Are you one of those folks that tends to procrastinate on having things repaired or replaced? Now, many of us will feel slightly insulted when asked that question, but procrastination is actually a human reaction…and we all tend to do it from time to time. It may be as simple as not fixing the loose chair leg on the kitchen set until you find you have company coming over and suddenly you need to do something. It could be putting off tightening the screws on your door knob that wiggles with you turn it. Or, perhaps, you just quickly wrap a worn electrical wire with a piece of electrical tape – or, worse, duct tape, a guy’s best friend. Be honest – we all do it. Time, available cash, priorities just seem to take precedence over a quick repair and it just will fit into our daily routine better if we do it tomorrow!

Well, tomorrow, your neighbor who may come over for coffee might sit on a chair that collapses beneath her. Your daughter or wife might be home alone and, following her shower, grab a door handle that comes off in her hand and has to spend hours in the bathroom until you finally come home from work to rescue her. That quick tape job on a frayed wire may well be the place where the fire started that completely destroyed your home and all its contents.

The problem with procrastination is that Murphy’s Law will catch up with you! That is something you can count on! When you least expect it – when you least want it to – when you can least afford it, Mr. Murphy will strike and you’ll be left standing there wondering why you didn’t take care of that sooner.

Did you know that the majority of home fires are caused by electrical problems? And did you know that the vast majority of them are caused because something in the electrical system that should have been repaired or replaced wasn’t?

Electricity is nothing to mess with! The bottom line is that your home, no matter how new or how old, has the potential to be a hot zone for electrical problems that could lead to shock, fire, or worse. Do you know – are you 100% sure that your home has no problems, no potential hazards when it comes to electricity? How safe is your panel box? Are all the connections where wire is joined to wire or wiring is joined to a connection box or outlet safe and secure? Do you have all the GFI protection where required by code? A simple home safety inspection by a qualified, licensed, and experienced electrician can and will answer these questions for you. Now is not the time to procrastinate when it comes to electrical safety! Call us for an inspection estimate.

In last week’s article, we discussed outside and entry security in the home. Tragically, this week the news reported a home invasion in our area. It was immediately obvious to us that the victim had no security beyond the lock on the front door. Think about it – that lock was her only protection against a break in.

Now, we can’t blame her for not having a full security system installed. Everyone has their own priorities. But, the fact remains, that she did not have that extra measure of security that a home security system would have given her.

Let’s face it, if someone wants to break in to your home, they are going to break in! A front door lock – even with dead bolt – won’t deter them. A couple of well placed kicks and that locked and dead bolted steel entry door is going to fly open. That door will slow them down for a couple of minutes, but it isn’t going to deter a determined burglar. But, if that door … if those windows … are alarmed – if when that burglar attempts entry and the alarms start to sound and the lights go on, the probability is very, very high that he is going to turn on his heel and head for the horizon as quickly as he can.

The whole point of security is to add a deterrent to break in, to inform authorities that they need to come to your residence as quickly as possible, and to afford you a few extra moments to allow you to take sensible counter-measures, such as grab the portable phone and lock yourself into the bathroom while you call the police. The shock value of your alarms and the few moments you gain can make all the difference between life and death for you and your family.

Can you afford not to be protected with a full security system? Is it worth running the risk that the next break in reported in the news will be someone else’s home and not yours? What kind of price can you put on your valuable items and heirlooms? What kind of price can you put on your personal safety and that of your family?

Surveys and police reports demonstrate that over 95% of these kinds of home entries happen in homes that do NOT have home security protection. The signs of security protection are obvious to someone skilled in breaking into homes. If they see them, they don’t attempt to enter. Common sense tells them it just isn’t going to be worth the effort and that there is a high probability that they will be caught in the attempt. To them, it makes more sense to find an unsecure residence for their next target and avoid the pits and pitfalls associated with entry into a protected domicile.

Call us today for a free estimate. We’ll work with you from concept to installation, from cost to protection, and we’ll be with you all the way!

Every time we pick up the paper or watch the eleven o’clock news, it seems we learn of another break in, home robbery, or, worse, home invasion! We’re not sure what that says about our society or the desperation brought about by the economy, but one thing we are sure of is that none of us are as safe in our homes as we were 10, 20, or 30 years ago. The days of not having to lock our homes or our cars are long, long gone. And, even with the doors locked, there’s no real sense of security anymore – whether we are out for the evening or we are home and in bed. It often seems that we are totally defenseless when someone wants to take what we have worked so long and hard for!

There are some things we can do to protect ourselves…sadly, things that we can’t afford not to do to protect ourselves:

1. For the home: First, make sure all your locks are strong and secure. Install deadbolts on all the outside entries. Double check your window locks and assure yourself that there is no way a thief can open them from the outside. When you leave the house, make sure lights are on or come on with a timer. Leave a radio or TV playing. In short, make it look and sound like you are home when you’re not. Buy a safe for valuables and use it!

For the Car: Never, ever, leave your car unlocked, even if in your garage. Don’t prestart and warm it up if you cannot stay with it or lock the doors while you leave it running. Practice common sense and never leave anything visible in the car that someone would want – GPS, Cell Phone, Packages, etc.

2. Outdoors: Make sure you have good outdoor lighting that illuminates any place near the house that a potential thief could use as shelter…front, side, and back!

