lighting as well as watt/lumens that have been converted for every day uses. If a bulb that has been screwed into a normal light fixture such as a lamp burns out, you can replace it with a LED bulb. Since specialty bulbs such as those in appliances have equivalent LED bulbs, they can be replaced by a LED bulb. LED bulbs can also replace traditional bulbs in floodlights that light porches, driveways, patios, decks and backyards.

Both desk lights and reading lamps’ traditional bulbs in a home office can be replaced with LED lighting giving better visibility. Old-style bulbs in lights under your kitchen cabinets and recessed lighting can also be replaced with LED bulbs that will provide more light.

The advantage of the LED bulb is that it uses 13% to 15% of the electricity that a standard light bulb uses. Standard bulbs may last hundreds of hours, but the lifespan of a LED bulb even in recessed lighting is tens of thousands of hours.

Since LED Christmas lights are lightweight, small and last so much longer than the standard bulbs, you certainly won’t regret using the LED ones. They use so much less electricity than the standard bulbs. You can pack them away for next year, and they will work in another year. For holiday lighting, there’s none better than LED lighting.

#2: Workplace Lighting

The Harvard School of Medicine conducted a study to determine whether there were benefits of using LED lighting in the workplace. The results of the study showed that workers were more alert, exhibited better performance, had a mood that was more positive, were better able to concentrate and were less fatigued at the end of the work day when they were exposed to LED blue-enriched white light. LED recessed lighting is especially soothing at the workplace.

New and improved LED lights in the workplace had several benefits as well. Both the safety and the productivity of workers were improved by the use of LED lights that were arranged in numerous ways including recessed lighting such as with the use of retrofitted, existing or new fixtures.

#3: Community Places

LED lights often replace public space lighting and street lights. This allows local governments to save costs of lighting public places. Besides the cost savings, the LED lighting is brighter than the outmoded lighting that is much safer as well. Communities that are using LED lighting for their streets, parks, parking lots and other public locations are benefiting by major savings as well as a huge reduction in crime. Happier neighborhoods are created by the use of LED lighting for sports fields, community parks and schools.

#4: Flashlights

The LED flashlight has arrived. Since the LED flashlights are extremely durable and reliable and consume low amounts of energy, they are currently the best flashlight of choice.

The LED flashlights use the same size battery as the conventional incandescent flashlights, but they last far longer. There actually are LED flashlights that can be charged by hand cranking and no longer need batteries at all. The LED flashlights can endure shocks and vibrations that would destroy the old style flashlights by shattering them. A final thought about LED flashlights is that they will, without a doubt, last a lifetime.

#5: Automobile Lights

More and more car manufacturers are now using LEDs light for both the interior and outside lights of the cars. The Audi is actually using LEDs for the running head lights during daytime.

When comparing the LED bulb to the incandescent bulb, the LED takes only milliseconds to respond whereas the incandescent bulb takes several tenths of a second to illuminate fully. It may seem that a few tenths of a second isn’t very significant, but when travelling at highway speed you will travel ten to forty feet before the brake light lights up. Therefore, LED brake lights are much safer
since they warn drivers to stop sooner making rear end collisions less likely.

Mister Sparky Electrician NWA, America’s On-Time Electrician in Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville services the Northwest Arkansas area with a team of licensed electricians. In addition to flickering lights, some of the electrician services provided by the company include electrical outlet/switch repair, ceiling fan installation, lighting installation, electrical wiring repair, landscape lighting installation and home electrical inspections.

How to Childproof Outlets

Having little ones in the home is a cause for great joy. However, it also means that parents, grandparents and other caretakers need to ensure that their homes are safe for children. Electrical outlets, for example, can make for a serious danger. They can cause injury or even death. Therefore, taking the time to call an electrician to childproof outlets is of utmost importance.

Install Tamper Resistant Receptacles

One way to childproof outlets is to upgrade the electrical system to include tamper resistant receptacles. Sometimes, little ones will stick their fingers or foreign objects into the receptacles, which can lead to serious injury or death. These receptacles work only if a plug is evenly placed in them, thereby offering a level of protection against a child placing an object in one. Guardians should keep in mind that kids can circumvent the safety of these features. For example, they could stick a plug into the outlet. While having these receptacles offers a layer of protection, guardians must use this mode in tandem with other practices as opposed to only by themselves. A qualified electrician must perform the work of installing these new receptacles.

Purchase Plug Protectors

Guardians should also look into plug protectors. Usually, these protectors are pieces of plastic that go into the outlet. They are supposed to be difficult for children to pull out. If the outlet is filled with the protector, nothing else can be inserted, making it childproof. Working with an electrician is a smart way to find out what the highest quality of these protectors is. Some brands, for example, may offer little resistance and easily fall out with the gentle tug of a child. Others may not provide the highest level of durability. In other words, they might not defend against a child who tries to push them farther into the outlet.

Discover Plate Covers

Plug protectors might work well for outlets that you don’t use too often; however, if people are constantly having to remove and replace these devices, doing so could be a bit irritating. Therefore, they may wish to look into sliding plate covers instead. When homeowners ask an electrician to come to check out the electrical situation in the house, they can discuss the most practical solutions that will also keep their little ones safe. A combination of plate covers and plug protectors may make the most sense for childproof outlets.

Watch the Cords

In general, extension cords are not supposed to be used for long-term solutions. Individuals who are currently using them in  such a manner should speak with electricians about safer solutions for their homes. Additionally, children may try to play with electric cords. They could poke holes in them leading to hazards. Also, they might get wrap the extension cords around their necks. Guardians also need to be aware of whatever cords are plugged into the outlets. When it comes to childproof outlets, it’s about more than just the singular outlet itself. Guardians may wish to put up gates to keep little ones away from the outlet andaccompanying cords entirely.

Trying to childproof a house is a task that might seem overwhelming. Therefore, individuals can discuss their decision to childproof outlets with qualified electricians. In these conversations, they can gain the necessary information to make the right choices for their families and their homes. They can learn about the newest standards and methods to protect their families.

Mister Sparky Electrician NWA, America’s On-Time Electrician in Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville services the Northwest Arkansas area with a team of licensed electricians. In addition to flickering lights, some of the electrician services provided by the company include electrical outlet/switch repair, ceiling fan installation, lighting installation, electrical wiring repair, landscape lighting installation and home electrical inspections.