ACI Northwest Blog: Archive for the ‘Electrical’ Category

Electrician Tips: Repair Issues from Faulty Wiring

Monday, June 23rd, 2014

People often take for granted that the wiring in their home is sufficient for their power needs and has no major faults that could make it either ineffective or dangerous. Although it’s true that modern homes are built with durable electrical systems, faulty wiring is still something that can occur, and it needs repair work the moment it’s detected. Poor wiring can lead to needless energy drain, power loss, and fire hazards. It’s especially important to watch for wiring issues in older homes where full electrical upgrades may be necessary.

Here are some of the repair issues that faulty wiring can cause in a home. Make sure that you call for professional licensed electricians for any of your needs for electrical repair service in Coeur d’Alene. Contact the experts at ACI Northwest any time of the day or night for the quality work you need.

Some Problems Due To Faulty Wiring

  • Power surges: Power surges are one of the least understood of electrical problems. They don’t only come from catastrophic events like lightning strikes; they also occur because the wiring in a home is incapable of handling the demands placed on it by more powerful appliances. If you notice flickering lights in your house every time that the compressor in the refrigerator or air conditioner switches, then you may have bad wiring that is leading to a power surge. These surges will eventually cause serious damage to the system and anything plugged into it, and you need to have electricians track down and fix the problem.
  • Charred and failed outlets: Faulty wires inside outlets are a frequent issue that can afflict even newer homes. When bad wiring causes a spark or a fire, it will char or discolor the outlet. Should you notice this, it means you need to have electricians replace the outlet and find out what went wrong with the wiring behind it. Outlets that cease providing electrical current also call for repairs.
  • Constantly tripped circuit breakers: An occasional tripped breaker is usually nothing more serious than a momentary large demand from a malfunctioning appliance. However, if the problem persists, you may have a serious issue with a circuit somewhere, and it could become an electrical fire hazard if it is left unattended.

Schedule Service with Licensed Electricians Only!

Never attempt electrical repairs on your own: the risk of a high voltage shock is too great, and you might create further trouble from faulty wiring. You need to rely on electricians who are familiar with the local electrical code and who can handle the work fast and right.

For any wiring faults in your home that need electrical repair, the Coeur d’Alene specialists can take care of you. We have staff ready 24/7 to keep your home safely wired.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on Electrician Tips: Repair Issues from Faulty Wiring

Signs You Need Repairs for Your Outlets

Monday, June 16th, 2014

The outlets in your home are your conduit into the electrical system and are therefore one of the most important parts of your daily life. If an outlet stops working, you need to have it looked into and repaired as soon as possible.

However, an outlet failing to work is an obvious sign that something is wrong. There are other warnings your outlets can send to you that they require professional repairs or replacements that are not so obvious. We have a list of a few to look out for.

We need to emphasize professional repairs: do not tamper with any part of your electrical system on your own. You risk dangerous high voltage shocks, as well as causing further damage to the electrical system. Only allow licensed electricians to work on outlet repairs. Call ACI Northwest for any repairs or electrical installation in Coeur d’Alene that you need. Our experienced Electricians Are on Call 24 Hours a Day.

Warning Signs of Outlet Repair Needs:

  • Charring and discoloration: If you notice marks of charring on the front of an outlet, or if the outlet has developed a yellow or brown discoloration, it means an electrical fire has broken out inside the outlet due to bad wiring. This needs immediate repairs; the potential for the outlet to become a significant fire hazard is high.
  • Frequently tripped circuit breakers: If you notice that plugging an appliance into a particular outlet causes a circuit breaker to trip, the problem is either the appliance or the outlet itself. If different appliances of varying voltage demands are triggering the problem, then the outlet is probably in need of replacement. (Do not, however, start plugging in different appliances as a way to “test” if the outlet or the appliance is the problem. Call for an electrician.)
  • Sparking outlet: If the outlet sparks every time you put a plug into it, the outlet is wearing down and perhaps coming loose. This is often due to years of plugging and unplugging. In this case, the outlet will probably need to be replaced entirely and upgraded. Call an electrician right away.

