The last thing an electrician serving San Jose wants to see is an overloaded electrical outlet, and it can pose a serious threat to you and your family, as well. If you want to avoid an electrical fire, you need to know how to use your outlets properly. Watch this video on recognizing the risk of overloaded outlets.

Outlets are only meant to handle so much, and overloading them can be extremely dangerous. An overloaded outlet or power strip can generate enough heat to cause an electrical fire. Look at the label on the back of the power strip to find out how much of a load it can handle, and choose one with a trip mechanism for safety benefits. Never daisy chain two power strips together, and don’t plug an extension cord into a power strip, either. Practice these safety tips to avoid overloading your outlets.

A lot of the homes that we live in today were built a long time ago, which means the electrical outlets and circuit breakers might be a bit outdated. The good news is that all it takes is a call to your residential electrician in San Jose to make the upgrade. An outdated electrical panel puts your home and family in unnecessary danger and can cause blackouts, so you might not be getting the power you need for your appliances. Read ahead and find out how you can avoid the inconveniences of an outdated electrical panel.

Protect Your Home

Although you would call it more of a catastrophe than an inconvenience, outdated electrical panels could lead to a house fire. Electrical fires can be deadly, and they can destroy your home. When your panel stops distributing electricity the right way, you run the risk of experiencing one of these fires. Replacing your electrical panel will reduce your risk for electrical fires, as the panel will do a better job of safely and effectively distributing electricity. Don’t try to replace the electrical panel on your own though, as this is a job for an experienced electrician.

Minimize Power Outages

An old electrical panel won’t be as good at its job as a newer model. If your electrical panel is ancient, you might deal with frequent blackouts. Power outages are more than just inconvenient, and your frustration will only continue to mount as they happen more and more frequently. The food in your refrigerator could go bad, or you might miss a crucial part of the football game you were watching. If this happens to you, talk to your electrician about upgrading to a newer and better electrical panel to avoid these problems.

Get the Power You Need

Maybe you aren’t experiencing full power outages, but you notice that circuits are tripping when you’re only using a couple of appliances. This is also a sign of an outdated electrical panel, but your electrician can fix it with a simple replacement so you get the power you need.

If you have an older home, there’s a good chance it has aluminum wiring. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the price of copper rose considerably, and so new homes were constructed with aluminum wiring instead. A residential electrician in San Jose can confirm whether your house has this type of wiring, and he or she may recommend converting to copper wiring to reduce the risk of a house fire. Only licensed electricians should perform this conversion.

Aluminum wiring by itself isn’t risky, but the way it connects to devices is. Electricians recommend converting to copper wiring because it doesn’t expand and contract with temperature changes the way aluminum wiring does. Over time, this can loosen the connection between the aluminum wiring and the circuit breaker, electrical fixture, electrical outlet, or switch. Loose electrical connections can cause overheating, which consequently, can trigger a house fire. Hiring a residential electrician to convert your aluminum wiring can give you peace of mind knowing that your family is safer.

The electrical wiring around your home can pose a serious safety threat to you and your family members. In fact, electrical problems are the cause of hundreds of thousands of accidents and injuries each year. When you watch this video, you will learn some important tips for keeping yourself and your family members safe around electricity. By replacing worn cords and setting up routine inspections with an electrician serving San Jose, you can ensure the safety of your loved ones.

If you have questions about electrical safety around your home, do not hesitate to ask your residential electrician for more safety tips. From repairing your electrical panel to replacing your electrical outlets, your electrician can provide you with many different services that will help to keep your household safe.

Many electrical jobs require the skills of a certified electrician . However, there are some that you can do yourself when you know how to perform them correctly. If you need to replace an electrical outlet in San Jose, then watch this video to learn how to complete this task safely.

Start by going to your breaker box and turning off the power to the electrical outlet. Second, remove the faceplate and then unscrew and pull out the receptacle. Next, disconnect the black wire, followed by the white wire and then the ground wire. Then, reconnect the wires to the new outlet by pairing ground to green, white to silver, and black to brass. Finally, attach the new outlet to the wall and then put the faceplate in place.

You don’t have to be an electrician serving San Jose to understand how electrical outlets work and how to stay safe when using them. The earlier you learn about electricity, the more easily you can protect yourself, your family, and your house. Watch this electrical safety video and share it with your kids.

Electricity uses different kinds of mediums to travel, but some are more efficient than others. Water, wood, and metal materials are all conductors of electricity, so they help it move from place to place. Make sure you keep these materials away from electrical outlets to prevent serious accidents like fires and electrocution. You should also be sure to avoid power lines, especially during severe weather events like thunderstorms; even power lines that don’t necessarily look dangerous can still be hazardous to your safety. Remember to avoid plugging too many appliances into an outlet to avoid blown fuses and other electrical problems.