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Smoke and Carbon Dectectors

Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: How To Protect you Family and Home

Smoke detectors are a critical part of ensuring your family’s safety. As such, it’s important that they are installed correctly, especially, since their placement requirements have changed over the past decade. These changes include expanded placement requirements and the additional of Carbon Monoxide Detectors.

There is quite a bit of misunderstanding, and confusion, surrounding the proper placement. We will identify the general placements requirements below:

1. At least one smoke detector on each level of a residence, including basements and habitable attics.

2. In each bedroom.

3. Outside of each sleeping room in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms.

4. In dwelling units with fuel fired appliances of attached garages smoke detectors outside of sleeping rooms must be Carbon Monoxide type.

5. Smoke detectors shall receive their primary power from the building wiring, with battery backup.

6. When more than one Smoke detector is required they shall all be interconnected (listed wireless units are allowed).

When work requiring a permit occurs the entire dwelling must be brought to current code compliance, as if it were a new dwelling

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Electric Car Charges

How To Choose A Home Electric Car Charger

Being able to charge your electric vehicle at your home is convenient and easy.

Home charging of electric vehicles enhances when you switch from a 110-volt outlet on your wall to a quicker, 240V home charger - this switch can add around 15 to 60 miles of per hour range (RPH) to your charging!

A quicker charger also enables you to maximize your electric car’s output and cover more of your short and long-distance trips through electric driving.

Compatibility usually is not a problem with home chargers, since most of them can charge any electric car through the universal connector J1772 (Tesla chargers being an exception only compatible with Tesla cars).

However, there are several other factors you would want to consider before deciding on a home electric car charger. Let us discuss some of these factors.

Charging Speed

Charging speed varies, depending upon your charger’s electrical current or amperage.

Your electric car’s range, driving style, and commute will determine your requirement for speed – a vehicle with a low range, longer commute, and always operating on maximum speed, will require faster charging at home.

Typically, electric cars can handle around 32 amperes and add approximately 25 to 30 miles of RPH with charging, making a 32-ampere station a decent choice for most electric cars. A 50-ampere charger, though, will allow you to increase the charging speed further, adding around 37 miles of RPH of charging.

The Amount of Room on the Electrical Panel

It is essential to select a home electric car charger with an amperage level aligned with your home and car’s electrical capacity.

According to The National Electric Code, your electric circuit’s amperage should be at least 25% more than the charger’s output. For instance, if you want to purchase a Level 2 40-ampere charger, you should also have a circuit with a rating of at least 50 amperes. Another option could be to use one of those flexible chargers which allow you to set amperage levels that are compatible with your residence.

Checking your electric panel will allow you to find out the number of available amps for charging.

The Location for Charger Placement

Ideally, the electrical panel should be close to your home electric car charger.

You might need the electrician to form a conduit from your charging spot to your panel, and excessive conduit can prove costly. However, if you have your garage door close to your charger, it will become easier for you to charge more than one car simultaneously.

Getting a weatherproof charger allows you the option to install indoors or outdoors, depending upon your preferred parking spot. Although dryer circuits are not particularly secure for chargers, chargers that use 14-50 or NEMA 650 plugs can do the job, as those two plug types are common, and can easily be installed by an electrician.

Conclusion

Now that you have an understanding regarding the essential considerations to focus on while buying a home charger, you can better assess your options and choose one that is perfectly aligned with your home and vehicle requirements.

So, what are you waiting for?

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Electrical

Top 7 Signs You Need an Electrical Wiring Upgrade

Electrical malfunctions result in more than 50,000 house fires each year in the United States of America, according to Electrical Safety Foundation International.

They are also reported to be the main cause for more than $1.3 billion of property damage each year, 450 deaths and over 1500 injuries.

Therefore, a sound understanding of potential dangers is vital to help save you from any electrical wiring troubles and related potential house fires (yikes!).

Without further ado, let's look at the top 7 signs that you need an electrical wiring upgrade:

#1. If you sniff something unpleasant, then it’s likely to be unpleasant.