In general, we advise that you have outlet replacement and rewiring done if your home still has old non-grounded (two-prong) outlets. You should also consider updating three-prong outlets to GCFI outlets to increase safety. At ACI Northwest, we offer fast and excellent electrical installation in Coeur d’Alene, WA for new outlets, as well as any necessary repair work.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on Signs You Need Repairs for Your Outlets

Electrical Considerations for a New Security System

Friday, May 30th, 2014

Homeowners have a natural desire to keep their family and possessions safe. A reliable security system is an excellent way of doing so. Here in Spokane, electrical services can help you plan for and install a new security system. Because so many security systems rely on electricity to work, you should consult with an expert before deciding which system is right for you. Here are some electrical considerations for a new security system that you should keep in mind.

Security systems typically rely on sensors to work. Contacts on your doors and windows will alert you if someone tries to break in, while motion detectors in key areas of the homes (usually centralized rooms and “choke points” such as stairways or halls). Depending upon your home, you may want to have motion-activated security lights installed as well, to activate in the event of movement in your yard.

All of these things require wiring to function as they should. That means you need to chart a path from their location to the central security box and/or the circuit breaker box in your home. The electrician will need to run wiring to all those locations, which may involve moving around plumbing, other electrical wires and even load-bearing woodwork depending on the specifics of your home. (Alternately, you could just run the wiring along the outside of the walls, but that can ruin the aesthetics of your home as well as leaving the wires vulnerable to damage.) The electrician also needs to calculate the load for each component and ensure that the new wiring can handle it without triggering the circuit breakers. It’s not usually a problem – security systems don’t require much electricity to work – but professional evaluation can ensure that no issues arise.

Any electrical considerations for a new security system need to take your safety in mind. The system needs to work at all times, or else it may as well not be working at all.

If you live in Spokane, WA or Coeur d’Alene, ID, electrical services like those at ACI Northwest can make that process a lot easier. Give us a call today and we’ll help you set your system up right!

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on Electrical Considerations for a New Security System

Not Just Lightning: The Causes of Power Surges

Friday, May 23rd, 2014

When people think of power surges and trying to protect their home’s appliances from them, the first image that comes to mind is something catastrophic like a lightning strike or power lines downed during a storm. Although those are definitely cause for concern and reason to find ways to keep your electrical system safe, there are more frequent reasons for power surges that can go on continually and add up to tremendous damage.

Power strips along the outlets are a layer of protection that works when it comes to power surges. However, they do not do well against most of the more insidious and frequent causes for surges. In addition to those power strips, you need to have a whole-house surge protector. Installation requires the work of professional electricians. For the necessary electrical services that will install a whole-house surge protector, contact the expert electricians at ACI Northwest today.

Causes of Power Surges

  • Lightning: Yes, this is a serious problem even if it isn’t as common as the others. A lightning strike on power lines can result in a massive surge that no home’s electrical system can bear. The power that comes through the lines is enough to ruin systems such as computers and home entertainment centers. A power strip is some defense against this, but not always. In any case involving expensive equipment, you need the best protection possible, and a whole-house surge protector offers a level above power strips.
  • High-Powered Appliances: This is the reason for most surges in a home: whenever an appliance comes on that demands large amount of power—such as the compressors of air conditioners and refrigerators—it put strain on system that can unbalance the flow of voltage. This may not necessarily cause a power outage, but the low-level will start to gradually damage other components connected to the system. Flickering lights are a common warning sign that this is happening and you should have a whole-house surge protector. Power strips do not help with this.
  • Bad Wiring: If you live in an older home, aging wiring can lead to uneven voltage that will cause similar damage to when powerful appliances turn on. For pre-1970 homes, you should have an electrician not only install whole-house surge protection, but also investigate if the wiring needs replacement.
  • Utility company problems: Surges can sometimes come from the power company itself if they experience equipment malfunction. These surges can range from small to “power line downed” level, so make sure you electrical system is prepared for anything.

