Complete Electric Lic.# 966283

Safety Tips

Electricity, like fire, is both useful to cook our food and warm our bones.

However, electricity is a fire hazard  if,

1)   Your fuse panel has too large of fuses in it.

2)   You have ceiling light fixtures with light bulbs which  are too large (in watts).

3)  If at anytime in the history of your home or office someone did shoddy, dangerous electrical work.

Fuse panels:  If you live in an old house you’ll likely find a fuse panel in the closet or basement, perhaps in your main panel near the electrical meter. 

The round fuses you’ll find inside should be rated for the proper wire size. Round fuses are color coded as follows:

• Blue 15amp fuses
• Red 20amp fuse
• Yellow 25amp
• Green 30amp fuses
  

Most household circuits are 15amps.  Which means you should have mostly 15amp fuses in your fuse box. The circuits for the kitchen are generally 20amps and need to have a 20amp fuse in place. 

It ‘s dangerous to have 20amp fuses for 15amp circuits and to have 25amp or 30amp fuses for either of these circuits. 

If your main fuses near the meter (shown left)  are 25amps or 30amps, that may be alright, since they likely feed the fuse panel your closet or your kitchen range.  This does not mean all fuses in the main panel should be 25amps or 30amps.  They should be rated for the proper wire size.

Here’s the danger.  The diameter of a 15amp wire can only dissipate so much heat.   Since appliances only draw what they need, perhaps, 0.02 amps for an alarm clock and perhaps 12amps for a space heater,  if all you have plugged in is an alarm clock, then the wires in your walls, won’t heat up.  

However, if you have two space heaters plugged into the same circuit, which is rated for 15amps but incorrectly has a 30amp fuse in the fuse panel, then you’d be drawing 24amps (two space heaters) through a wire that’s only rated for 15amps.  The wires, in your walls, will heat up, cook the insulation, and eventually, a fire will start in the wall.  

If the correct fuses are in place and the fuses blow-out, then you have too many appliances plugged into that circuit (which could be several plugs in the house, even in different rooms). Do not put a larger rated fuse in, even temporarily.  

Check your fuses, be certain they are the correct size or  better yet, have a licensed electrician do an inspection and “tune-up” of your panels.

A word about fire:  The real danger about fire is the carpet, varnish and paint we have in our home and office.  These products are made of synthetic (plastic) materials. 

When plastics start to burn, toxic fumes are created.  If you breathe in these fumes, awake or asleep,  they will knock you unconscious.   Once unconscious you won't be able to get away from the fire. 

Fire insurance is great but smoke detectors (with fresh batteries) may mean the difference between life and death.  Also, having a fire extinguisher, or two, is a great idea.  If you don’t already have a fire extinguisher, please, go buy one.

Ceiling Fixtures: Some ceiling fixtures have glass which encloses the light bulbs.  I call these mushroom fixtures, since they look like the head of a mushroom. 

Regardless of the shape of the fixture if you screw-in 100watt or 150watt light bulbs into a fixture which is only rated for 60watt bulbs then you have a fire waiting to happen.  Since the heat from the light bulbs is too great for the fixture to dissipate, the heat goes up into the electrical box and cooks the insulation on the wires.  Without insulation the wires can throw sparks and create a fire. 

I saw the result of this scenario at an apartment building.  The downstairs apartment ceiling fixture burnt the upstairs apartment to charcoal.  Please, think about what wattage bulbs are in your fixtures.  If you don't have enough light then add light fixtures.

Shoddy work:  People want to save money and still have what they want.  I’m like that.  If I could pay half as much for the things I buy and get the same quality, I’d do that every time. 

Hiring Uncle Bob or a handyman to do some electrical work may be very tempting, especially if money is tight.  But if the work is sub-standard, or it's done incorrectly, the results may be disastrous to your home and family.

Every month I'm hired once or twice,  to specifically trouble-shoot, repair or replace work that was done incorrectly.  It's kinda scary, to be honest.   Better to save your money until you can afford to have a professional do the work properly the first time.

Please, feel free to contact me if I can answer any questions.

The importance of safety

 

 

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This main electrical panel shows 1 15amp fuse, two 20amp fuses, and one 25amp fuse.

 

 

 

 

 

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Common smoke detector

 

Common fire extinguishers

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Mushroom shaped fixture

 

 

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Uncle Bob

 Your friendly handyman

 

 

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