When looking around your abode, or when venturing into buying a new home, it’s easy to overlook the telltale signs of faulty circuiting. We want to remind you that it’s worth taking the time to assess your current or potential new home for the following hazards.
Shortage of Outlets
Many older homes are not equipped with enough outlets to support household demands of electricity. With so many power chargers, appliances, and technological devices dependent on those outlets, a home with too few outlets will become burdened with a high power to outlet ratio. Overburdened outlets can result in house fires that can devastate a home and leave homeowners in a difficult position.
Exposed Wiring
Another sign of faulty circuiting is exposed wiring. Any exposed wiring is sure to sustain physical damage, which can lead to flyaway sparks as electric currents transfer through the wire. These sparks can act as potential fire hazards in the home.
Splice Wiring
Many homeowners resort to splice wiring, or rather using electrical tape and wire connectors to conjoin wires, when performing DIY projects. Often times you can find splice wiring used in attics and basements. This method of conjoining wires is not overseen by licensed electricians and leads to an unstable electrical wiring environment.
Faulty electrical wiring is a huge fire hazard and can devastate your house. For this reason, take the time to look around your home and see if any of the wiring around your house is suspect. If you feel like you need the advice and guidance of a professional electrician, call on Mister Sparky today!
Summer is right around the corner and all of us at Mister Sparky couldn’t be more excited. Summer months are the most relaxing of the year. The kids will be out of school and the vast majority of us will be taking time off for vacations and summer festivities. It is important, however, to take into account that we are not the only ones who will be taking advantage of the warmer months.
According to robbery statistics, July and August are the most frequent months for home break-ins. Furthermore, criminals target homes that appear to be empty or don’t have much activity around them. For this reason it is important to tackle the issue of how to keep your home looking lively and full of people, not only during hot summer nights when you’re out on the town, but during extended periods of absence like those during vacation weeks.
At Mister Sparky we highly recommend investing in security lighting. Highly luminescent LED lights shine powerful rays around the perimeter of your home and property, spotlighting any suspicious behavior that might be taking place around your area. These security lights are triggered by any movement within their range. Additionally, these lights can be set up on a timer to run throughout the night from a given start and end point.
Mister Sparky professionals have installed thousands of security lights over the years. Our expertise with placement and installation ensures that we will be able to equip your home quickly and effectively. On time, friendly, reliable, and knowledgable, our Mister Sparky professionals are standing by to help you today!
Spring has sprung! This is the time of reinventing your space and watching your flowers bloom. And while many great moments arise from the spring season, it is important to recognize the dangers that occupy this time of year, like power surge.
While light rainstorms are a welcoming sign of nourishment for our gardens and crops, the rains can also bring with them severe weather and lightening strikes. This is why it is so necessary for every household to invest in surge protectors. Surge protectors are designed to protect electrical devices when there is a dramatic spike in voltage in the power lines. Spikes in voltage can damage computers, servers, and many other data sensitive devices. Installing a surge protector will enable you to defend such devices from a voltage spike.
Power surges are not exclusively tied to lightening strikes. Many surges occur when high powered electrical devices— such as refrigerators and air conditioners— are switched on and off. The dramatic increase or decrease in the need of power can cause a surge in your power grid leading to the above mentioned problems.
The way surge protectors work is by creating a threshold of voltage that is allowed to run through your power grid. If the power spikes above the threshold, the surge protector will reject the increased volts.
Mister Sparky professionals understand how important all of your electrical devices are, especially personal home computers that hold such valuable information on them. If you would like a Mister Sparky electrician to visit your home or place of work and assess your need for a surge protector, feel free to give us a call! On time, friendly, reliable, and knowledgeable, our Mister Sparky professionals are standing by to help you today!
Spring has arrived! And what better way to celebrate than to spruce up the landscaping around your house. Mister Sparky has some great ideas to make this spring a time of meaningful house improvement!
With the warmer days ahead of us, we will be spending more and more time outdoors, sitting on the porch, enjoying the warmer nights, and hosting cook-outs. Having an inviting space to celebrate this great outdoors time of the year is vital when preparing for the coming events.
One of the major ways to improve the overall look of your back or front yard space is through the use of lighting. Lighting along a cobbled pathway, spotlights to highlight specific elements of your yard, or ornate lamps that elegantly flicker along the sides of your property can really add a sense of charm and functionality to the space.
Treat your outdoor space as an extension of your house. Use smart pieces of furniture that are both comfortable yet can survive the elements from summer showers. Outdoor rugs add warmth to any patio space, and step-lights help minimize any tripping-related accidents that may occur during night events.
The only thing better than updating your landscaping decor this year is receiving great discounts while doing so!
If you partner up with Mister Sparky this spring, you can expect to receive anywhere from 25% – 60% in discounts from our lighting suppliers. Just let your Mister Sparky professional know what kind of lighting you’re looking to incorporate in your landscaping, and they will do the rest!
Another quick reminder about the importance of having functional smoke detectors in your house. The National Fire Protection Agency and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) state that every home electrical system needs annual service. With that in mind, Mister Sparky® offers the Power Club™ program membership. Your Mister Sparky® Power Club™ membership includes one annual professional safety inspection and one panel rejuvenation for your electrical system. All of these features are available to you for a low monthly fee. Check with your service technician about how you can save with our Power Club™ membership.
With the winter months coming to an end and the spring months approaching, the weather can be a bit unpredictable. For this reason, many people turn to space heaters to warm their rooms as need-be. What can be more cozy than curling up next to a space heater and lighting a few candles before falling asleep?
The vast majority of us have done it. Leaving our candles burning and our space heaters running through the night while we are fast asleep. While the comfort of the heat and the scents of the candles may aid in our slumber, the potential disaster for both an electrical and flame flare-up is immense. According to a Nationwide Insurance study, 80% of home heating fire casualties involve space heaters. Space heater fires account for 19,300 reported U.S. home structure fires which amounts to $559 million in direct property damage.
There are precautions you can take to protect yourself from a potential space heater-related house fire. The best precaution of course being to turn off your space heater when it is not being monitored. That means any time you step out of the room or feel yourself falling asleep, switch your space heater off.
With many of us leading busy lives, keeping tabs on your space heater can be difficult. The second best precaution: make sure you have smoke alarms in your house and that they are well maintained. Mister Sparky’s electrician services can couple their expertise in electrical maintenance along with their knowledge of smoke detectors to create the safest home environment possible for you and your family.
Mister Sparky’s professionals are all certified and skilled electricians. Beyond their expertise in proper wiring and installation of electrical units, they are knowledgeable in the installation and proper maintenance of smoke detectors.
On time, clean, friendly, and skilled, call a Mister Sparky professional today!
Join The Club!
The National Fire Protection Agency and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) state that every home electrical system needs annual service. With that in mind, Mister Sparky® offers the Power Club™ program membership. Your Mister Sparky® Power Club™ membership includes one annual professional safety inspection and one panel rejuvenation for your electrical system. All of these features are available to you for a low monthly fee. Check with your service technician about how you can save with our Power Club™ membership.
