Electrical Wiring and Home Improvement

Electric wiring is one home improvement you should really call an electrician in to do.

Your Electrician in Ahwatukee knows all about wiring

Electrical Injury and a Residential Electrician Contractor

A residential electrician contractor will help to keep you safe.  Electrical injuries are some of the most dangerous ones around.
As we covered in our last article, electrical safety is of paramount importance.  According to Medscape:
"Electrical injuries have become a more common form of trauma with a unique pathophysiology and with high morbidity and mortality. They encompass several types, as follows: lightning injury,[1] high-voltage injury, and low-voltage injury.[2, 3, 4] Clinical manifestations range from transient unpleasant sensations without apparent injury to massive tissue damage.[5] Some electrocutions are instantly fatal. Familiarity with the mechanisms of injury and the principles of therapy improves patient care.[6]
Four classes of electrical injuries are as follows[7] :
True electrical injuries - The person becomes part of the electrical circuit and has an entrance and exit site
Flash injuries - Superficial burns caused by arcs that burn the skin; no electrical energy travels through the skin
Flame injuries - Caused by ignition of the persons clothing by arc; electricity may or may not travel through the person’s body
Lightning injuries - A unique type of injury that occurs at extremely high voltages for the shortest duration; the majority of electrical flow occurs over the body." [READ SOURCE]

However, it isn't just electrical injury that may be an issue,  even a simple mistake such as mixing two different metals in your wiring can cause a chemical reaction and ultimately a fire.  And the scary thing is that sometimes, this can take a while to manifest.  So you could conceivably have a ticking time bomb in the wiring of your home.  However, there are some other reasons to get an electrician

Hiring an Electrician in Ahwatukee:  Done Right and in One Try

Electricians have to go through a lot of training before they are licensed by the State of Arizona.  They have to get training from a technical school as well as a lot of on the job experience.  Ultimately, they have to take a test administered by the state and then and only then do they have a license to be an electrician.
What does this have to do with you?  Well, you can be sure that you're getting someone who can and will do the job right the first time.  If you don't know what you're doing, you can get into a lot of trouble.  You're better off calling an electrician in Ahwatukee.

Read More...

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
http://www.dodgeelectric.com

Basic Electrical Safety Part 2

Part two of our series on basic electrical safety covers injuries that may occur if you aren't careful.

Custom Home Network Wiring | Call Us Today | 480-926-1033

Basic Electrical Safety and Electrical Injury

A lot of people use terms interchangeably. However, there is a big difference between electrical injury which is non-fatal, and electrocution which is fatal. According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety site:

"People are injured when they become part of the electrical circuit. Humans are more conductive than the earth (the ground we stand on) which means if there is no other easy path, electricity will try to flow through our bodies.

There are four main types of injuries: electrocution (fatal), electric shock, burns, and falls. These injuries can happen in various ways:

Direct contact with exposed energized conductors or circuit parts. When electrical current travels through our bodies, it can interfere with the normal electrical signals between the brain and our muscles (e.g., heart may stop beating properly, breathing may stop, or muscles may spasm).
When the electricity arcs (jumps, or "arcs") from an exposed energized conductor or circuit part (e.g., overhead power lines) through a gas (such as air) to a person who is grounded (that would provide an alternative route to the ground for the electrical current).
Thermal burns including burns from heat generated by an electric arc, and flame burns from materials that catch on fire from heating or ignition by electrical currents or an electric arc flash. Contact burns from being shocked can burn internal tissues while leaving only very small injuries on the outside of the skin.
Thermal burns from the heat radiated from an electric arc flash. Ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light emitted from the arc flash can also cause damage to the eyes.
An arc blast can include a potential pressure wave released from an arc flash. This wave can cause physical injuries, collapse your lungs, or create noise that can damage hearing..."[READ MORE]

Electrical Injury and Household Accidents

One of the biggest causes of injuries in the US is household accidents. As a result of this, electrical injury is not to be taken lightly. As a result, make sure that you are aware of the risks before you begin any sort of project that involves electricity, as we covered in our last article.

For more information on this subject, be sure to read part one as well.

