You may have read or seen the words Arc Fault in our blogs or on our web site…and you may have asked yourself, “What is an arc fault and why should I care?” Simply put, an arc fault is a high energy electrical discharge between two or more electrical conductors. You can think of a lightning bolt that jumps from one wire to another. That ‘lightning bolt’ is often referred to as an Arc Flash. And it is important to you for several reasons as it can occur in your house anywhere two wires are joined together such as in a junction box, an electrical outlet, a light switch, or even an appliance or lamp plug where the connections between two wires have become loose over time or where those wires are not correctly joined to each other. What you really need to know is that electrical charge jumping from wire to wire is extremely hot and can easily start a fire in any combustible material that happens to be next to it – such as drywall, insulation, wood, etc.
How do we get into an arc fault situation in a home? There are several things that can go wrong in home wiring that can create an arc fault situation:
When electricity passes through an electrical connection between two wires, there is a minimal amount of heat created. Over time, these connections expand and contract slightly from that passage of heat and can become loose. If or when they become loose enough, an arc fault can occur.
A certain type of wiring connection, called a back stabbed connection that occurs in many homes, especially homes older than 10 years, is inherently prone to arc fault fires. Most older homes have these back stabbed connections which should be replaced as soon as possible.
There are two types of wire, copper and aluminum, found in some connections in homes. When copper and aluminum wires are joined together, a dangerous arc fault situation exists which gets worse over time. These kinds of connections have been proven to be extremely dangerous!
The majority of house fires are caused by arc fault situations and could have easily been prevented if a qualified electrician had been employed to evaluate for and repair any of those connections which led to arc faults.
Is your home a prime source for arc faults? Don’t become a fire statistic! Please contact a qualified, licensed electrician today and have your home inspected. At Lon Lockwood Electric, we want you to put your safety before anything else.
