Aluminum wiring is common today and can be perfectly safe when installed and terminated correctly. The transmission lines passing overhead as you drive and those coming into your home are often aluminum, for example. But many older homes have aluminum wiring that was  through time has become unsafe which can create a potential fire hazard. Keep an eye out for any warning signs that may indicate that your home has aluminum wiring issues.

Indicators of Aluminum Wiring Issues

There are a number of electrical red flags that could indicate an aluminum wiring problem. Make sure you call an electrician if you see:

Aluminum Wiring Repair in Denver

While aluminum wiring may not always be a problem,  if you notice anything out of the ordinary, give us a call today. As always, we give free estimates and have a certified electrician standing by 24 hours a day.

When you walk into your home at night after a long day away, what’s the first thing you always do? Switch on the lights! The lights in your home greet you every evening and they brighten up your dark, early mornings as you groggily flip the switch. So if your current lighting design does not please the eye, or if you’re installing lighting in a new home, you want an attractive and practical design to illuminate the house.

The best way to ensure your new lighting design does the job is to hire licensed electricians to properly and safely install your new system and help you decide on the ideal placement and style. Whether you want a new lighting scheme for practical purposes, or a lighting system that will be both aesthetically pleasing and functional, you need a skilled electrician to help you out with custom lighting design services. Here are a couple of reasons you should always work with licensed contractors for your new lighting.

You can look at pictures of sconces and chandeliers online or in catalogs, but nothing can bring the image to life quite like seeing these lights in person. Some lighting professionals, like the friendly people at FB Electrical Services, offer a Call FB Electrical Services or stop by to visit our showroom in Newton, MA to discuss your need for professional custom lighting design services in Brookline.

The Christmas carols are already playing nonstop in shopping malls and on the radio. Before you know it, Christmas day will arrive. Whether that means flying off to visit far-flung friends and relatives, or inviting the extended family into your own home, follow these tips to have a meaningful, and safe, holiday season.

Your Christmas Tree 

The tree is the monument around which many families' Christmas celebrations revolve. But beware-- every year an average of 210 homes experience fires caused by their tree, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

To avoid becoming an unhappy statistic, look for a tree with fresh needles that isn't dried out, and place it in an area clear of any heat sources. Use LED light strands, which produce very little heat, and never hang actual candles from the tree. Dispose of it after Christmas once it starts getting dry and the needles are falling off. If you use an artificial tree, make sure it is labeled “fire resistant.” 

You also want to ensure the tree is set up securely. At best, a fallen Christmas tree is a shame, and at worst it could cause a hazard, possibly knocking over other items and leaving broken glass, frayed wires, spilled water in its wake.

Don't forget about wire safety. Make sure that none of the cords to your lights are frayed and the plugs are in good working order. Try to avoid an extension cord, but if one is necessary inspect it as well, and ensure it doesn't present a tripping hazard in your house. Finally, don't overload a single outlet with too many lights or you can risk tripping the circuit or even  creating a fire hazard. 

Candles

Candles are an important part of many family holiday decorations, and not just for Christmas. The menorah is a centerpiece of the eight-day Hanukkah celebration, with a new candle lit each day. And people who observe Kwanza light candles to commemorate seven principles of African heritage. Whatever religious or secular tradition you follow, candles bring warmth and light to stave off the darkness of winter. 

While the candles are beautiful and significant, their open flame can also be dangerous to people, pets and your home. For safety, lit candles should never be left unattended, and never placed in an area where a child or pet could get burned or knock them over. Also make sure they aren't near any flammable material like curtains.

If you want to make a semi-permanent window scene for the holiday, it's better to get an electric menorah or other display, and save the real candles for a supervised  and temporary ceremony. 

In the Kitchen

The same precautions that apply to candles also apply to gas stoves and their open flames. Take care that guests don’t bump into the stove or hot pots and pans. Also, some cultures call for fried foods, such as the Hanukkah tradition of frying potato latkes and jelly doughnuts. Enjoy the delicious meals but be careful not to splash cooking oil around the kitchen, which is another fire hazard.

Your Outdoor Display 

It's fun to turn your yard into a scene from the North Pole. Just make sure that any lights and other equipment is rated for outdoor use and won't short out in a snow or rainstorm. As with indoor lights, inspect the cords for any damage and discard those that aren't in top shape. If you need an extension cord, make sure it's rated for the outdoors as well, and don't let it run through puddles or across walkways.

