The holiday season is a time of joy, warmth, and festive decorations. However, it's also a season when the risk of electrical fires can increase. To ensure that your holiday celebrations are filled with happiness and not marred by disasters, it's essential to prioritize electrical fire prevention.
What Causes Electrical Fires?
Electrical fires during the holidays can have various causes. Overloaded outlets, damaged wiring, misused extension cords, dried-out trees and greenery, and inexpensive decorative lighting are common culprits. With holiday lights, decorations, and electronic gifts in abundance, overloading electrical outlets and circuits is a frequent cause of electrical fires. Moreover, old or damaged wiring can become a fire hazard when exposed to increased electrical loads from holiday lighting and devices.
How Can I Keep My Home Safe?
To keep your home safe during the holiday season, you should take several precautions. Start by having a qualified electrician inspect your home's electrical system, including outlets, wiring, and the circuit breaker. This inspection ensures that your electrical system is in top-notch condition and can safely handle the increased demand during the holidays.
Protective Measures
Avoid overloading outlets by using surge protectors and limiting the number of devices plugged into each one. Quality extension cords that are properly rated for their intended use should be used for holiday decorations, and daisy-chaining multiple cords together should be avoided. Inspect your decorative lights for safety certifications and ensure they are in good condition before use.
Greenery and Decor
If you opt for real trees or greenery, keep them well-watered to reduce the risk of ignition. Always turn off holiday lights and decorations when you leave the house or go to bed. Ensure your home is equipped with working smoke alarms on every level, and test them regularly. Lastly, have an emergency plan in place, including a fire extinguisher and knowledge of how to use it, as well as evacuation procedures.
By following these electrical fire prevention tips, you can enjoy the holidays with the peace of mind that your home is safe. The gift of safety is one of the most precious you can give to your loved ones during this special time of year. Our Elite team is here to provide in-depth inspections to ensure your home is prepared for the extra strain the holidays bring.
How to Keep Families Safe at Home
National Wellness Month may be about highlighting self-care, stress reduction, and the pursuit of happiness, but all of those things won’t be possible if safety isn’t provided first, and what better place to begin than the home? The following are necessary safety measures that homeowners should take to ensure that they and the people they love remain safe, stress-free, and happy in the most comfortable of all places - the home.
Importance of Smoke Detectors
A smoke detector is one of the most critical devices homeowners can install in their homes to provide a line of defense against fire hazards. Not only do they give peace of mind that there will be a warning in the event of smoke or a fire, but they are also required in all states to be installed in designated areas in the house. This is because smoke detectors are highly effective.
Smoke detectors should be maintained regularly with checks and battery replacement. Batteries on smoke detectors usually only last six months, after which the smoke detector can begin to chirp to indicate battery replacement is needed. But modern versions of this device can now last up to 10 years without battery replacement.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors Save Lives
Aside from smoke detectors, a carbon monoxide detector is another crucial device to install at home to protect against carbon monoxide inhalation. Carbon monoxide, which is produced when carbon is burned incompletely, is a colorless and odorless gas that can be lethal if left undetected.
Similar to smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors are regulated by each state and are required in all but two. Because of this, many homes have a combined smoke and carbon monoxide detector instead of having a separate device to detect each hazard. However, unless it’s specified that the device can detect both, carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors are not the same.
Schedule an Electrical Inspection
A routine electrical safety inspection is one of the most vital precautions homeowners can take to ensure that their homes meet the standards of electrical safety prescribed by the law. Ensuring homes are subject to regular electrical inspections lowers the risk of fires and electrocutions that overloaded circuits, frayed wiring, or faulty electrical installation may cause.
These inspections are ideally conducted every three to five years by an electrician to assess the home’s electrical system and the changing power demands of its occupants. However, an electrical inspection must be conducted earlier if homeowners become aware of the following hazardous signs:
- Small shocks when plugging or unplugging appliances
- Burning smell
- Flickering lights
- Sparks coming out of outlets
- Hot or discolored outlets
About Elite Electric, Plumbing & Air
Elite Electric, Plumbing & Air has been serving the community of Port St. Lucie and the surrounding areas since 1988. They offer upfront pricing, same-day service, and 24/7 emergency service. Call them today for electrical services in Port St. Lucie, FL.
Spring is the Best Time to Schedule Professional AC Service
It can certainly be stressful when a homeowner knows they need to call a professional but doesn’t know who to call. How does a person know who to trust? Could a homeowner do the work themselves? (Spoiler: the answer is no.)
Professionals should do air conditioner repair and AC maintenance. These simple steps will make it painless to find a pro to care for a homeowner’s needs.
Reasons To Call the Professionals
A home air conditioning system is no longer as simple as a block of ice and a fan. The modern HVAC system is complex and difficult to navigate for someone with no experience. Calling a professional first is always better than calling them later with an even larger problem.
Here are some other reasons for hiring a professional:
- Warranties: Often, a warranty can be voided if a customer tries to work on the system themselves. A part that could have been fixed with minimal cost may suddenly cost much more.
- Injuries: It is much more likely that a homeowner who tries DIY methods will injure themselves than a professional will.
- Time: It will take less of a homeowner’s time to call the professional and have them handle the maintenance or repair.
