From the 1950s to the 1980s, the Federal Pacific Electrical Company (FPE) installed electrical panels in millions of homes across the country. Unfortunately, these electrical panels are basically recipes for disaster—over the years, electricians and home inspectors have found that FPE panels often fail to protect homes from overcurrent or short circuits. The danger seems to happen randomly: even if panels have been installed and working properly for years, a single incident can quickly cause the panel to overheat and create a major fire hazard.

Remember—circuit panels trip in response to unusual surges of electricity. If they fail to trip, as FPE panels often do, those electrical surges cannot be stopped or shut off manually and will move through your home until they run out of fuel or until the wires burn out. This could cause the panel to overheat and catch fire, leading to a potentially serious disaster.

FPE panels may not be up to modern safety codes – electrical safety standards have been updated significantly since the 1980s, and experts say that FPE panels, which were produced from the 50s and into the 80s, do not meet these updated standards. Some of the deficiencies noted by home inspectors include:

FPE panels may have serious design flaws – not only do FPE panels not meet modern safety standards, but they also came with some serious design flaws that weren’t even common among panels built around the same time. Some of the most significant flaws include:

FPE panels may have manufacturing defects – as if that weren’t enough, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has noted a number of defects that make FPE panels unfit for homes, including weak materials used to construct the breakers that may prevent them from tripping and could cause the panel to catch fire.

If you live in an older home and you’re worried your panel might be a danger, call Kolb Electric. Our trained electricians are familiar with the potential hazards of FPE and other outdated panels and can replace your existing panel with a modern panel that will keep your home safe for decades.

For more information about circuit panel replacement in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric today.

There are numerous different ways in which an electrical fire can break out in the home and a number of ways to prevent it as well. Today, you will find there are a large number of electrical system protection devices on the market and this can make it a little difficult to decide which one will work best for your setting.

One effective installation you can use to prevent electrical fires in your home is an custom solutions to residential and commercial clients across Sydney.

There are a number of times when homeowners take up DIY projects; not only do these help you save money, but many people find the idea of doing some of this work around their home, extremely fulfilling too. While it’s okay to do some carpentry or painting work, it’s best to leave electrical jobs to the experts; and there are a number of reasons for this.

Many people feel that they may be able to handle some basic electrical jobs themselves; but the fact is that electrical systems and installations can be quite complex and it’s not easy to tackle them. Apart from this, it’s required by law that you hire a licensed and insured electrician for any work on your residential or commercial premises. Take a look at how and why DIY electrical jobs can do a lot of harm:

There are a number of wire sizes available; this is called the gauge of the wire and this determines the application it’s going to be used in. If you accidently choose and install the wrong wire, this can cause it to heat up and the circuit breaker may trip. This is why it’s important to use wires and devices that are rated correctly for the amperage that’s required in a particular location.

If the switches and outlets have been installed loosely, that can present a hazard once the appliances have been plugged in. If the wires come loose from the terminals, that can result in overheating and arcing.

The reason for an electrical box installation is to provide the connections the right amount of protection from the external elements. This is also why it’s extremely important to ensure that no electrical connections are made outside these boxes. The other thing to keep in mind is that the electrical boxes should only be filled to a certain capacity. Adding too many wires and connections in a single box can result in overheating; in some cases, it can also result in short circuiting.

This happens to be one of the most common causes of electrical fires. When fuses keep tripping or blow, property owners may end up replacing them with breakers or fuses of a larger size. If a fuse trips very regularly, it’s first crucial to identify what is causing it to trip; that root problem has to be addressed by a licensed and insured electrician.

The connections inside the fuse box should all be tight and when they are replaced, the positioning should be right. In case the connections come loose, you might find the lights flickering or being cut short. In severe situations, there could be overheating of the connections too. The precaution to take here is that before you start with any inspection, you should first switch off the breakers.

This is one mistake that many people tend to make; they end up overloading the powerboard or the outlet. It’s important that you check how many amps a circuit can bear and then plug in only the type of appliances that aren’t going to overload the board. Appliances such as air conditioners, dishwashers and refrigerators etc. can overload the circuit, if it exceeds the amperage of the board .

For more information, simply speak with the experts at Allround Electrical and take their advice on various aspects of CBUS installations. The number to call is 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address. You may also reach us through this online contact form.

Thanks for reading,1300 169 263

You use it every day, but do you really understand electricity? It’s important, because, without understanding electricity, it’s hard to maintain electrical safety in your home. In order to understand electricity, you basically need to grasp five key concepts; we like to call them the five hidden mysteries of electricity.

Almost every home has Wi-Fi connectivity nowadays; and with so many devices using the Internet, it is more of a necessity rather than an exception. However, it’s also very common for people to find that they don’t really get reliable data speeds in every room or area of their homes and that can be a little frustrating. This is especially true if you have a home office and need to get some work done at a particular pace.

This is why you need to have the right kind of data cabling installed in your home. We know what it takes to install excellent data cable systems; and these add to the reliability and performance of your wireless network. This is because hardwiring is always more reliable than Wi-Fi connectivity as there are chances of interference in the latter; and this reduces the quality of the Internet speeds and connectivity.

However, there are times when data cabling might not work in every type of building layout and it’s when we may work on providing solutions that help extend your wireless network as well. Regardless of the kind of solutions you require and the size and complexity of the installation, we can handle the job for you in the best possible way. Once you have a good wired network, you will find that you have high speed Internet access for IP security cameras, online gaming as well as file sharing and media streaming etc.

When you hire professionals to handle data cabling for you, it’s important to look for a company that will provide you with comprehensive solutions such as installation, repairs and maintenance too. You only have to tell them where you need the Internet connections and they will design a plan for data cable installation that extends to all these places. The different data point and cabling services include:

It is necessary that you hire registered cablers for all data cabling jobs. We at Allround Electricals have expert and experienced data cablers on our team and you have the assurance that all the work is being carried out by qualified specialists to the highest quality standards. We are the data cablers that handle it all – ranging from phone sockets and Internet sockets, Video distribution and LAN sockets; we can tackle every job with the highest levels of expertise.

Every job we handle is compliant with the existing telecommunications and safety regulations. We understand that there will be times when you don’t want to be shackled to a desktop and may be using your mobile devices when you are at home too.

And when we install any type of data cables etc., you can be sure that you will get the kind of connectivity you want and enjoy watching movies, TV via your mobile devices. In short, we are the experts that can handle every type of data installation and Wi-Fi connectivity requirement on your residential premises.

For more information, simply speak with the experts at Allround Electrical and take our advice on various aspects of electrical and data installations. The number to call is – 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address. You may also reach us through this online contact form.

Thanks for reading,1300 169 263