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Winter Electrical Safety Tips Schaumburg

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Winter Electrical Safety Tips And What You Can Do With Them in Schaumburg

Compared to all the other seasons, winter may be the most dangerous — and that’s without even factoring in the nerve racking experience of driving in the ice and snow. For example, carbon monoxide kills and injures more people during winter and more deadly and destructive house fires during the coldest months of the year.  To help keep all of you safe, we’ve put together some winter electrical safety tips to limit the risk of carbon monoxide and electrical fires.

We know the winter can be a hectic, stressful time so our tips are easy, simple, and intuitive. We want you stay safe AND have as stress-free of a holiday as possible.

Winter Electrical Safety Tips: Christmas Lights

Holiday lights are meant to bring cheer and ambience — not danger. Good news: you can almost completely eliminate the hazard of Christmas lights by taking the right precautions.

Even though holiday lights are meant to make people happy, if safety is neglected, they can prove to be a not-so-festive fire hazard.

  • Inspect wiring for damage. — If the wiring on your Christmas lights is torn, it can throw sparks that start a fire inside or out.
  • Don’t hang lights on a dry tree. — A fire-resistant artificial tree is safest, but if you want to go for the classic live tree, make certain that you keep your tree well-watered and wet. In a matter of minutes, sparks and excess heat can turn a dry tree into a bonfire.

Winter Electrical Safety Tips: Electric Heaters Safety

Due to the cold winter weather, you need to find additional ways to stay warm. For both financial and safety reasons, you shouldn’t rely on these supplemental options long term.

All the same, if you do want to keep warmer with supplemental heaters, do it right — follow these winter electrical safety tips.

Space heaters

  • Keep anything flammable away from the space heater front, including paper, drapes, pillows, blankets.
  • Make sure the space heater plug is in good shape. A beaten-up plug can start fires.
  • Do not run cords underneath area rugs. This can start a fire.

Electric Blanket

  • Never fall asleep with your electric blanket on.
  • Make sure the plug and cord are in good shape, otherwise it can pose a fire hazard.
  • Do not cover your electric blanket with another blanket. Even if it’s comfortable to use both, the extra blanket can act like kindling.

Winter Electrical Safety Tips: Avoid carbon monoxide dangers

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odorless gas that kills at high concentrations and causes irreversible injuries at lower levels. Since CO comes from the burning of fossil fuel, Carbon Monoxide poisoning more frequently occurs during winter.

NEVER use a camp stove inside

This often proves to be a problem during power outages. With no electricity your boiler won’t boil and your furnace won’t blow. You’ll get really cold — in a hurry.

No matter how cold you get, never use a camp stove or any fossil fuel burner inside for heat. While you’ll feel warmer, you and your family will unknowingly breathe in this toxic gas.

Electrical Safety Inspection

The biggest risk of electrical fires isn’t seasonal. It isn’t the misuse of Christmas lights, space heater, or electric blankets.

Its outdated equipment in your home electrical system — outdated equipment being asked to do a crucial job.

The most common fire-starting electrical components include:

  • Outdated Fuse boxes
  • Faulty Electrical Panels
  • Damaged Wiring

The danger is that while these necessary components may be a risk to catch fire, they don’t look dangerous to the untrained eye.

Only an experienced electrician can determine if your electrical components are safe. As part of a safety inspection, Wayne P Leonard electricians will examine your electrical system top to bottom — to ensure you and your family are safe.

Contact us to schedule an electrical inspection today.

Winter Electrical safety tips: Wrap-up

The winter brings some inevitabilities like snow, ice, and Christmas carols starting way too early. However, the winter season doesn’t need to mean more house electrical fires and more cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Want to be even more certain you’ll stay safe this winter? Contact Wayne P Leonard for an electrical safety inspection or to schedule a standby generator inspection.

Be Prepared

Protect your possessions from power surge damage with Wayne P Leonard. Call us today to schedule an appointment and take action!

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Common Causes of Power Surges Schaumburg

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Common Causes of Electrical Power Surges And What You Can Do About Them in Schaumburg

Power surges are an unseen hazard that causes $5 to $6 billion worth of damage every year according to the National Lightning Safety Institute.

Keep your home safe from power issues is important. This includes checking your wiring and ensuring all your appliances are working properly.

Here’s what to look out for if you don’t want to become a statistic.

What is a Power Surge?

A power surge is an unexpected and unavoidable upward spike in the power supply to your home’s electrical outlets. Most electrical appliances draw 120 volts AC power from electrical outlets.

When a quick, intense burst of power makes its way through those outlets, you’ve got problems. Plugged-in appliances may overheat, malfunction and even set alight in some cases. Several factors can be responsible for these severe jolts of electricity.

1. Overloading Outlets or Circuits

Just like your electrical appliances, electrical outlets have their limits too. Attaching too many appliances to one outlet can force more electricity to that area, resulting in an electrical power surge. 