Whole-house surge protectors are an easy installation for professional electricians: they connect them at the electrical control panel and test to make sure they work properly. To arrange for the work, call ACI Northwest today. We provide many types of electrical service in Spokane, WA.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on Not Just Lightning: The Causes of Power Surges

What Are GFCI Outlets and Why Should I Have Them Installed?

Tuesday, May 6th, 2014

Electrical outlets continue to improve with each decade. Old two-prong outlets gave way to grounded three-prong outlets. And now GFCI outlets are overtaking the standard three-prong model.

You have already encounter GFCI outlets before, although you perhaps did not know that is what they are called or what they do. GFCI outlets have two buttons, usually color-coded red and yellow, between their two sockets. A small difference, but an important one.

If your home still has standard three-prong outlets (or archaic two-prong ones), you should make installation of new GFCI outlets a priority. ACI Northwest specializes in this installation work. We have served Couer d’Alene with electrical services for many years. Call us today to schedule an appointment to improve your home’s electrical safety.

GFCI outlets: protecting people from electrical shocks

GFCI stands for ground-fault circuit interrupter. It performs a function similar to a fuse. But where a fuse is designed to protect your electrical system from an overload and prevent fires, a ground-fault circuit interrupter is designed to protect you from a direct electrical shock.

A GFCI outlet can detect a subtle change between the flow from the “neutral” and the “hot” slots in an outlet. (The hot slot is the smaller of the two slots.) Power flows from the hot slot through an appliance and to the neutral slot during regular operation. The ground-fault circuit interrupter outlet monitors the amount of current moving from hot to neutral, and should it detect a change in the balance—as small as 4 or 5 milliamps—it will immediately trip an internal circuit breaker that cuts off power to the outlet. An imbalance like this means that the power from the hot side is going into something other than the appliance, and that usually means it is going into a person. With a correctly working GFCI outlet, the power will shut off before you can even notice the shock. You can then reset the circuit by pressing the “reset” button on the outlet.

Although modern homes have sturdier electrical systems capable of handling large electrical loads, this doesn’t lessen the danger from electrical shocks due to malfunctioning appliances or from accidents. Installing GFCI outlets will greatly reduce the potential for electrical injury in your home.

Call ACI Northwest for all your Couer d’Alene, WA electrical needs. We can perform fast and effective installation of new outlets that will keep you and your family safe.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on What Are GFCI Outlets and Why Should I Have Them Installed?

These Signs May Warn That You Need Whole-House Surge Protection

Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

Power surge. When you hear these two words, what first comes to mind? A lightning strike, a downed power line, massive wind gusts… these are what most people associate with a sudden burst of electrical energy into a home that causes the power to go out and deals unfortunate damage to computer hard drives. (You didn’t save that novel you’ve worked on for three years in only one place, did you?)

However, power surges also come in smaller sizes, and these types are much more common. They often happen when a large appliance, like a refrigerator or an air conditioner, suddenly makes a large demand on the power supply. Standard power strips that protect computers and high-end equipment do little good against these pulses that run through your electrical system. Although less noticeable than major surges, the cumulative effect of the smaller surges can cause injury to your appliances. To defend against power surges, you’ll need a whole-house surge protector installed.

For this service, and for all types of electrical repairs in Spokane, WA, call ACI Northwest today.

Watch for these indicators that you need a whole-house surge protector

  • Flickering lights: If your lights occasional dim and flicker, usually when you hear a large appliance turn on, then the demands along the power lines are triggering surges. This visual sign is a strong warning that damage is already occurring around your house because of the surges.
  • Constantly tripped circuit breakers: If a circuit breaker trips or a fuse blows because you plugged in a powerful device, than you know the cause of the problem. But if breakers continue to trip for no obvious reason, then it’s probably the fault of multiple small power surges. (You might also have an outdated fuse box or circuit breaker panel.)
  • Charred or discolored outlets: Call for repairs immediately if you see any indication of fire damage on one of the outlets. Power surges are probably at fault, but you need to have an electrician check the safety of the wiring. While the electrician is there, ask about whole-house surge protection installation.

