Edmonton Electrician | Commonly Asked Electrical Questions
One passion of Ryan Hauer’s is helping Edmontonians understand their electrical systems. Ryan is the Edmonton electrician expert, and your friendly Edmonton electrician. Not only does he hold an unrestricted Master electrician license, he has been in the industry for years, and has been operating his company for over five years. He unequivocally knows inside and out the world of electricity, and wants to help the average home owner gain a greater understanding for their own knowledge and safety of their homes.
Throughout his many years of working with electricity in and around the Edmonton area, this Edmonton electrician has heard many of the same questions over and over. In this two part series of articles, he hopes to answer them adequately and help home owners understand, and be able to conduct themselves more safely in their home. Electrical problems cause more fires than any other single cause in Canada, and safety is no joke. Read on to gain important insight into the world that makes our lives run.
What is a GFCI Outlet?
Many people have looked at these strange looking outlets, most likely in their kitchen or bathrooms, and wondered about them says Edmonton electrician Ryan Hauer. In fact, he hopes most people have seen these GFCI outlets – GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter. These outlets are also known as a residual current device (RCD) or residual current circuit breaker (RCCB).
But if people have not seen these in their home, they should get an electrician into their home for a wiring upgrade! These outlets are specially designed to protect people and homes from electrical shock in moisture rich environments, hence the reason they are commonly found in the kitchen and bathroom. They may also be found in laundry rooms, garages hot tubs, unfinished basements.
A home owner may wonder why only some of their outlets in the kitchen look like that. According to Edmonton electrician, Ryan Hauer, this is because according to Canadian Electrical Code GFCI outlets must be placed within six feel of water sources, so only the outlets closes to any sinks are required to be GFCI. These outlets are designed to feel the electricity flowering into a circuit, and when too much electricity starts being drawn through the outlet, such as during a short, or if water gets into the outlet.
The GFCI outlet will shut off electricity to that circuit, protecting the home from an electrical overload and potential fire. And saving the people in the home from a dangerous surge of electricity. And they work – these devices are known to have saved lives since their inclusion into the Canadian Electrical code.
Edmonton Electrician | Why Are My Lights Flickering?
This is a common question, says Edmonton electrician expert, Ryan Hauer, but there’s no one answer. In reality, there are many potential reasons why your lights are flickering. One of the first things to do is pay attention to find out if any other electrical appliances are acting strangely? Radios or televisions cutting out intermittently for example. A common reason for flickering lights is that a home’s electrical system is outdated or needs updating. They may have aluminium wiring, which is known for loose connections, arcing, melting risk of electrical fires.
Aluminium expands more significantly than current standard copper wiring, and as electricity passes through aluminum wires, they expand, causing loose connections and increased risk of electrical fires. The good news is that this can be fixed, without having to rewire your entire home – call Hauer Power today!
Another reason for flickering lights, could be a loose connection in a certain circuit, or a circuit may be overloaded. However, it also may be caused by a faulty electrical panel, especially if you have a Federal Pacific Electric Panel these were installed between 1950’s and 1980’s throughout North America – they were the most popular electrical panels at the time, installed in millions of homes. However, these panels are known for a common failure: they fail to turn off an overloaded circuit, being responsible for thousands of house fires.
Edmonton electrician, Ryan Hauer says it’s not a matter of if it will fail, but when. Therefore, if your lights are flickering, in addition to calling the experts, take a flashlight and check out your breaker box. If it says Federal Pacific Electric written on the cover, get ready to have a new electrical panel installed for a fully functioning and safer one in your future!
More Reasons Your Lights May Be Flickering
Ultimately, without an electrical inspection, knowing the exact reason why your lights are flickering is hard, says Ryan Hauer. It could be loose service conductors within the electrical panel. Or perhaps you have faulty connectors that need to be replaced. Have you noticed your lights flickering after a particularly powerful and windy storm?
That could impacted power lines, and all you have to do is wait for the utility companies to fix the problem. But one thing is for certain, get an electrical inspection done by a professional, reputable company like Hauer Power. They will be able to get to the bottom of your flickering problem, such as worn down wiring, improperly connected wiring, or something more serious, and most importantly, fix it!
To ask any more burning questions about your electrical system, or for a no obligation quote on any electrical project, the expert team at Hauer Power Electrical is waiting for your call. Whether you want to add under counter lighting, increase the number of circuits in your kitchen, wire a hot tub, or add a blue tooth bathroom fan, Ryan Hauer is your Edmonton electrician expert! Call or email any time to be connected to an expert, and get a pricing on your newest home upgrade!