During the holidays, with the combination of lights and other electronic accessories, not to mention all of the electronic devices we run constantly, overloading a circuit is pretty common. Because of this, taking basic precautions with holiday lights and accessories is important for safety.

Beyond simply overloading an outlet with devices, the electric wiring in your home may be a factor in circuit malfunction. Some circuits may be supplying power to numerous outlets. If the strain on the circuit is large enough, it can overload and cause damage to connected devices. Plug devices into multiple outlets using a power strip and surge protector. If you suspect a wiring problem, the wiring may need to be distributed across multiple circuits by a professional electrician. Alternatively, if all the electrical outlets in one room are operating on a single circuit, the culprit could be the circuit itself.

2. Damaged and Exposed Wiring

It’s obvious to anyone that exposed wires are a bad idea, but what concealed wiring in your walls? Pests like mice and squirrels fancy nibbling on concealed wiring. This causes havoc with your home or business electricity system. The exposed wires allow electricity to roam unconfined through your premises, leading to power spikes and other common electrical problems.

3. Lightning

Lighting is pure electricity and can cause a surge of electricity to your outlets if it strikes near your house. Always unplug your electrical devices at the first hint of a storm. They do not stand a chance against the raw voltage of a lightning strike. About 30 000 000 lightning flashes strike the ground annually in the USA, and it’s not true that it won’t hit the same target twice.

4. High-Energy Electrics

Appliances and machines that use a lot of energy, like air-conditioners can cause a power surge when they are first switched on.

These high-powered devices draw a huge amount of voltage through your building’s circuitry. Any electrical device along the way may become caught up in this flood of electricity, leading to damage. Flickering lights are a tell-tale sign of power spikes due to these kinds of appliances.

5. Power Outages Can Mean Power Surges

Believe it or not, no power can lead to too much power in your home’s electrical system. The big burst of electricity needed to kickstart the neighborhood after an outage can sometimes go astray, causing surges in unexpected places.

6. Take Care with Cords

Be careful where you place and run extension cords. Rugs and other obstructions running over or placed nearby cords and outlets are a fire hazard. Anything that could catch fire should be removed away from any cords, outlets, and wires. Putting up decor during the holiday season typically requires using an often chaotic arrangement of extension cords, outlets, and power strips to power all of the lights and accessories. Because of this, you should be vigilant about where cords and other electrical accessories are located and take precautions to relocate certain hazardous items.

7. Use Surge Protectors

Power surges, while mostly rare, can damage or destroy electronic devices, appliances, and potentially damage your home’s wiring. Install surge protectors to help guard against this risk to home electrical systems and appliances from high voltage surges. These devices can be installed on individual outlets or as entire home protection systems.

Surge protectors cannot prevent a power surge from affecting your home, but they can protect individual devices from damage or destruction. A good idea is to look for a surge protector power strip to protect multiple devices plugged into a single outlet. During the holidays, taking extra precautions to protect your home electrical wiring, lighting, and devices is extremely important.

Be Prepared

Protect your possessions from power surge damage with Wayne P Leonard. Call us today to schedule an appointment and take action!

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Saving Energy During Daylight Savings Time Schaumburg

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Saving Energy During Daylight Savings in Schaumburg

Where did the time go? Daylight Savings Time ends on Nov. 4 at 2 a.m. and we all magically gain an hour in our day.

But, what does moving back the hands of time actually cost us in energy consumption?

The notion of Daylight Savings Time is to allow us to make better use of natural daylight and Benjamin Franklin is first credited with the idea in 1784 because of his saying, “Early to bed and early to rise,” according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The U.S Department of Energy, however suggests credit goes to the Germans who were the first to implement Daylight Savings Time in 1916 to conserve resources during World War I.

The starting date and time has been adjusted over the years, currently beginning at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ending at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November.

But, just how much energy does Daylight Saving Time save? In 2008, Energy Department experts studied the impact of the extended Daylight Saving Time on energy consumption in the U.S. and found that the extra four weeks of Daylight Saving Time saved about 0.5 percent in total electricity per day. That adds up to electricity savings of 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours — or the amount of electricity used by more than 100,000 households for an entire year, according to the Department of Energy.

Here are some ways you can save money during Daylight Savings Time:

  • Harness the heat from the sun- open curtains to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home. Close them at night to reduce the chill from the cold windows.
  • Install a programmable thermostat to heat your home only when you are at home. Turning back your thermostat 10-15 degrees while you are at work and the kids are at school can save about 10 percent on your heating and cooling bills.
  • Make sure your heating system is working efficiently. Replace dirty filters.
  • Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting. Your hot water heater soaks up about 18 percent of the energy consumed in your home.
  • Plumbing pipes, gaps around chimneys or vents, and even recessed lighting in the ceiling often have spaces that allow air into the house from outside. Seal them up to keep air from escaping.
  • Use LED holiday light strings to reduce the cost of decorating your home for the winter holidays.

