Do the receptacles in your Lexington or Centerville home look eerily similar to the ones above?  Over time outlets and switches, like most man made products, degrade over time.  By painting over your outlets such as in the picture on the left, paint can get inside the receptacle and cause a bad connection when you plug something in. We routinely replace old non-working receptacles because they have been painted over multiple times.  Often times we will find that the voltage coming out of the receptacle is much lower than the standard voltage due to the connection caused by the paint.    

Older outlets also can have issues with keeping up with the demands of today's technology.  They can be giving too much or not enough electricity to your appliances.  Due to this you could experience flickering lights or power and possible damage to your appliances.

Outlets like the one on the right are outdated and ungrounded.  They are generally incompatible with today's appliances.  Per today's code a building must have grounded outlets.  While having the receptacles replaced in your Lexington or Centerville home you can also have the electrician install GFCI outlets in places such as kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms, garages, etc.  These will not only bring your house up to GFCI code but it will also provided additional safety in these rooms where it is needed most.

The idea of buying an electric car can be very appealing.  The savings on gas, less greenhouse emissions, and far fewer trips to the gas station.  However, with that in mind, what about charging your electric car?  You can't just go to a gas station anymore to "fill up."  You either have to go to a charging station or have a licensed Lexington or Centerville Electrician install a home charging station.  In regards to public charger stations the questions ultimately arise, do I bring my own cord?  What style should it be?  Is the amount of power correct?

So, let's be honest, it's much more convenient to be able to park your car in your garage and just let it charge overnight knowing it has the correct plug and power.  Plus there's no waiting around for it to fully charge.  Then of course there is the question, but can't I just plug my car into an outlet in the garage?  Yes, with a lot of models you can but you run into a few issues. 

First off, if any other equipment is plugged into the circuit or if there is lighting on the same circuit it can cause a breaker to trip due to the large amount of electricity required.  It wouldn't be ideal to wake up for work, go out to the garage then realize that a breaker tripped and your car didn't charge overnight.  Second off, the time frame which it takes to charge some electric cars with a 120 volt set up is a bit ridiculous.  Some models can take over 18 hours to fully charge this way.  By installing a dedicated 240 volt circuit you can guarantee that there is nothing else on the circuit that will cause the breaker to trip and the time frame to fully charge most vehicles drops to between 3-8 hours.  A much more reasonable time frame. 

We recommend having a Lexington or Centerville Electrician give you an estimate to install the charging station even before you buy the vehicle.  If your electrical panel is not located near where you plan on having the station installed the cost of the charging station install could be more than expected.  A licensed electrician can give you a price and recommendations in regards to placement

The holidays are a time when we decorate our homes and literally deck the halls with extra lights and other flammable materials.  Thus the holidays are also the busiest time of the year for your local firefighters.  All of the lights that are strung on both the outside and inside of your Lexington or Centerville home can be a potential fire hazard.  Before switching on your lights it is very important to follow some safety tips:

1. If you decide to put up a real Christmas tree, it is very important to keep it watered.  A dry Christmas tree can easily catch fire from an electrical short in your Christmas lights.  Fire Safety tests have show that a tree can become completely engulfed in flames in seconds if the conditions are right.  Also by keeping it watered you can preserve its freshness. 

2. Check each strand of lights you install to make sure that neither the cord nor the sockets are damaged in any way.  Make sure to check for damaged plugs and connections.

3. After checking over your lights and ensuring that they are not damaged make sure to plug them in and to replace any burnt out bulbs with a bulb of the correct wattage.

4. When hanging lights, make sure to use insulated hooks to prevent shorts.  Never use nails, screws or tacks to hang your lights as they could potentially damaged the wiring.

5. Make sure that the plug ends of the lights are not laying on the ground.  If they are on the ground, water or debris can damage the cords causing them to short out.

6. Make sure to plug your lights into a GFCI protected outlet.  This will prevent further damage if a short is detected.

7. When purchasing new lights make sure that they have been UL listed.  This means they have passed rigorous laboratory testing for safety.

8. Make sure outside lights are rated to be used outdoors.

9. If you must use an extension cord, make sure to properly secure it to prevent any sort of tripping hazard.

10. Do not leave lights on when you are sleeping or away from home. 

11. Make sure your lights are plugged into a circuit that isn't already being exhausted by other electrical components.

12. Finally, when storing the lights for the year, make sure to put them into a hardened container to prevent any possible damage to them while they are in storage.

By following these safety guidelines and using common sense you can prevent electrical fires and damage to your house during the holiday season. 

    If you are in process of buying a vacant home in Lexington, Kentucky and many other areas you will be required to have a licensed electrician inspect the property (if it's been vacant/power has been off over a year), and then have the country electrical inspector follow up.  A licensed electrician will let you know what, if any repairs need to be made before it will pass county inspection.  County inspectors will look over the electrical system to make sure everything is safe and up to code per the year the house was built.

    Once an electrician has deemed the house safe, a county inspector will also do a thorough inspection.  If the county inspector deems everything safe he will turn in an order to the electrical company to restore power.  The reasoning behind these inspections is that vacant homes are often times targets of vandals.  They will break in and steal copper wiring, copper plumbing, etc.  Sometimes they will badly damage the electrical service equipment while stealing wire.  If the power company were to turn on power after electrical components have been damaged it could very easily cause an electrical fire.  In 2013, 10.3% of house fires were caused by electrical malfunction.  https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/

The panel on the left is a properly labeled panel. Each breaker has a sticker next to that in good handwriting has the circuit listed that corresponds to the breaker.  The panel on the right has stickers missing, a few different colors of sharpie and circuits scratched off and wrote over.  In an emergency situation you could have a breaker turned off very quickly by going through the circuits on the left panel.  A homeowner may be forced to turn off the main breaker in an emergency situation where the panel isn't properly labeled such as on the right.  In this case the homeowner is left without power until an electrician can arrive on scene and make repairs. 

It's very rare as an electrician to be working in someone's Lexington home with a properly labeled panel unless it is a new home or the service has been recently updated.  It's not a long procedure to audit a panel and properly label it.  A clean, labeled panel can also make a possible buyer feel safer about your houses electrical system.  It will also make future work on the electrical and HVAC systems much easier and quicker. 

An extension cord is a flexible, insulated electric wire fitted with one or more outlets on one end and a plug at the other end. It provides a convenient, way to use electrical equipment that can’t reach a wall receptacle. 

Extension cords should only be used on a temporary basis.  When not in use they should be unplugged, put away and properly stored.

Continual use over time can cause the insulation of the extension cord to deteriorate causing a potentially dangerous electric shock or fire.

Never use a cord that feels hot when in use.  This is a tell tale sign that either the cord is damaged or that it's not rated for the equipment that is plugged into it.

Only purchase and use extension cords that have been approved by an independent testing laboratory.

Do not use an extension cord that appears to be damaged or burnt in any way.  Doing so could cause an electric shock or burn.

Make sure your extension cord is rated for the equipment that is being plugged into it. 

Never remove the grounding "3rd" pin to fit the extension cord into a 2 prong outlet.

Extension cords are the leading cause of electrical fires and if improperly used can cause injury or even death. 

If you find yourself constantly using extension cords in your Lexington home you should consider calling a licensed electrician to install additional outlets in your home.