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electrical safety and children

5/9/2022

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The specific tips to ensure electrical safety in and around your home depend on your children’s ages.  If we’re talking about toddlers and very children, the responsibility falls on the guardians to ensure their safety - things like putting covers on electrical outlets, ensuring there are no exposed wires or accessible tangled cables, and unplugging or hiding unused small appliances that are within reach of the child.

When your child is older, some of the onus of electrical safety falls on them.  Here are some things you should teach them when they are old enough to follow instructions:

  • Keep your fingers out of outlet holes.  There’s no reason why little fingers or big ones for that matter should reach into the electrical socket.
  • Cords and plugs of appliances should be kept at a reasonably safe distance from water.  Think hair dryers or small kitchen appliances.
  • When unplugging a plug, never pull from the cord.  Always pull from the base or bulb of the plug.
  • Never stick a metal utensil inside a plugged toaster.
  • Power lines and poles: never climb on a power pole, do not fly a kite near power lines, do not put yourself in any situation where you will have contact with power lines, directly or indirectly.
  • Obey and respect warning signs of all kinds, not just limited to metal transformer boxes.

With some coaching and reminders, children will quickly get the idea of how to maintain their electrical safety.  You, as their guardian, will be responsible not only for providing a safe environment, free from electrical hazards, but to educate them on basic electrical DOs and DON’Ts at home and beyond.  You should also consult with a licensed electrical contractor if something in your home requires a repair and not attempt the fix yourself.
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Top 5 ways to eliminate electrical hazards around the pool

5/7/2022

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Whether you just installed a new pool or had a pool for a while, it’s never too late to brush up on your poolside electrical safety knowledge.  The last thing you want to do to dampen your pool or hot tub experience is to have electrical hazards lurking around you.

Here are the top 5 ways to eliminate electrical hazards around your pool:

  1. GFCI. The #1 electrical safeguard is to install Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) nearby.  GFCIs are useful even in your interior home in high moisture areas, but are especially important for your pool area, and should be installed on any receptacle that is within 6 meters of the pool.  They should also be installed on underwater lighting circuits and generally any pool-, spa- or hot tub related equipment.  It’s also important to do an annual check on your GFCIs to make sure they’re functioning properly.

  2. Licensed electrician.  If you have not yet connected your pool, hot tub or spa electrical, make sure you call an ECRA/ESA licensed electrical contractor to install, inspect and repair any issues.  This is not the time to attempt DIY electrical work, as any mistake can lead to electrocution.  Your trusted local electrician will ensure everything is installed safely and to code.
  3. Clothing.  If you have to deal with any electrical devices or equipment near your pool area, ensure your body and clothing is dry.  You should also wear rubber shoes to maximize your safety around the water.
  4. Battery-powered devices.  Whenever possible, choose battery-powered devices such as a radio over corded ones.  You’ll minimize your risk of electrical shock when there are fewer cords and cables involved in your pool area.
  5. Underwater lights.  This is often an afterthought, or at least not in the forefront of our minds, but be aware of telltale signs of leakage into the lens of the lighting.  Things like extreme condensation, or more obviously, mold and mildew growing within.  If you see this, call your local electrician.
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There you have it.  Some simple but actionable tips to make sure you enjoy your pool, hot tub or spa without having to worry about electrical hazards, leaving more time to play and less time to fret over whether your pool environment is safe enough.​​

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Do you really need a surge protector?

5/6/2022

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It looks like a power strip, but it does so much more than that - not only does it provide additional outlets to plug your appliances and electronics into, surge protectors protect your delicate electronics from power surges and even shorter lasting power spikes.  What exactly is a power surge?  There are two categories of it, internal and external.  The former happens when a large appliance like a refrigerator or air conditioner unit stops or starts abruptly, leading to a diverting of electricity away, thus creating the power backup, or power surge.  The latter happens from external sources such as a power outage from a lightning strike to a power line, for example.

So do you need a surge protector for every major appliance and electronics in your home?  

Generally, you’d need it for your important electronics or anything that contains a fragile and delicate microprocessor at the very least- think your computer, laptop, sound systems, smart phones, etc.

Another option is to have your local licensed electrician install a whole house surge protector.  This is essentially like a voltage shield for your entire home.  So any source of power surges will be diverted effectively, regardless of which outlet it’s connected to.  This means ALL your appliances and electronics will be protected, no matter the circumstance.

So, to answer the million dollar question: do you need a surge protector, whole house or individual version?  Our answer is: yes, as long as you have valued equipment, appliances or electronics in the house, this is a relatively inexpensive way to protect your investments.
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top 3 reasons to buy an electric vehicle

5/5/2022

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Before we get into the reasons why you should invest in an electric car, let’s get the potential cons out of the way, the biggest one being price.  Electric vehicles are typically $10.000 on average higher in price than gas-powered vehicles.  Even with current federal rebates (Ontario currently unfortunately does not have a provincial rebate program for EVs at time of print), the delivery price is noticeably higher than a gas car.

Another one is “range anxiety”, a term not a lot of consumers are aware of, but nevertheless exists with the potential purchase of an EV.  The fear of running out of power before reaching a destination is real, whether justified or not.  

To address the above concerns, in regards to pricing, yes, electric vehicles have a higher upfront cost, but don’t discount the annual savings from not having to fuel up at the gas station.  And for someone who drives between 15,000 to 20,000 km per year or more, the fuel savings is even more significant.  In regards to needing an electric vehicle charger installation in your home, this will improve your car's charging efficiency at a relatively low cost.

As for the range anxiety issue, this is currently a reality of today.  When you look 5 to 10 years in the future, however, the landscape of vehicle types is likely to change.  The Canadian government has a goal to transition to all electric cars (zero emissions) by 2035.  Along with that goal, it has plans to dramatically improve the charging station infrastructure throughout the country.

Now, let’s get to the top 3 reasons why you should consider an electric vehicle in the near future:
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  • Environmental.  This is the main driving force behind the creation of electric cars.  The zero emissions feature reduces the carbon footprint and will hopefully leave the planet in a better state for future generations.

  • Savings.  The higher upfront price will be offset by the annual savings in not having to fuel up at the pumps, especially with the gas prices skyrocketing with no end in sight.

  • Maintenance costs.  Aside from the battery replacement, electric vehicles have virtually no maintenance requirements as compared to gas-powered vehicles that have a multitude of moving parts and systems that have much more chance of breaking down.  Oh, and say goodbye to oil changes too!

So there you have it.  The reasons why you should buy an EV for your next vehicle, but one of the most important ones to consider is that is the direction our country is headed.  In about 10 years, it will likely not be practical to continue owning an ICE, or internal combustible engine.

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  • Home
  • Services
    • Light fixture installation >
      • Kitchen light installation
      • Home theatre light installation
      • Exterior and landscape light installation
    • Electrical wiring >
      • Smart home installation
      • Appliance installation, electrical wiring
    • Electrical repairs
    • Electrical panel upgrade
    • EV home charge station
    • Commercial electrician
    • New construction electrical
  • Contact
  • Blog