Christmas is upon us again and more than any other time of year, it’s the time of year where people put strain on their electrical system.  The lights on your house and the beautiful decorations you’ve been storing in your attic finally are brought out and plugged in for your friends and neighbors to view and appreciate.  And, of course, the vast majority of homes you visit have at least one Christmas tree.  Since most of these things are electrical, it’s probably not a surprise to you that, as a top Dallas electrician, I start getting a lot of calls this time of year.  Though it’s always nice to have the business with Christmas so close, I thought it’d be great to share with ways to avoid wiring problems with your Christmas decorations this year:

 In general, there are a few important tips that can help you avoid wiring problems.  If your lights look frayed or dangerous, they should always be replaced or repaired before using them, frayed wiring are hazardous.  You should take care that your electrical source is safe before you even begin the installation process.  To avoid the potential for overloads, you should have dedicated circuits installed for your holiday decorations.

Most importantly, you should never try to supply power for your lights without contacting a top Dallas electrician to help you install the necessary equipment and make the necessary safety precautions.  Short cuts are potentially dangerous. I can remember one example where a customer had supplied power to their lights by splicing an extension cord directly into their circuit breaker box!  Even worse, they’d shut the breaker box door, pinching the cabling!  Left unchecked, even if this hadn’t started a fire, damage from a power surge or overload could have easily destroyed their whole breaker, meaning they’d have to spend thousands to repair the damage at the absolute worst time of year!

Finding a good electrician can be a challenge. The Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC area is filled with electrical contractors making big claims, but how do you know who you can trust? Whether you need your entire home rewired or just a relatively simple project completed like a new outlet for your clothes dryer, it’s important for your home and family’s safety to find a licensed electrician to do the work. The same is true of your workplace, where employee and client safety is a major concern.

If you’re on the search for a good electrician in the area, it’s essential to choose someone who has gone through the training, apprenticeship, and other steps necessary to be licensed by your state, whether it’s Maryland, Virginia, or the District. Working with electricity can be hazardous, both to the workers and to your home. Even a small short circuit can cause a home fire, endangering both your property and your family.

Answer that question of how do I find a good electrician by asking friends, neighbors, and colleagues for recommendations. If you’re a new homeowner or new to the area, online directories like Angie’s List can give you unbiased reviews of DC area electric contractors. The Yellow Pages can also be a good place to start.

If you’re asking yourself how to find a good electrician in the DC area, we hope you’ll consider Kolb Electric. We’ve been helping Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC homeowners like you with their electric needs for nearly 90 years. Kolb Electric is a full-service electrical contractor and all of our electricians are licensed to work in your area. We offer free, fair estimates as well as 24-hour emergency service, seven days a week. To learn how Kolb Electric can solve your electrical needs and/or to schedule an appointment, call us at 877 287-1179.

This year marks our 15th anniversary, so we have been celebrating by taking trips down memory lane to 1999, the year of Pegasus Lighting’s birth. This month, of course, we are checking out what was going on in September 1999. Remember when Viacom merged with CBS, the Sega Dreamcast temporarily entranced the population, and lots of crazy stuff happened at the MTV Video Music Awards (In fact, the first five items on this list occurred during the VMAs)? Come check it out!

1. Lauren Hill Is the Queen of Hip Hop

Lil Kim had decided to wear a rather risque outfit to the VMAs, and Diana Ross decided to give the world her opinion of Kim’s outfit.

3. Mothers of Slain Rappers Unite

By presenting a host of male drag performers dressed as the singer in her past music videos, MTV paid tribute to the most nominated artist in VMA history, Madonna.

5. Beastie Boys Back with Vengeance

The first entry in the sixth genereation of video game consoles, slightly predating the Playstation 2, Xbox, and GameCube, was Sega’s Dreamcast. The last console Sega would ever release, its popularity was shortlived.

7. Viacom, Corporate Behemoth

U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno launches an independent investigation into the 1993 fire at the Branch Davidian church near Waco, Texas after watching a documentary film about it. Who says the movies don’t influence society?

9. John Elway’s Jersey Number Retired

NASA annouunced that it had lost contact with the Mars Climate Orbiter. Oops.

11. Ally McBeal Steals the Show

The Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series was given to The Practice. Also nominated were ER, Law & Order, NYPD Blue, and The Sopranos.

13. John Lithgow’s Still Got It!

The Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Acress in a Comedy Series was given to Helen Hunt for her role on Mad About You.

15. The Sopranos

When a fire breaks-out, most people just assume that it’s been caused by some inflammable substance. While that might be the case, it’s important to keep in mind that fires can also be caused by electricity. The one thing to keep in mind is that an electrical fire can’t be doused by water. Faulty or old electrical installations can lead to a fire and cause untold damage to life and property.

There are times when the electrical equipment or appliances in an electrical system can be the cause of overheating & overload, which can end up causing a fire. So, exactly what is it that causes an electrical fire? There are three main reasons, let’s take a detailed look at what these are and what can be done to prevent this from occurring:

Some properties have wiring that is decades old and electrical wires do tend to deteriorate with age. In fact, if the wiring in your house is over 15 years old, the recommendation is that you should get the entire property rewired. Older wiring wasn’t designed to bear the electricity load that current-day appliances demand. At times the electrical contractor might have cut corners and installed wiring of poor quality and this can lead to a similar problem, both of which can result in fires.

Arcing is quite a common problem with electrical wiring. As mentioned earlier, most homes have a range of heavy-duty electrical appliances. When you run a number of these appliances simultaneously in your home, it results in overloading and overheating of the wires. If the wiring is old, it will get heated up which will cause the insulation around it to melt – this results in arcing and an electrical fire may erupt too.

There are times when electrical wires are just too close to an external heat source which causes the outer insulating sheath of the wiring to melt. If this goes unnoticed, it can result in an arcing and fire.

Regardless of what has caused the electrical fire, if you attempt to contain it by pouring water on it that will escalate the issue. Water doesn’t have any effect on electrical fires; in fact, if you try to use water to douse an electrical fire, you can get electrocuted. What you need to deal with an electrical fire is a Class C fire extinguisher.

This type of extinguisher has dry chemicals that help contain the fire. Depending on how severe the fire is, it might be possible to completely bring it under control using a Class C fire extinguisher. If you don’t have this extinguisher, baking soda might help to some extent.

In case there is a break-out of fire on your property, the first thing you should do is switch off the power-mains; this is effective in containing the fire. Ideally every home and commercial establishment should have a Class C fire extinguisher or two, based on the size of the property and that should be used in case of any fire in the electrical wiring. An electrical fire is an electrical emergency and it’s crucial that you keep the number of a local, reliable electrician handy.

Never try to fix any electrical issues on your own. That can only lead to more complications and will compromise the safety of your property. We at Allround Electrical can rectify all types of electrical faults and we provide a range of electrical services. For more information, contact our friendly team today at this number – 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