Dodge Electric781 South Arizona AvenueChandler, AZ 85225(480) 926-1033http://www.dodgeelectric.com

Basic Electrical Safety

Before you make any electrical upgrades, you want to make sure that you are well aware of basic electrical safety

Call a Licensed Commercial Electrician Today | (480) 926-1033

Electrical Upgrades: What You Must Know First

Electricity is very much a convenience of modern living; however, if you're not careful instead of being a convenience, it could harm you or someone who love as well as cause damage to your home. Electricity is either dynamic or static. Static energy is usually found on surfaces or generated by contact. Think when a cat rubs against your legs, that is an example of static electricity. Except in extreme and very rare cases, static electricity doesn't pose any serious risks. Dynamic energy, however, can be dangerous if not handled correctly. Dynamic energy is the energy that is present in the wiring of your home.

Any electrical upgrades should be made with the help of an electrician. Why? Well, all forms of electricity have potential for accidents. Almost every form of metal can conduct electricity, and it doesn't have to be in the form of wiring. That includes rings and other jewelry, some eyeglass frames, even things that you wouldn't think of such as your car or house keys. It isn't just metal that conducts electricity, though.

Water and Electricity Don't Mix

One place that a lot of people don't think about where electrical safety is concerned is a swimming pool. If you have a cracked light, you could end up having a severe electrical injury and it could even be fatal. Why? Well, Another excellent conductor of electricity is the human body, probably because the human body is mostly water. Without a continuous path to and from the conductor, electric current can't exist. An electrical circuit is the the two way path from the conductor back to the power source. If you become part of an electrical circuit, you have a good chance of being injured. And it isn't a matter of letting go. Someone trapped in an electrical circuit is literally locked until someone that's grounded properly removes the victim to safety. Our next article will cover electrical injury, for now though, be aware that electricity can be dangerous without an electrician to help.

So remember, safety always starts with you. Make sure you know what you're doing before you try to do any sort of electrical upgrades, or call in an electrician early on.

More information on this topic can be found here.  

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033
http://www.dodgeelectric.com

Why Install a Home Network Part 3

Part three of our series on home network installation explores it's importance where a smart home is concerned.

Home Automation Can Turn on Your Lights from your Mobile Phone | (480) 926-1033

What is a Smart Home?

What is a smart home?  According to this article excerpt from WIKIPEDIA.ORG, a smart home or home automation is: Home automation is the residential extension of building automation. It is automation of the home, housework or household activity. Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security. Home automation for the elderly and disabled can provide increased quality of life for persons who might otherwise require caregivers or institutional care. The popularity of home automation has been increasing greatly in recent years due to much higher affordability and simplicity through smartphone and tablet connectivity. The concept of the "Internet of Things" has tied in closely with the popularization of home automation. A home automation system integrates electrical devices in a house with each other. The techniques employed in home automation include those in building automation as well as the control of domestic activities, such as home entertainment systems, houseplant and yard watering, pet feeding, changing the ambiance "scenes" for different events (such as dinners or parties), and the use of domestic robots. Devices may be connected through a home network to allow control by a personal computer, and may allow remote access from the internet. Through the integration of information technologies with the home environment, systems and appliances are able to communicate in an integrated manner which results in convenience, energy efficiency, and safety benefits." [READ MORE]

Without home network installation, however, it is a lot harder and far more expensive where home automation is concerned, and there is a lot to be said for home automation.

Home Automation in the 21st Century

You're on vacation in the South Pacific. Your home is in Chandler. However, you have a laptop or a tablet PC, so you can check on your home remotely to see that it is okay, from 5000 miles away. Or maybe it is dark, and you want to feel safe when you get home, so how would you like your lights to turn on for you when you get within a block of your home, and the security system to disarm so you don't have to make two trips to get your groceries out of the car. All of this is possible with home automation.

Sounds good so far. But you need to take some steps. First off, you're going to need Internet enabled devices. Next you're going to make sure that everything that's connected has an IP address. And most importantly of all, you need to schedule home network installation today.

For more information on installing a home network, be sure to read part one and part two as well.

Dodge Electric
781 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 926-1033