Category Archives: Seasonal

Electrical inspection mainly depends on your electricity usage and home age. The number of appliances in a home can determine the intervals at which you call an electrician. However, most electricians recommend an inspection about three to five years from the installation or the previous inspection. How often should you have an electrical system inspection done for your home? Read on to find out more.

Common Circumstance for an Inspection

The following are the intervals that call for electrical inspection:

1. When you just bought a new house, you should schedule an electrical inspection to ensure your family members are safe.
2. If you returned to an empty home after several years, you first need to determine if the electrical system is working correctly.
3. If you suspect an interference with the system, it may be time to schedule a professional inspection.
4. If the power supply department recently had an upgrade or maintenance on the electrical lines, it may affect your system. Don’t live in fear of fire blowing up or an outage; speak to a credible electrician for an inspection.
5. You may need to review the electrical system when you want to add extra appliances and aren’t sure of compatibility with your power sources.
6. If there has been natural damage in your area, this could affect the power system in your household. This is the right time to call for an inspection to determine if there are faulty sockets.

Signs That Show It Is Time for an Electric Inspection

The longer your electrical system has served, the more likely it is to fail to support various electrical appliances. Start scheduling an inspection if you feel the system needs repair or maintenance. The following signs will dictate your decision to call an electrician for a review:

1. If you notice a strange electrical circuit noise, it could result from loose connections or poor wiring. Call for a qualified electrician to review the entire system.
2. Circuit breakers protect your electric appliances from damage. When the load is heavy, they may blow or trip. You may need to schedule an electrical inspection if you notice frequent tripping when connecting a device to a particular outlet.
3. Some appliances, such as water heaters, draw more power than others. You may notice flickering whenever you connect them, which shows a fault in the connection. Only an expert will find the cause of the flickering after inspection.
4. You may notice that some switches and outlets are not working when you turn them on. Poor wiring or a faulty connection may cause this. Find an electrician to inspect them and advise about the repairs or replacement.
5. When you have extra appliances that require more power, you may want to call for an electrical inspection to determine the type of socket to use. Places like the kitchen and bathrooms require different kinds of sockets from the other areas.
6. Faulty connections and outlets produce a strange smell whenever you connect appliances or turn on the lights. This is dangerous for your home and requires you to switch off the power outlet and perform an immediate inspection.
7. It would help if you kept checking the temperature of the sockets to find out if any appliance is causing excess heat on the socket when connected. You may also notice that an outlet produces heat without any connected device. This shows a poor wiring connection, and you should immediately call an electrician.

When you notice all or some of the above signs, it shows that you need to schedule an electrical inspection. Our electricians will perform safe inspection that guarantees safety, so contact Mr. Electric in Tampa, FL, to schedule an appointment with our experts.

During the holidays, a lot of people use more electricity than they normally do throughout the rest of the year. Because of this, there tend to be quite a few electrical accidents that occur between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Fortunately, there are some ways to prevent holiday electrical accidents.

1. Hang up the Right Kind of Lights Outside

Not all types of holiday lights are meant to be hung outside. Some people don’t realize this, and they put themselves at risk of having an electrical fire. Before any types of lights are hung up outside, they need to be checked to make sure they are meant to be placed outdoors and that they are in good shape.

2. Do Not Plug in Too Many Lights

A lot of people make the mistake of plugging in too many holiday lights into a single circuit, and this can cause it to overload. When this happens, it can cause a short circuit and a fire. If a circuit gets overloaded and is no longer functioning properly, an electrician from Mr. Electric can replace or repair it.

3. Keep Holiday Lights Away From the Fireplace

Surprisingly, there are some Tampa, Florida residents who have a fireplace, and they like to decorate it for the holidays. While holiday lights might look good on the mantle, the heat from a roaring fire can cause them to melt. It’s best to only decorate a mantle with items that don’t need to be plugged in and won't melt.

4. Plug Extension Cords Into Outlets

For those who have a lot of holiday decorations that they place far away from an outlet, they may have gotten into the habit of plugging extension cords into each other. Unfortunately, this can cause the extension cords to overheat and damage the holiday decorations. They are better off using a surge protector that’s made for the outdoors or moving their holiday decorations so that they are closer to an outlet.

5. Use Space Heaters Properly

Tampa, Florida can get chilly during the winter months. Space heaters can be very beneficial for those who don’t have any other way to heat their homes. However, quite a few electrical fires occur because a space heater wasn’t used properly. They should never be placed in a walkway or an area where they can be easily knocked over. There shouldn’t be any objects or flammable items directly in front of them, and they should never be left unattended, even if it's for only a couple of minutes.

