What is ‘Code’ and why is it important to the DIY repair folks?  Well, to start with, that ‘code’ is not just a series of regulations that represent a minimum quality or performance standard to which some ubiquitous government agency keeps adding more and more verbiage just to keep themselves in business and drawing in more and more of our tax dollars.  What ‘code’ really represents is a minimum safety standard to which any electrical job’s end results is held, even if it is a DIY job.  Of course, if you do it yourself, and it’s a small enough job, such as replacing an overhead light or a failed outlet, you don’t have to worry yourself with getting a building permit.  And, if you don’t have to worry about getting a building permit, chances are pretty good that you won’t have to worry about an inspector coming in and telling you that you didn’t meet ‘code’ with your repairs.  And if an inspector doesn’t have to check it out, then it must be good enough!  Right?

Wrong!  Here is something for you to consider which may, also, help you understand why meeting ‘code’ can be so very important:

Code, as we mentioned above, is established, and enforced, as a minimum acceptable standard based upon the safety of the end results for the protection of the users.  That annoying ‘code’ wasn’t just established by a bunch of electricians.  It actually ties in with the national fire code.  And, guess what…if you do a repair job yourself and if it doesn’t meet code…and if you end up with a house fire because of it…and if the fire inspectors discover your beneath code repair was the cause of the fire, you may have a problem collecting on your house insurance!

House fires?  Yes, absolutely!  We had to point that out as related to code because if and when wiring repairs…any electrical repair or installation is not done correctly, i.e., to code, you are at risk of creating a very hazardous electrical fire situation.  Incorrect wire connections will, over time, loosen.  As they loosen, the wires begin to arc across each other.  That creates extreme heat.  Extreme heat will eventually combust whatever it is near and a fire will start.

If you must do the job yourself, go online and get a copy of the electrical code for your area and please, please, make sure you do not take any shortcuts.  And if you have any questions as to whether you are meeting code, ask a professional.

Above all, make sure you do it safely!

Ah, Fall is in the air!  What a wonderful time of year.  Soon the leaves will be all painted with pretty colors and the weather is cool enough for us to get out and enjoy it all.  It was a hot summer and most of us made use of our pools and air conditioning to the max.  But, now, it’s time to get ready for the fall chores and maintenance before the winter hits.  You know, the annual furnace check and filter change, checking the caulking around the windows for any areas that might cause heat leakage…and the chore of putting everything in the gardens to bed for the winter.  How about electrical maintenance?  Have you thought about that?

Maintenance of your electrical service and system may not be one of the things you consider, what with everything else on your plate.  Now is a great time to have your electrical system inspected for efficiency, for dependability, and, more importantly, for safety!

During the darker months of the year (fall, winter, and early spring) our electrical usage increases.  We use more lights, we cook inside more often, and we use the furnace to keep the house comfortable.  If your wiring is older than 15 years or so, you may be in a situation where some of your wiring connections and junctions have begun to loosen or come apart.  Outlets and switches may have become worn out.  Wiring might not be up to code.  Everything, from your breaker box to the last outlet in the house will, over time, suffer wear and tear and, when it becomes worn, it works less efficiently, is less dependable, and may become a severe shock or fire hazard.  You may not have GFI outlets in your bathroom or kitchen which are now required by code.  DIY repairs from a few years ago may need to be checked.

Don’t just assume your electrical system is up to snuff and decide that it doesn’t need to be maintained.  This is far from a healthy situation.  At the very least, you may be spending more money on electric than you need to.  You may have circuits that are on the verge of failure without you knowing it.  Or you may be into a situation where your wiring could start a fire and drive you and your family from your home.

Don’t leave electrical problems to chance.  The best time to catch and fix a problem is before it becomes a huge problem.  Here, at Lon Lockwood Electric, we have your safety first and foremost in our minds and just wanted to let you know that we’re concerned about your electrical system.   Please call a licensed and professional electrician now for an electrical system inspection.  We would love it if you would call us, but, please, call someone now before your potential problem becomes an emergency.