You shouldn’t toss out your local power strips when you decide to go with whole-house surge protection; they will still serve a purpose as an extra layer of defense. And you should have all the defense you can to protect your home from the damage these electrical pulses can cause.

You will need the work of professional electricians to find a whole-house surge protector that meets your home’s needs and keeps you safe. Call ACI Northwest and talk to our experts in electrical repair service in Spokane, WA today to get started.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on These Signs May Warn That You Need Whole-House Surge Protection

3 Ways Attic Fans Benefit Your Household

Monday, March 31st, 2014

If you’ve ever ventured into your home’s attic during a warm summer day, you know that this shaded, enclosed spot can turn into an oven. Attics can reach 120°F easily on hot days, and this turns the region into a massive heat sink that will affect the rest of your home.

One way to protect your house from the extra heat is with proper attic insulation. But you can go a step further with installation of attic fans that equalize the temperature between the inside and the outside of the attic. These fans are also effective at decreasing the moisture that rises into the attic year-round from kitchens and showers.

If you are interested in attic fan installation, contact ACI Northwest and ask about our electrical services in Coeur d’Alene, WA.

3 benefits from attic fans

  1. Increased comfort and energy efficiency: The basic function of an attic fan is to reduce the temperature in the attic, and subsequently keep it from seeping down to heat up your home even more during hot weather. With the fans in operation, the attic averages 50 degrees cooler, and this translates to a drop of 10 degrees inside the rest of your home—a significant difference. You will end up using your air conditioner less during the summer to combat extra heat, and this means a reduction on your utility bills.
  2. Extended roof life: The high levels of heat and trapped moisture inside the attic will shorten the lifespan of your roof, which is one of the most expensive parts of a home to repair or replace. Water moisture that becomes trapped inside the roof will encourage the growth of damaging molds. When the temperature drops in winter, the moisture will freeze, expanding and causing cracking to roofing material. Attic fans pull down the temperature and dissipate the moisture that can ruin your roof.
  3. Storage protection: Most households use the attic as a storage place for items only needed a few times a year, or for valuable keepsakes and heirlooms. The intense heat inside an attic during the summer can cause damage to many of these items, especially if they are exposed to it year after year. Moisture will also cause severe harm, particularly to wood and precision objects such as musical instruments. Attic fans regulate these problems, making the attic a safer place to store your important possessions.

Attic fan installation is a large project, but with the right Coeur d’Alene electrical service contractor on the job, you should have no difficulties. ACI Northwest provides excellent attic fan installation, as well as any repairs you might need. Don’t suffer from unnecessary heat in your home this summer: call ACI Northwest today.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on 3 Ways Attic Fans Benefit Your Household

How Does Electricity Work?

Wednesday, August 21st, 2013

When you need any kind of electrical services in Spokane, make sure that you call the professionals electricians at ACI Northwest. We often hear about customers attempting to do it themselves and either injuring themselves or damaging their home’s electrical system. We wanted to explain, very briefly, about how electricity works to that our customers can understand it better and also understand why it is so dangerous to work with. Call our Spokane electrical technicians if you need any kind of services for your home’s electrical system.

What Is Electricity?

Electricity is the flow of electrons. If you remember seeing a picture of an atom in your science classes you may recall that there was a ball at the center comprised of protons and neutrons, and there were a bunch of swirling spheres around the outside: these are electrons.

Different materials easily give up these electrons: these are called conductors. In order to generate a flow of electrons you need a material that easily absorbs and then passes on electrons. Water and various metals like copper and gold are very good conductors. If you had a copper wire and you sent an electron from one end to the other it would get there very quick because copper atoms are very good at giving up electrons.

Obviously, we need more than one electron in order to power things like our computers, our homes and our cars. We need a constant current of electrons. This current of electrons is measured in Amperes. A typical home wall outlet is rated for 15 amps while a 9 volt battery can have .5 amps.  The speed or force at which electrons travel on a current is described by its Voltage.

How is Electricity Generated?