First and foremost, the most underrated hint that people usually forego is the odor from an electrical outlet. If you smell something ‘fishy,’ you should immediately turn off the outlet and unplug the electrical appliance.

Next, it would be best for a qualified electrician to have a look and fix any dangers that may prevail.

#2. An excessive number of extension cords.

It is quite self-explanatory why electrical wires are kept in walls - so that wires suffer less wear and tear, reducing the potential for any damage.

Too many wires may lead to a situation where the wires could get tangled, kinked and eventually damage an outlet or even cause disastrous fire.

It is recommended that extension cords be used sparingly and for short term purposes such as a holiday. If you require more outlets, it’s best to get them installed by an electrician.

#3. The appliance may feel hot, but the outlet should never.

It is common to witness the hot temperature of a machine such as a microwave. But if you feel that the outlet is overheating due to usage or even when there is no appliance connected to it, turn it off and plug it into another outlet.

If the vacant outlet remains hot, then it may be wired incorrectly. An electrician would need to be contacted who may, for the time, advise you to remove the fuse for that outlet until it is repaired.

#4. A buzzing sound when plugging in appliances.

Normally, when everything is in a good place, electricity flows smoothly and quietly, but there may be a buzzing sound when plugging in or unplugging appliances.

Immediately call an electrician to fix the issue for you.

#5. Spark in the outlet.

Sparks from electrical outlets generate both sound and visible appearance, which can easily be heard and seen.

A sparkling appliance may mean the fixture itself may be damaged. If that happens, you must call an appliance repair person who would test the appliance and the outlet that powers it.

If your appliance has a warranty, you might just get it repaired for FREE!

#6. Dimming or flickering of lights.

Dimming or flickering of lights usually occurs in places where large or heating/cooling appliances are used, since they consume a significantly greater proportion of electricity than light fixtures.

In such a scenario, an electrician could be called for inspection to shift the appliances to different circuits or install dedicated lines.

#7. Installing the wrongs outlets in the kitchen or washroom.

Since water is an excellent conductor of electricity, places like kitchens and bathrooms require special shock-resistant outlets to add an extra layer of shock protection from water.

If the outlets in your kitchens and bathroom look the same as those in other places, swap them out with ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).

Parting Thoughts

The next time you see any of these signs in electrical wirings – you know what to do.

Take preventative action beforehand, or make sure to respond immediately to avert hazardous incidents.

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Lighting Upgrades

10 Questions To Ask Before A Lighting Upgrade

Overview

While thinking of a lighting upgrade, you might be confused between the retrofit and redesign approaches.

Coming up with a workable lighting upgrade plan often involves asking the right questions. However, what makes a question right?

This article lists ten such questions that facility managers should ask before a lighting upgrade:

What objective is the upgrade trying to achieve? Answer: Even though reduced re-lamping and energy conservation are often the key reasons for an upgrade, discussing all the desired advantages might lead to a different way out. An upgrade in lighting could lead to an increase in the quality of lighting, or improve sales or safety, for instance.
What is the current lighting quality? Answer: Sometimes, the initial lighting setup is designed for a general purpose, with calculations performed based on typical assumptions or ‘empty rooms.’ Lighting comfort might not have been a factor at all in the original design.Therefore, it is essential to critically analyze the current arrangement to develop the most effective design.
What is the acceptable light quantity? Answer: This quantity differs for every type of premises. An office, for example, might benefit more from uniformly distributed, lower levels of light, compared to uneven light levels. In retail, however, the opposite might be right.
Which energy-saving measure provides the maximum value? Answer: Low-cost ways to enhance energy efficiency include improving the reflective characteristics of the walls, ceilings, or furniture, as well as avoiding glossy finishes, or using a lighter color to repaint the walls.
What daylight opportunities do the existing buildings present? Answer: You can only conserve energy by reducing the electric lighting, which needs duly commissioned and user-friendly controls. Glare controls and daylight quality can be improved by automated blinds, films, and window treatments.

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