AFCI Breakers and Your Electrician

What Is an AFCI Breaker?


So you're getting ready to add an addition to your home. Maybe you're simply planning to upgrade your electrical service panel. The electrical contractors coming out to give you quotes are all telling you that you should replace your existing circuit breakers with AFCI breakers - but what are they?

Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter Breakers

Arc-fault circuit interrupter breakers (AFCI), according to the National Electric Code (NEC), must now be included in all new constructions. These new breakers are separate from the ground fault interrupter (GFI) breakers already installed in your home. The GFI breakers protect you from electrical shocks while the these breakers are designed to protect your home from fire hazards.

How do AFCI Breakers Work?

The GFI breakers in your home protect you from the electrical current created when hot wires touch ground wires. They do so by tripping the circuit breaker and shutting off your power.

The problem is that the hot wire may not make consistent contact with the ground or neutral wires. This can happen if your insulation is going bad or if your wires have become loose or corroded. When this occurs, the intermittent contact causes an arc of heat to continuously build, creating a possible fire hazard. The new breakers can detect the arc and trip the breaker to prevent a fire from starting.

Are AFCI Breakers Mandatory?

The NEC states that these breakers should be included in all new constructions but not every town or city has made them mandatory. Your electrician in Delaware may recommend them anyway and they're something you should seriously consider, despite their higher cost ($55 for the new type vs. $10 for traditional).

Studies show that more than 40,000 fires per year are caused by home wiring problems. These fires claim the lives of hundreds and injure thousands more. This breaker is designed to protect your home from this type of hazard. Ask your independent electrical contractor for more information about upgrading your home with these breakers. This is one upgrade worth making.

An independent electrical contractor and licensed electrician serving residents in Delaware, Maryland, and PA. Pick up the Plug Man e-Gazette at http://www.conductiveelectric.com/. Call 302-659-5000 for estimates.

Delaware Electrician, Best Electrical Contractor for Wilmington

Sooner or later, you are going to find yourself in need of a licensed electrician to take care of either minor switch or outlet installation or even a major service panel upgrade. 

Whether you are in Wilmington, Delaware or San Diego, California, you will need to find a professional electrical contractor that holds a valid license.

Don’t make any of the common horrible mistakes when it comes to taking care of the electrical service and fixtures in your home.  The consequences can not only be very costly but they can be life threatening. 

With the increasing dependence on technology to live comfortably in today’s society, Americans use an incredible amount of electricity. Compared to 50 years ago, the demand for electric current is a hundred times greater for the average household than it was half a century ago. The way a new home is equipped for electricity has changed drastically since then. The technological advancements bring more complex situations to the average homeowner.  This in turn prompts most people to look for a professional and licensed electrician.

See Conductive Electric for more information on the best Electrician in Delaware.
 

Security Lighting

Security Lighting for Safety at Home

There are many different types of flood lighting and security lighting products on the market today. The three main techniques for this type of home protection are as follows:

1.    Dusk to Dawn Lighting

2.    Motion Activated Lighting

3.    Dusk to Dawn Motion Activated

It’s easy to see how these different lighting techniques would make your home much safer. Everyone knows that more crimes, such as burglaries, home invasions, robberies, and attacks occur at night. This shows that these evil-doers prefer to work in the dark.

Any of the three lighting techniques are excellent choices for security lighting. Making the decision about which one to use is really based upon your need. No matter what type of security lighting you decide to use, you shouldn’t try to install any type of electrical additions yourself.

Talk to a professional electrician who can come to your home and advise you as to how many, and which, extra breakers you may need in order to handle the extra wattage of these lights. A professional electrician can also give you an estimate of the cost and help you decide which method best suits your wallet, as well as your security lighting needs.

What are GFI Receptacles?

We’ve probably all seen the receptacles in most new homes, hotels, and hospital bathrooms. They have two small buttons between the plug holes, which say "Reset" and "Test." These buttons are now required by electrical code in bathrooms, kitchens, outdoor receptacles, as well as near swimming pools. They’re called GFI, or ground fault interrupter, receptacles and they’re being required more often than not because they help keep freak electrical accidents from occurring and causing someone to get injured.

Basically these GFI receptacles protect a person from being shocked. They interrupt the power and stop the current from flowing.

The "Test" button is there so you can test to be sure the ground fault receptacle is working as it should be.  You should test these receptacles once a month.

Once the "Test" button has been pressed, the GFI receptacle won't work and anything that’s plugged into the GFI receptacle won’t turn on. What the “Test” button actually does is cause a little difference between the "hot" and "neutral" currents; mimicing the scenario of a fault to ground. Once you’ve finished testing it, simply press the "Reset" button and the GFI receptacle will resume its normal functions, meaning anything that’s plugged into it will work as it should.

Common places to find GFI receptacles are:

• Basements
• Garages
• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Outside

If you want to have these receptacles installed in your home, be sure to call a professional electrician, as it is very important that any electrical work be done correctly. In most places it’s not just a good idea to hire a professional electrician, but is required by law for anyone who does any electrical upgrading or installation to be certified.