As the heat soars to above triple digits this summer, your electrical system experiences one of its heaviest loads of the year. Most of the time, we do not give it much thought unless something fails – like your A/C, then it becomes an emergency! The best time to think about your electrical system is not during an emergency or failure, but before that, when everything is working as it should. Look for opportunities to upgrade outdated systems or issues you may just be tolerating right now, or the temporary fix that has become a permanent, yet dangerous solution.
Here is a list of a few things you can look to upgrade this Summer while you enjoy that cool A/C indoors!
Surge Protectors:
Sometimes there are serious power spikes in the summer as the electric companies use mandatory brown or black out policies in an effort to conserve resources. While these usually are just an inconvenience, they could pose a threat to your electrical system as the power surges back on after an outage. Surge protectors can be installed to protect the entire home, or installed locally to protect valuable electronics such as computer or medical equipment that may be installed in the home.
Outlet Overload:
It’s summer, so if you have kids they are spending more time indoors and there may be a lot of friends coming over! Or you may be an empty nester and want to tackle more of those projects in the shop, so you’re going to use more power tools. Either way, we sometimes have the need to use outlet extenders or extension cords so a pack of teens can charge all their phones, or so we can plug in more appliances in the kitchen or home office. Pay attention to the loads these outlet expanders are putting on your home, and if this is a recurring issue, an electrician like Able Electric can help you upgrade those heavily used circuits or install more outlets in a safe, permanent manner.
Worn Electrical Cords:
This is something people rarely think about, They plug something in such as a lamp or appliance and then they forget about it…literally plug and play. But sometimes electrical cords get worn or damaged through years of movement, vacuuming, cleaning or even pet or rodent damage. Take the time this Summer to inspect every cord on every electrical item that is plugged into an outlet, especially antiques that may have outdated or original wiring! Look for signs of wear such as tears or cuts in the cord, look for breaks near the plug or appliance and look for signs that critters may be chewing or gnawing on the cords. If there are signs of damage, an electrician can repair those for you and they will be good as new!
Other Considerations:
There are many other upgrades you can do this summer to make your home safer and more energy efficient. Affordable upgrades such as replacing old incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient light bulbs or replacing old battery powered smoke detectors with installed wired smoke detectors. Able Electric can help you with all of these upgrades! Give us a call at 530-644-0977.