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day over coffee.  He started talking about when he grew up and what he told me went something like this:

“I love my dad.  He was the greatest!  He was a cop in a small town, worked long hours for minimum pay.  Poor guy was just getting by, you know?  And, when something went wrong in the household, he had to try to fix it himself.  I remember him ordering that Readers’ Digest Home Repair book out of desperation because he wasn’t really all that handy…was just kind of forced into it.”

“One day, one of the outlets in the kitchen started sparking and smoking.  My mom was smart enough to find the right fuse and remove it from the fuse box.  When dad came home, I watched him put a new outlet in.  Took him hours, as I remember.  But the thing I remember most was all the electrical tape he used!  He twisted a couple of wires together and then covered them with electrical tape.  Then he put a wire nut on over the tape and, then, just to make sure, added tape over the wire nut….”

You might laugh at that, but, in the electrical business, I see this kind of thing every week.  The DIYer jumps in to a relatively minor problem and applies all his knowledge and common sense (or lack thereof) and, when he’s finished, if his repair works, he’s satisfied.

The problem is that most of these ‘home repair’ jobs do not meet standard Code.  Standard Code, by the way, defines the bare minimum requirements of how things are done to protect your safety.

So what’s wrong with the example above?  There’s a pretty good probability that the repair that my friend’s dad made will fail somewhere down the line.  There’s also a pretty good probability that, when it fails, there will be a safety issue attached to that failure…electrical shock, fire…

The gist of all this is:  We understand that, with the economy the way it is, there is always a push…a desire…a need to find a less expensive way to accomplish things.  We even work in that direction in our own homes.  But, we implore you, if you do undertake a DIY job, do some research first and learn what the right way to do it is.  Make sure you follow safety practices to the letter.  Make sure you are within the local codes and ordinances.  And become a DIYDICer…Do It Yourself but do it Correctly!

This has been a public service announcement from Lon Lockwood Electric where we put your safety FIRST.

Well, OK, so the visual doesn’t work on yanking all the wiring out of your home and taking it into the shop for an annual physical.  The real point of this blog, though, is that the wiring in your home, including the wiring connections, outlets, switches, and panel box really does need to be inspected and maintained.  Over time, just like our bodies, switches, outlets, and connections do wear out and need to be repaired or replaced.

It would be nice if your wiring system was one solid wire from the panel box to the last plug in the house.  The probability of something going wrong or wearing out in that scenario is next to zero.  But home wiring systems just aren’t like that.  Right from the inside of the junction box and onward, your home wiring system is a series of lengths of wire joined together (connections) according to a code and design that allows the electricity to flow uninterrupted to each and every electrical appliance you have in your house – from light bulbs to stoves, from on/off switches to your furnace.  Where these wires are joined together is where there is a potential for problems to occur over time.

We’re going to try not to get too technical here, but the bottom line is that when electrical current flows through wire, there is some resistance encountered within the wire.  That’s normal.  The combination of electric flow and resistance creates some heat.  That, too, is normal.  When a connection – think of it as a splice between two wires that hold them together – is met by the electric current, if everything is tight and the splice is good, the current flows seamlessly from one wire to another without generating any extra heat.  With us so far?

Heat causes expansion in metal.  When current flows, there’s heat generated and the wires expand slightly.  When current stops flowing, there’s no heat generated and the wires cool down and contract.  Over time, with expansion and contraction, these wire splices can loosen up.

When a wire splice loosens up, current has to work harder to get from one wire to the other.  More heat is generated.  If the splice is really loose, current has to jump from one wire to another.  A massive amount of heat, called an electrical arc, is generated.  And, bingo, you have an immediate fire and shock hazard.

Next week, we’re going to take this topic further, but, in the meantime, do give some thought to the importance of having the wiring in your home checked.  It is a matter of the lives and safety of your family.