As we head into the fall and winter months here in Illinois, know that Wayne P Leonard is here to make sure your home is as comfortable as possible.

Wayne P Leonard can fix any electrical problems — safely and quickly. Our team of electricians is on call to respond to any electrical emergency you may have. No matter your electrical need, Wayne P Leonard’s team of electricians in the Chicagoland area is here to serve you. Call now to schedule service or a free estimate for your new installation.

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Prepare for Fall With an Electrical Checklist Schaumburg

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Prepare For Fall With An Electrical Checklist in Schaumburg

As these beautiful fall days turn into dark and chilly evenings, make sure you are prepared for fall with our Fall Electrical Checklist!

1. Consider installing landscape lighting.

With not as much daylight as the summer months, being able to stay outside gets to be difficult. That can change when landscape lighting installation becomes part of the overall equation for a home, since it allows for an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere and more security for the home’s residents. If you’re proud of your landscaping efforts, this is the perfect opportunity to show it off.

This type of lighting costs less for installation and can offer a safer alternative to the standard 120-volt system that many people attempt to use. There’s no need to offer up a glaring atmosphere, in part because of possible complaints from neighbors. With the landscape variety, subtlety wins out.

2. Make sure your back up power is in working order.

Make sure your back up power is in working order in the case of upcoming winter storms! Now is the time to test your stand by generators, or to install a generator transfer switch for a portable generator–not when the storm is upon us!

3. Test your GFCI circuit breakers and/or outlets to make sure they are operating correctly.

While significant improvements have been made in electrical safety over the years, the threat of accidental electrocution remains present and you need to take the steps necessary in avoiding it. The best way is by installing a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) which will cut off power immediately once it detects a contrast between input and output current, thanks to its built-in circuit breaker. Without a GFCI outlet installed in your home, areas where water is more likely to come into contact with electricity like bathrooms and garages are suddenly much more dangerous. It may even result in a person being electrocuted once they come into contact with an outlet. Upgrading with a GFCI outlet will save lives and keep you more relaxed.

As we start more outdoor leaf blowing and projects, and start planning our holiday light displays, we need our outdoor power more than ever. Test your GFCI outlets–press the test button and if it engages then it is working properly. Press the reset button to re-energize the circuit breaker or outlet.

4. Make sure no tree branches are touching any of your power lines.

In the case of a storm, or a very windy day, branches could interfere with your power. If you have branches touching power lines, call the power company and they will trim at no cost to you.5. Remember to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. And remember too the detectors need to be replaced every 10 years.

Be Cautious

Check to be sure tree growth or dying branches aren’t on wires around your home. Schedule a professional tree service to remove these branches. DO NOT do alone.

5. Water Heater Outlets

This is likely something that some homeowners don’t often notice—until something goes wrong. As the temperature drops, it makes a great deal of sense to consider all of the problems that may occur with this particular appliance.

Leaks within pipes for water heater outlets can be evident from the top or bottom. There may minimal or no hot water available. It might take an extended period of time for water to reheat because the vent flue is dirty or because of low pressure or simply be too hot. Finally, keeping the pilot or burner lit becomes a challenge or lighting the pilot simply becomes impossible.

6. Interior Lighting Upgrades

Haunted houses are a popular attraction during the fall, but your home may resemble one without any working or outdated lights. At Wayne P Leonard Electric, we offer several lighting upgrades that will shed new light into your kitchen, bathroom, family room, and more. We offer cabinet lighting, accent lighting, artwork accents, bathroom lighting, and so much more. Any guest will feel immediately welcome into your home thanks to warming, eye-catching lighting that enhances indoor atmosphere. Plus, you will be able to cook, clean, read, and navigate in your home so much more effectively.

7. Inspect your extension cords

with the holidays coming up, you’re going to want to make sure your extension cords are in good shape and not damaged or frayed. Any extension cords you’re planning on using outdoors should be weather-rated. Inside, make sure you use surge protectors and power strips with internal overload protection, and make sure you minimize the amount of adapters plugged into a single outlet.

8. Check Your Alarms

The risk of carbon monoxide poisoning increases significantly in winter. That’s because people are using heating systems, water heaters, and any other gas, oil, wood, or coal appliances in colder months. Be proactive: Install and test detectors before you turn on the heating equipment.

Smoke detectors should be tested every month to ensure they are working properly. Be sure to check before you get too busy during the holidays! Detectors should be installed in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of your home. Wayne P Leonard electricians are happy to install or test your smoke detectors!

Wayne P Leonard can fix any electrical problems — safely and quickly. Our team of electricians is on call to respond to any electrical emergency you may have. No matter your electrical need, Wayne P Leonard’s team of electricians in the Chicagoland area is here to serve you. Call now to schedule service or a free estimate for your new installation.

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