3. Home Entry: Locks only work to keep honest people honest! If someone really wants to break into your home, they’ll find a way! Unfortunately, you are left with four choices:
a. Let it happen.
b. Arm yourself and stay awake 24X7 and shoot anything that moves and isn’t family.
c. Hire a professional security guard service and pay for 24X7 patrols around the exterior and interior of your home.
d. Install a security system that will constantly monitor any entry point into your home and call the authorities when an unauthorized person enters.

The first three options outlined above are pretty drastic and probably beyond the scope of most of us. The forth, to install a security system, is really the only practical and affordable thing to do.

At Lon Lockwood Electric, we are professionally trained in the installation and maintenance of home security systems. Why not give is a call so we can show you just how practical and affordable it can be to protect your home and family?

Electricity can seriously harm children and in some cases even lead to death. That is why adults and children should be aware of electricity safety to avoid electric shock and prevent starting a fire. There are many things that children can do to avoid being electrocuted by following some simple electrical safety advice beginning at home–indoor and out. The proliferation of electrical appliances in the home makes it critically important to educate children about the importance of electrical safety. These electrical safety tips will help your kids stay safe.

Right from the start: It’s never too soon to start teaching your kids to be safe around electricity. Probably the first things you’ll teach are not to touch electrical cords and not to touch electrical outlets. Very young children can learn these things to help keep them safe. These simple rules for your babies and toddlers lay the groundwork for them to understand other important safety rules.

About electrical outlets: To prevent a child from getting an electrical shock from an outlet, buy durable socket covers and insert them into every outlet in the house. In addition, educate your child from a young age to stay away from sockets. When possible, sockets should be concealed behind furniture or secluded behind a safety gate.

About electrical wiring: Begin by teaching your child to never unplug something by grabbing the cord. Always grab the plug part to remove the plug from the electrical outlet. Teach them that they should never plug or unplug something without your supervision.

About electrical appliances: Make sure that younger children are not left alone with electric appliances. As children get older, teach them the importance of unplugging appliances when they’re not in use, keeping electric appliances away from water and never removing the insulation on a cord. Stress to your children that they should never touch an electrical appliance with wet hands or while standing near water. Furthermore, tell children they should never use electrical appliances in the bathroom. This will reduce the probability of a child touching an electric appliance while in contact with water.

About the kitchen and bathroom: In the bathroom, keep electrical cords and wires from hair dryers and curling irons away from heat and water, such as in the bathtub and sink. If you are touching water, never touch electrical devices such as light switches, and of course, don’t use electrical appliances while you’re wet. Take extra precautions by not taking any plug-in electrical items into the bathroom, such as a radio.

In the kitchen, keep electrical appliances such as mixers and toasters away from heat and water. Do not place them close to ovens or the sink. If the toaster is stuck, never stick any objects into it such as a fork or a knife to get something out or it could lead to electric shock. In addition, kids should not put anything into a microwave without the help of an adult.

About Power Lines: Explain to children that power lines are extremely dangerous. Instruct them never to go near a downed power line. Warn them never to attempt to retrieve a balloon or a kite that is near a power line.

These electrical safety tips for kids are provided courtesy of Lon Lockwood Electric where the safety of your entire family is our first priority!

Well, I guess we all know the answer to that question…it’s temporarily gone into hiding, but it will be back! After all, this is Upstate New York! But, with all this wet and soggy ground, now might be a great time to just take a walk around the outside and make sure that everything electrical is just as safe as it was when you put it to bed in the winter. Now, we’re not talking major things here. You don’t have to dig up the yard to inspect below ground wiring! But, there are a few simple things you can check in a walkabout, such as did you close the covers on your outside plugs when you put the outside lights away for the season? Did you remember to kill the main breaker for the swimming pool pump when you disconnected it for the winter? You aren’t still using an extension cord for the hot tub, are you? Are all your outdoor lights working? It might be a good time to change those burned out bulbs – but you will remember not to use a metal ladder to reach them, right? (Especially with the ground water, puddles, and so forth, both metal and water being good conductors of electricity and all)

So, you get the idea. Just do a roving safety inspection and make sure there’s nothing amiss. And, while you’re at it, now that the inside decorations have also been put to bed, take a few moments to check inside the house for potential problems as well. Make sure your switches and outlets are all OK. Check the GFI outlets to make sure they are functioning as they are supposed to be. (Use the test or reset button rather then just a visual inspection.) Double-check your breaker box to make sure there’s nothing funky going on in there. You should, by the way, see absolutely no rust or corrosion in or on that breaker box nor on any of the ground wires that run from it. (If you do, call us immediately! That could be a sign of imminent danger for you and your family) Make sure all your plugs are tightly connected to the outlets and that there is no discoloration or fraying of wires visible!

Make a list and check it twice! What potential electrical problems did you find? Write them down and get them taken care of. It could be as simple as a lamp that flickers or dims all on its own. It could be as complex as a total rewiring job in a room or section of the house. But, do make that list and, along with it, make a resolution to have any and all of those problem areas taken care of in the proper manner. Remember, if you don’t feel totally qualified to do the repairs, you most likely are not! Call a professional electrician who will put your safety above anything else.

All of us at Lon Lockwood Electric extend our wishes to you and to your family the happiest, healthiest, and safest New Year for 2011 and beyond.