With just minor precautions, you can ensure a safe holiday season focused on family and tradition.

The best Allen electrician can tell you that chances are, your air conditioning unit is probably going to be the most frequently used electrical appliance in your home this summer.  Making sure that the a/c unit is running efficiently and safely is the best way to save money and prevent costly and dangerous electrical problems. Still, as the best Allen electrician will also tell you, preventing electrical issues can be difficult for someone who doesn’t recognize electrical problems immediately. After all, most of us who are not professionals probably don’t.

Surprise! It’s NOT Your Unit

As the temperatures rise this summer, keeping up with the maintenance of your air conditioning unit is one of the most important things you should do. However, when customers hear about maintaining their a/c unit, they often think in terms of Freon and condensers. The truth is that, although those are clearly important, one aspect that is often overlooked is the electrical part.

It may surprise you to know that calling an air conditioning guy when your unit is on the fritz isn’t always the right thing to do. In fact, any Allen electrician will confirm that, indeed, half the time the problems aren’t with the a/c unit but with the electrical system. If the problems are electrical, they can result in dangerous blowouts and burnouts that could cost you a fortune—or even your home, if a fire were to start. So, with so many things that could go wrong, how can you be sure that the problem calls for an Allen electrician and not an air conditioning repairman?

Air Conditioning Electrical Safety Tips

For instance, did you know that a lot of electrical problems arise when swapping air conditioning units? Something as deceptively simple as trading your current unit for another one, especially if the new unit is larger, can wreak havoc on your electrical system. The amount of wattage required to power the new unit can result in overloading, overheating and damage to the unit as well as to your home’s electrical system. You can burn the lines quickly. Some who think that they have found the solution in splicing their lines to accommodate a newer unit may also be in for a dangerous wake-up call. Splicing lines is never a good idea. When in doubt, call your local electrician. He understands what should be done.

Another thing that your electrician understands that you may not be aware of is that you need him to come out and inspect your circuit breakers regularly to make sure that no wires are melting, no circuits are going bad, and there are no potential fire hazards looming. Because a/c units consume so much power, many times they are wired directly into a circuit breaker. Loose connections in the circuit breaker can cause many problems, including irreparable damage to the electrical system. Be sure to always have an electrician come check your breaker and wiring to be on the safe side.

The electrical work is not limited to the obvious parts of the unit that may need help. The Forced Air Unit (FAU) part of your air conditioning unit is one of the most prone to electrical failures, and yet it is the one part that is often overlooked because it’s located somewhere in a closet, a spare room, or a utility space inside the home. The blower fan inside the FAU often blows out, causing issues with the overall functioning of the unit. Here’s the best way to prevent this: Make sure your electrician does routine maintenance on every part of your air conditioning unit, including the FAU, to prevent blowouts.

Electric Man: Best Allen Electrician

The best Allen electrician makes no bones about the importance of checking your electrical systems when turning on your air conditioning for the sizzling Texas summer, and how much you can save on your summer electricity bill, repair costs and a/c maintenance and repair. As summer heats up, let the team at Electric Man take a look at your unit and help you save money, time and repairs. For more helpful tips, read ElectricMan’s blog or connect with us on any of our social communities. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 972-792-7270, or use the Contact form on our website!

At the Super Bowl this Sunday, almost a third of the nation watched as a power surge caused the big game to come to a halt at the beginning of the third quarter. While the Mercedes Benz Super Dome sat only half lit for almost 40 minutes of what would be one of the most exhilarating Super Bowls of all time, millions wondered how the organizers of the game could allow such a mishap to occur.

A power surge is when a burst of electricity floods a circuit or electrical system, bringing with it the potential to seriously harm appliances, computers, lighting fixtures and any other kind of electronic. You'll usually notice one occurring when the lights in your home suddenly get much brighter for a period of time. Since the electronics in your home are only designed to handle the flow of electricity that regularly passes through the property, their wiring can be overwhelmed.

Sometimes these surges only occur for a short period, causing your lights to increase their brightness for what seems like just a few seconds. These instances are called power spikes and are less harmful to your electronics than a full-on surge, as the amount of time that your appliances are overwhelmed is generally brief.