With the holidays comes an increase in electrical accidents. Fortunately, many of these accidents can be avoided if the right precautions are taken. Contact us at Mr. Electric for all your electrical service needs in Tampa or the surrounding area.

After a long, hot summer, the fall weather can be a nice relief. When the weather turns and the nights grow longer, there are few things to remember so that you can keep your household safe. These electrical safety tips should help you reduce the chances of receiving a shock, having to deal with a malfunction, or facing the very real danger of a fire.

Clean up Around the House

Even though Tampa doesn't get that cold, you may have deciduous trees on your property. These trees lose their leaves during fall, and those leaves could collect near your home. If these dry leaves are near outlets, light fixtures, or power cords, there's the potential that a spark could cause them to catch on fire. To prevent this from happening, remove leaves from your property in the fall.

Inspect your Outlets

Outlets seem like they might be able to last forever, but they can get worn down just like anything else can. This could be more likely if you use them frequently. In other instances, outlets haven't bee installed properly. Whatever the cause, it's important that you replace any outlets that seem damaged or loose. If they're discolored, this is a bad sign as well, since it could indicate a short circuit. Short circuits could easily start fires.

Make Sure Your Outdoor Devices Are Ready for the Weather

Outdoor electrical items should be inspected before you plug them in. This includes lights and decorations that you'd like to display during the holidays. First, you need to make sure that they were designed to work outdoors. They also need to be in good shape so they can withstand the elements. If water gets in, the electrical components could stop working. Another potential concern is that the internal wiring could malfunction and cause sparks to fly.

Have Your Electrical Panel Inspected

You may want to have a professional electrician take a look at your electrical panel to make sure it's up to code. In the winter, you probably put a lot more stress on your system, especially if you have holidays lights and displays to plug in. If a circuit is overloaded, it could shut off as a safety measure. It could also overheat, a scenario that's particularly dangerous. Intense heat could damage the insulation around the wiring. When wiring is exposed, electricity can flow where it shouldn't. It could cause smoke or fire, and it could pose a danger to anyone who may be around it. At Mr. Electric, we can assess what's going on and upgrade your panel, as necessary, so that it can better meet your needs.

This fall, we hope you can stay safe, and this information can help you do so. Call Mr. Electric if you could use a hand.

When talking about power and electricity, the terms watts and amps frequently turn up as part of the conversation. Understanding what each of these terms means is key to understanding how electricity is measured and consumed by different elements of your home or business. Here is a brief guide to everything you need to know about the differences between a watt and an amp.

What Is an Amp?

An amp, or amperage, references the quantity of current being drawn through a particular power source. Amps can be measured using an ammeter connected to a circuit to measure the flow of electricity. Amperage is often confused with voltage, which is the force of the flow of energy in a power source. Combining amps and volts gives you the wattage of an electronic device.

What Is a Watt?

A watt, or wattage, is a comprehensive measurement of power involving the voltage and the amperage of a particular device. Watts can be measured using a wattmeter or calculated using a basic equation that takes into account the amps and volts in play. While the term amps is exclusive to electricity, watts can also be used to describe other types of power output, such as the power output of a horsepower engine.

How Are the Terms Related?

Knowing the relationship between watts and amps can help you calculate how much power will be consumed by certain devices, appliances, and lighting fixtures. Multiplying the drawn amount of current in amps by the voltage of the electricity source gives you the amount of power drawn in watts. For instance, a device drawing 4 amps of current through a 12-volt source is consuming 48 watts of power.

In Tampa, FL, the standard voltage for electrical outlets is 120V, but in other parts of the world, the standard voltage for outlets is 220V. An electrical device rated for a higher wattage can drain more energy per minute than a device rated for a lower wattage. The higher power usage can have a dramatic effect on the amount of your electric bill, leading some people to choose lower-rated appliances to save money and energy.

Contact the Electrical Experts

Whether you use a traditional electrical system or take advantage of Tampa's nearly 250 days of sunshine with a solar system, amps and watts are two important terms to know when troubleshooting electrical issues at your home or business. In simple terms, amps refer to the amount of electrical energy being supplied, while watts are the overall working capacity of the supplied energy. If you would like more information about energy usage in your home or business, the qualified electricians at Mr. Electric are available to answer all of your questions.