Outdated Fuse Boxes
When most of the houses in this part of the country were built, the power demand was very minimal, because none of the modern appliances had been invented yet. There were no big screen TVs, stereos, DVD players, microwaves, clothes washers, dish washers, garbage disposals, and in some cases, even refrigerators. This meant that the electrical wires, and especially the fuse boxes, were not made to take the stress and usage that they are getting today.
As a result, they commonly heat up, melt and become fire hazards. Because of the high failure rate these systems are experiencing, many insurance companies are recognizing this problem and are demanding that homeowners upgrade to modern panels to make their homes safer.
We at ALIVE ELECTRIC are experts at recognizing this problem and will recommend the best solution for your home.
Not Enough Circuits
Today's modern appliances need stronger and more direct wiring methods than were originally installed in older homes. We often find that many old homes have only one or two circuits that power the entire house. Today when a new home is built, the same size building is wired with 10 to 30 circuits on average.
This lack of power will cause quicker appliance failure and fuses or breakers to blow more often. More circuits need to be installed by a qualified electrician to take the pressure off of the original circuits.
This is a danger that we at ALIVE ELECTRIC can fix.
Dangerously Old And Obsolete Breaker Panels
As with many other technologies, electrical engineers and scientists have learned how to develop better overload protection systems and panels. With original models, major flaws have surfaced after years of use and testing. The first designs for breaker boxes were proven to not be good enough to truly provide reliable fire and electrocution protection for the home owner.
Most of these panels were installed between 1940 and 1970. This means, that a large percentage of the homes in the Bay Area are still using these panels today, unknowingly exposing themselves to fire and health hazards. One such brand, Federal Pacific Electric Company (FPE), is on the top of the list of panels that need replacing. These panels are not sensitive enough to trip the power when there is danger, which is much more dangerous than tripping too often.
ALIVE ELECTRIC electricians are trained to look for these dangerous panels and will alert you of the problem as part of our professional concern for your safety.
Panels Inside Closets
Certain fire investigations have raised concerns about other past electrical installations. One exposed danger is fuse and breaker panels that have been installed in clothes closets. During certain conditions, electricity can produce sparks and the presence of clothes can cause a fire to start and spread. Additionally, the National Electrical Code requires that, for safety and accessibility reasons, 30 inches of open access exist in front of a panel, which is seldom available in a closet.
We at ALIVE ELECTRIC will recommend options that eliminate these dangers.
Outdated Wiring
Better building materials, such as plastic/rubber blends, have since been invented, which have revolutionized the electrical industry. One such advancement has been the vast improvement in insulators for electricity. All wiring since the 1960's has a rubber/plastic insulation, which is still working fine today. But many of the houses in the Bay Area were wired before then and use the outdated knob and tube wiring method with the cloth covered wire. Studies have proven that the older cloth wiring insulation breaks down quickly when exposed to heat and the elements and is no longer a safe choice.
We at ALIVE ELECTRIC are residential experts and are an experienced choice to solve this common safety problem.
Unsafe Installations By Untrained People
At ALIVE ELECTRIC, we spend many hours a year training and developing our electricians to be experts in the residential electrical field. We are part of national associations and schools to help us stay on the cutting edge of the electrical industry.
We spend approximately 70% of our time fixing electrical problems caused by homeowners, handymen, and less professional electricians, because they were not aware of correct procedures, recent code changes or improvements in electrical technology.
This means that home owners are wasting hard earned money, and valuable time trying to figure out electrical problems, which could have been taken care of more quickly and for less money the first time by trained professionals. Electricity can kill and cause fires. Don't risk everything.
Let us at ALIVE ELECTRIC fix or install it right the first time!
No Ground Fault Protection
Everyone knows that water and electricity don't mix! It takes about .1 (one tenth) amp of electricity to stop your heart. In each circuit around your kitchen or bathroom there are about 20 amps inside each outlet. This means right next to your sink there is enough electricity to stop 200 hearts! This danger led engineers to invent a safety device called a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter or GFCI for short. This very sensitive device is designed to protect you from these heart-stopping shocks, by cutting the power to your plug within a millisecond. All wet areas, including a garage, patio, bathrooms, kitchen counters, etc., are required by the National Electrical Code to be protected by a GFCI device.
Your ALIVE ELECTRIC technician will show you where they should go and can test the ones you already have installed.
Ungrounded System
Look at one of your outlets on your wall and you will see that there are either two or three slots. Each one of these slots should correspond to a wire inside the wall. If you have only two slots in most of your outlets, then chances are you have an ungrounded system.
Often, someone untrained has illegally put 3-pronged outlets on an ungrounded system. A grounded system is a safer system, because it helps your overload breaker panel work to protect your home from fires starting in walls. Also most sensitive modern electronic equipment depends on this third wire to work properly and accurately.
Call ALIVE ELECTRIC at 510-749-9113 to test and repair this problem.
Unbonded or Fused Neutrals
In pre-1990's electrical systems, there was not an effort made to bond the system at the main panel where the meter is located, or in the older systems the neutral runs through a fuse. This will cause the main overload protection to possibly fail and not adequately protect your house from fire hazards.
We at ALIVE ELECTRIC will fix this hazard.
Unsafe Light Fixture Installation
Normal junction boxes in ceilings are not made to have fans or chandelier type lights installed on them. Many homeowners and less trained workers do not know that you need special boxes in the ceiling to safely and properly hang fans and big fixtures.
ALIVE ELECTRIC will show you the correct type of box and install it for you.
Bad Wiring Methods
Another electrical danger is a faulty method of wiring outlets and receptacles. Most wiring before the late 1990's was done with the neutrals (white wires) not connected together in a secure manner. This has caused many fires, because bad connections heat up and spark inside walls, igniting the wood members.
We at ALIVE ELECTRIC can identify and eliminate this danger in your home.
Worn Out Outlets
Do any of the cords in your home fall out easily from the outlet when you plug one in? This is not the cord's fault, but the outlet has passed its safe life span and desperately needs to be updated and replaced. Inside the plastic outlets there are springs that need to grip onto the cord prongs. After years of use, these springs relax and lose their grip, causing a bad connection, and bad connections cause heat, sparks, and fires.
Have your trained professional at ALIVE ELECTRIC repair these fast!
No Surge Protection
Power companies are challenged keeping up with increased demand and potential overloads, not to mention emergencies, like lightning strikes and pole damages. These situations cause temporary voltage surges and spikes, which can cause damage to your sensitive electronics like TVs, computers, and appliances that cannot be repaired.
We at ALIVE ELECTRIC are aware of the recent advances that can protect your expensive equipment from harm. Ask us about our Whole House Surge Protector Package.
