What is the Purpose of Circuit Breakers and Fuses?

With the holiday season approaching, you're likely to use more electricity in your home than normal. If you're planning on decorating your house either inside or outside with lights and other electronic decorations, you'll want to make sure your circuit breakers and fuses are functioning well. You don't want to have to keep replacing fuses or breakers repeatedly, and you certainly don't want them malfunctioning and causing a fire that could wreck your home or damage your electronic devices. So what are some things you can do to ensure your breakers and fuses are working well?

First, you should understand the terminology. A circuit breaker is designed to cut off an electronic circuit when the electricity amount becomes too high. Turning the power back on is as simple as flipping the breaker switch back on.

A fuse is also designed to shut off the power to an electrical circuit when the amount of electricity flowing through the circuit becomes too high. It does this by using a filament inside that melts when it gets overheated. Turning the power back on after a blown fuse requires replacing the fuse with a new one.

If you're having issues with repeatedly flipping your breaker switches or replacing fuses, you may want to seek the help from a professional to inspect your breakers and fuses. An electrician can help ensure that your breakers and fuses are working well for your electrical needs this holiday season. Before disaster at home has a chance to strike, contact our expert electric technicians to learn more about your repair options for circuit breakers and fuses. Call us at 888) 245-4955.

What is Surge Protection?

Surge protectors help safeguard electronics from increases in voltage. Normal voltage, as that supplied by a typical wall-socket is a steady 120 volts of electrical current, but occasionally, this number may increase slightly. Voltages higher than 120 volts can damage your electrical devices in much the same way that too much wind can destroy your favorite kite.

How They Work

A typical surge protector works by breaking the flow of current to your devices when it detects a spike in voltage. Of course this also shuts down your devices, and some models of surge protectors require a physical reset to get the power flowing again. Because of this, never use a surge protector that has any burn marks on its cord or body as the breaker or circuitry inside may have been compromised.

Types of Surge Protectors

There are more sophisticated, even battery powered types of surge protectors that allow your devices to function without interruption in the case of power spikes. However, lightning strikes and regular voltage spikes are two very different matters. While some surge protectors claim to protect against lightning strikes, it is much safer to unplug all electronic devices for the duration of storms that contain heavy lightning.

Call our office today to learn more about your surge protection needs and we will help safeguard your home from any electrical failures that may develop in the future.

Avoid Electrical Problems during the Holidays

Decorations that require electricity are very common during the holiday season. Many people decorate indoors and outdoors for holidays like Halloween and Christmas. Often, electrical problems can occur because of these decorations. People run the risk of encountering overloads, blown fuses, and even fire.

How Can You Avoid Electrical Problems?

 

We all want to keep our home safe and festive during the holiday season. Here are some helpful tips from WikiHow to minimize the risk of running into electrical problems: 

1.       Choose non-electric holiday décor whenever possible. Reducing energy consumption will drastically minimize the risk. Think about using candles or battery-operated décor instead of that huge, inflatable pumpkin to put on the front lawn.

2.       Hang up fewer strings of lights. Using less strings of lights or similar décor will reduce problems. Rather than tracing the outline of your house, every tree, bush, and window, you could choose one focus point to hang lights on.

3.       Switch to LED lights. By replacing incandescent strings of lights with more efficient LED lights, you will reduce energy consumption. Again, reducing consumption is best way to avoid electrical problems. LED lights generate less heat which can lower the risk of fire or electrical overload. A perk to making the switch is that you won’t be replacing the lights every other year. LED’s last much longer.

4.       Do not overload one circuit. Sure, we could plug-in items end-to-end and then use just one outlet but that’s not very safe. It is best to use multiple outlets. Spread out your energy consumption through the house. Avoid using one circuit or one area of the house to plug-in items.

5.       Buy new décor when older items show signs of damage. We tend to make vivid displays outdoors by often using the same décor every year. Outdoor exposure could cause wear and tear that damages the insulation of electrical items. It is best to replace these items right away because their damage could lead to short circuits and/or fire.

6.       Keep electrics away from heat sources. Heat sources like the stove or candles can melt wire insulation and lead to electrical fires. It might be best to not put any electrical décor around the fireplace.

7.       Water your Christmas tree. A dry Christmas tree can catch fire from the heat generated by the lights on it. Don’t forget to water your tree regularly!

If you need help setting up your holiday display safely or installing features that can safeguard your home from electrical issues, contact a local electrical repair service company.