There are a couple different ways to generate electricity. The first is through chemical reactions. The interaction of certain chemicals and metals will generate an electric current which is how car batteries work.

Another way to generate electricity is with magnets and wire. If you pass a magnet by a coil of wire you can induce an electrical current. This is how power plants work. Nuclear power plants use nuclear energy to generate heat which turns water into steam that powers giant generators that contain magnets and wires.

If you have any questions about electricity or if you need any kind of electrical services, just call the Spokane electrical technicians at ACI Northwest.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on How Does Electricity Work?

How Does a Circuit Breaker Panel Work?

Friday, August 16th, 2013

The circuit breaker controls the flow of electricity into your home, ensuring that you can access electrical power safely and securely. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to use the lights and appliances that define our modern world, and places like Spokane would still be conducting logging operations in the dark. But while most of us know how to check the circuit breaker panel when the electrical power goes out somewhere, comparatively few of us know how the circuit breaker panel actually works.

Electricity arrives from your city’s local power grid into the breaker box via a main circuit, which consists of a number of smaller circuits. The hot wire, on one end of the circuit, carries the electrical current, while the neutral wire is grounded in the earth.  Normally those two wires never come into contact with each other. When they do, they create a huge charge in the wires, which can cause them to overheat and start a fire.

The circuit breakers halt that process before it reaches dangerous levels. Older homes used fuses, which would get blown whenever the current rose too high and open the circuit. That kept the wire from becoming damaged and the surrounding materials from catching fire.

Fuses, however, had a one-shot shelf life and couldn’t be re-used after they were blown. The circuit breakers worked along the same principles, only they won’t disintegrate the way the fuses would. The breaker contains a switch, connected to an electromagnet, with the hot wire linked to the switch’s two ends. When the current gets too high, it magnetizes the magnet, which pulls on the switch, breaking the circuit and shutting off the electricity.

Circuit breaker panels work that way to keep your home safe. While you can check to see if they’ve been triggered and reset them if the power goes out, it pays to contact a professional Spokane electrician if you need to conduct any more in-depth operations. The electricians at ACI Northwest can handle electrical issues with your circuit breaker panel in Spokane and throughout the surrounding communities. Contact us today to set up an appointment.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on How Does a Circuit Breaker Panel Work?

What Could be Wrong with Your Generator

Wednesday, August 7th, 2013

Do you have a whole-house generator? Does it fail to back up your electrical supply during a power outage? Has it become unreliable over the years? Whatever the cause of your generator problem, you need to make sure that you get it sorted out sooner than later. The entire point of having a generator is that it functions like a practical insurance policy, protecting your home against the discomfort and inconvenience of losing power during a storm, blizzard, or flood. But like any other mechanical system, problems can develop over time. Unfortunately, because we use our generator only from time to time, we may not realize something is wrong until too late. Call ACI Northwest for quality electrical repair services.

So, what could be wrong with your generator? That depends on the symptom. While a generator problem requires professional, hands-on diagnosis by an electrician to figure out the cause, let’s take a look at a few potential issues:

  • Generator won’t start up. If you have an automatic standby generator, then it should start up immediately once it has detected a loss of incoming power at the service panel. A manual backup generator will have to be turned on by switch. In either case, if your generator won’t turn on, the result can be frustrating, especially in the dark. It may need to be reset if it has suddenly shut down, but if it won’t start up at all, there could be a problem with the fuel supply or the wiring itself.
  • Generator keeps overloading. When it was installed, your technician likely advised you on what types of appliances you can operate with your generator. Only high powered units are able to handle major appliances like dryers, HVAC systems, and dishwashers, so make sure you know what and what not to turn on when your generator is running.

When it comes to the reliability and integrity of your generator, you need to make sure that you’re doing everything you can to make sure it works in the event of an outage. Pro installation is the first step, but ensuring that the unit receives routine maintenance is also important. Call ACI Northwest today if you’re having generator problems and you need electrical repair services in Spokane, WA.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Electrical | Comments Off on What Could be Wrong with Your Generator