Tag: Contractor | NextGen Electric

Winter weather in the Pacific Northwest can be unpredictable. Due to snow, ice, and high winds, downed power lines are to blame for power outages that can last for hours or days. Warm weather months is generally free from such harsh and long-term outages, however powerful thunderstorms can cause similar devastation.

A home generator is not only a convenience, but can be a life line for those that encounter loss of power throughout any season.

Braving The Cold

The thought of a power outage may bring positive memories. Thoughts of gathering everyone in the living room to play board games by candle light or tell stories with flashlights. It may even feel a little like camping. However, in cold weather, this type of togetherness could get old pretty quickly. It’s hard to have fun and create fond memories when you’re chilled to the bone. Even with today’s fireplaces, most of them aren’t built to heat entire rooms, only providing so much heat to go around.

Winter outages are known for kicking homeowners out, forcing them to retreat to hotels, friends, or family’s homes while repairs are made. You may be up for the trip, but what about your home? Your pipes could freeze causing thousands of dollars in damages. What about your pets? They may not be able to join you on your mini trip, and many small animals are able to survive intense cold.

Financial Hardships

Beating the heat in the summer may be harder than it sounds. You may be able to cool off by sleeping in the basement for a couple days, if you have one, but your home may not be so lucky. Not only would you miss your home amenities like a microwave and cell phone charger, but after 24 hours, your freezer will produce spoiled food. If you have more than one freezer, that’s just more food to worry about.

Today’s generators can run on propane gas or gasoline and can be installed with a transfer switch so they come on after a power outage regardless if you’re home or not. That way, if your home loses power while you’re away, you’re home and everything in it will be safe.

Protect yourself, your family, and your home by investing in a home generator and allow Next Gen Electric to provide the installation. We’ll be happy to provide new or updated outlets for your generator to ensure you’re ready for any season.

Throughout the past 30 years, our homes have been largely transformed thanks to modern electrical devices. However, these helpful devices have also supported and contributed to the number of electrical fires throughout the U.S each year. Current homes are overwhelmed by today’s electrical demands, putting them at greater risk of arc faults and arc-induced fires.

What Is An Arc Fault?

An arc fault is a dangerous electrical problem caused by damaged, overheated, or stressed electrical wiring or devices. An arc fault occurs when older wires become frayed or cracked – possibly due to a nail or a screw behind a wall. It’s also common when outlets or circuits are overburdened carrying too large of a load. Think of a bolt of lightning, for example. Lightning is a very large and powerful arc that crosses from an electrically charged cloud to the ground, or another cloud. When an electric current in your home crosses to an energized component to a grounded component, a glowing discharged is formed called an arc. Just as lighting can cause severe damage, arcs produced in your home wiring are capable of producing high levels of heat that can ignite surroundings causing fires. In the U.S, arcing faults case more than 44,000 home fires each year. This results in hundreds of deaths, injuries, and millions in property damage.

What’s The Solution?

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) could help prevent more than 50% of the electrical fires that occur every year. AFCI’s are special electrical outlets and circuit breakers designed to detect and respond to potentially dangerous electrical arcs a home.

AFCI’s function by monitoring the electrical waves moving through your home and then interrupting the circuit they service if they detect changes in the wave pattern that may become a dangerous arc. They also are capable of distinguishing safe and normal arcs, like those that are created when a switch is turned on or a plug is pulled from an outlet. AFCI’s are extremely sensitive so that they can detect, recognize, and respond accordingly to extremely small changes in wave patterns.

Where Do Arcs Typically Form?

Arcs tend to form where wires are installed improperly or when insulation becomes damaged. In many older homes, wore insulation will eventually crystallize as it ages, becoming brittle and will crack and chip. Damaged insulation exposes wire to it’s surroundings, increasing the chances of arcing in your home.

Arcs May Occur In The Following Situations:

damaged electrical cords
damaged wire insulation due to nails and screws driven through walls
damaged appliance cords due to heat, aging, kinking, and over extension
liquid spills
loose connections in outlets, switches, and light fixtures

To Keep You And Your Home Safe From Fires, It’s Best To Have An AFCI In The Following Locations:

Kitchen
Family/Living Room
Dining room
Bedrooms
Den/Office
Hallways
Closets
Bonus/Play Rooms

Each state has it’s own provisions based on the National Electrical Code requirements for AFCI protection in new homes. It is up to the home owner to know and understand what is available to protect your home and our family from electrical fires.

Depending on the size of a given home, the cost impact for installing additional AFCI protection is about $75 per circuit. That’s a small price to pay when it comes to saving your loved ones and your home from damage, injury, or death. There’s no doubt that AFCI’s provide advanced protection against electrical fires, but only if they are working properly. REember to reach out to your trusted Master Electrician to inspect and service your elctrical to ensure a safe and fire-free home.

Call Next Gen Electric today to get a FREE consult. We’re happy to take a look around your home to troubleshoot or provide peace of mind for you and your family.

Home Generators: Preparing For Severe Weather

Braving The Cold

Financial Hardships

Stay Fire-Free With AFCI’s

What Is An Arc Fault?

What’s The Solution?

Where Do Arcs Typically Form?

Arcs May Occur In The Following Situations:

To Keep You And Your Home Safe From Fires, It’s Best To Have An AFCI In The Following Locations:

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