Researching: Word of Mouth and Reviews
One of the best ways to find a reliable service is to ask friends and neighbors about their work and who they would recommend for a similar service. People tend to share their opinions very freely about such matters. Searching for reviews online and checking the company’s website for pricing are also valuable tools. People tend to be very honest with their experiences online. Here are a few of the places to look for information about various local companies:
- Google Reviews
- Yelp Reviews
- Facebook
- Angi
- BBB (Better Business Bureau)
- HVAC Association websites
Schedule AC Maintenance or Repair Right Away
When would an AC repair company be the busiest? When it is the hottest, of course. Summer is jam-packed for AC companies, so scheduling maintenance when the weather is pleasant increases the likelihood of availability when it fits a homeowner’s schedule.
Air conditioner maintenance is a way to ensure that the AC is working properly and won’t break down in the middle of the heat of summer. A problem that has only begun to show itself can be corrected before it becomes a major issue. Professional cleaning and maintenance also help a unit operate at its most efficiently, so this will help keep energy bills lower. Scheduling service early can save a homeowner both time and money.
About Elite Electric, Plumbing & Air
Elite Electric, Plumbing & Air has provided top-notch workmanship and dependability to their neighbors in Port St. Lucie, FL, for more than 30 years. They offer 24/7 emergency service, upfront pricing, and on-time arrival. Call them today for air conditioning services in Port St. Lucie, FL.
Top 3 Benefits of Regular AC Tune-Ups
Trying to figure out if the added expense of routinely servicing your A/C system is worth it can be difficult. However, outweighing the expense with the benefits will help you make your decision. Our team has listed out a few of the key factors an A/C tune-up can help you with. Continue reading to find out how you can benefit from routine maintenance!
Detect Problems
One of the most common reasons to schedule an A/C tune-up is to detect any underlining problems your system may be experiencing. Our technicians will ensure your system is working properly and efficiently, and clean out any debris in or around your system.
Lower Utility Bills
Routine maintenance aids in keeping your system running at peak efficiency, which will result in lower utility bills. Although it is natural to see utility bills fluctuate throughout different months, they should be relatively the same throughout the years.
Warranties
The icing on the cake of scheduling routine maintenance is that it also maintains your manufacturer’s warranty. Many systems come with limited warranties that require annual maintenance to be performed by a technician to remain valid. If you do run into a costly repair, your annual tune-up cost may save you!
These are just a few of the reasons why A/C tune-ups are crucial to the vitality of your system.
About Elite Electric, Plumbing & Air
Elite Electric, Plumbing & Air has been Port St. Lucie's trusted air conditioning contractor for more than 30 years. With 24/7 service and a satisfaction guarantee, they can be trusted to show up on time and perform the job right the first time. Give your home the ELITE treatment with a professional A/C tune-up before you run into a costly issue. Give our team a call at (772) 783-4480 to schedule an appointment for air conditioning maintenance in Port St. Lucie.
Tips to Get the Most Out of the AC
Owning a home can feel like a hassle, so most homeowners will take all the luck they can get. Luckily, it’s St. Patrick’s Day and luck are abundant! A homeowner can stay ahead of problems by paying more attention to their air conditioning system. With good maintenance, an air conditioner will run longer, stay cooler and cost less than a neglected system. Here are tips from local air conditioner maintenance professionals to ensure the AC stays lucky.
Make AC Filter Replacement a Priority
AC filter replacement is one of the cheapest and easiest AC maintenance tasks. Coincidentally, it is also one of the most important, and the homeowner can carry it out. Air conditioner manufacturers recommend replacing air filters at least quarterly, but it is more appropriate to change them more often in many cases. For example, if pets are present in the home, filters may need to be changed as often as monthly to keep the air clean. The main reason for changing air filters is to keep the air conditioner working efficiently. A pleasant side effect of having clean air filters is clean air, but a clean filter is also essential to the healthy operation of an AC unit. A clean filter allows air to flow more freely through an AC’s blower, allowing the air to be cooled more effectively and distributed around the home.
When filters start to clog with dust, the airflow is reduced, resulting in an increasing loss of efficiency as the filter gets dirtier. Replacing the filter keeps dirt out of the system's moving parts and restores lost efficiency immediately.
Check the Thermostat’s Function
Most homeowners have little experience troubleshooting AC problems. Apart from AC filter replacement, they may feel intimidated trying to figure out their AC problems. One of the troubleshooting tasks a homeowner should feel comfortable with is checking the thermostat. Since the thermostat is essential to good AC function, many problems originate here. Here is a quick guide for checking the thermostat:
- First, verify the power source. Some thermostats are battery-powered and need new batteries periodically. Others will lose power when power to the AC system is lost.
- Second, check the setting. Too often, homeowners will forget to switch from heating to cooling when the season changes.
- Third, look for dirt or dust buildup around the thermostat.
- Finally, check the temperature on display for accuracy.
If these steps don’t fix the problem, it may be time to call for professional AC repair.
Schedule Professional AC Maintenance
Professional AC maintenance is a service that most HVAC contractors offer. The purpose of AC maintenance is to:
- Increase longevity
- Ensure comfort
- Reduce mechanical problems
- Improve air quality
- Decrease operating costs
Homeowners that schedule air conditioner maintenance semiannually will notice the benefits immediately. The best way to ensure this service doesn’t get neglected is to look for an HVAC maintenance contractor with a membership program.
About Elite Electric & Air
Elite Electric & Air is the local choice for AC maintenance and repair. With emergency service for clients' peace of mind and a partnership plan, their skills are always available to the community. Call today for honest AC repairs in Port St. Lucie, FL.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
