What You Should Know about The Electric System

Electricity has made life easier for all of us. There are plenty Dallas Local Electricians and Dallas Electrician Contractors to address all our electricity related queries but the residents of Dallas seem to lack a basic understanding of how their electrical system works. We know that electricity is a convenient tool to power our home appliances and devices. It provides us with lights, heating and air conditioning, telephones, televisions, computers and countless other things.

How our home electric system works

If you ask the Dallas Local Electricians, they will elaborate on where electricity comes from all the way down to it powering your home with all the processes in between. Your local utility company produces electricity, which travels along the power line to your house. Most homes in Dallas, TX have a three wire service, which means that the wiring contains two hot wires and one neutral wire. The combination of one neutral wire and one hot wire is used to power all the electrical devices requiring 120 volts. For the bigger appliances such as air conditioners and furnaces that require 240 volts, a combination of two hot wires and one neutral wire is used. At the point where the electricity from the power lines enter your home, an electric meter is set up by the local utility company, which monitors the amount of electricity supplied.

Your house has a main panel that functions as a central distribution point for all the electrical circuits of your house, to supple each room and each appliance with electricity. The hot wire is usually colored black and travels from the main panel to the series of appliances, lights and electrical devices. The neutral wire on the other hand is colored white and returns to the main panel. There is also an earth wire that connects the main panel to the earth to conduct excessive charges of electricity into the ground where it is neutralized. The earth wire prevents electric shocks by diverting electricity from short circuiting hot wires into the ground. The main panel isn’t the only electric panel in your house though. There are subpanels in other locations of the house as well. These subpanels, in conjunction with circuit breakers, power areas of your home with a large electric power demand such as the laundry room or kitchen. Dallas electricians also use low voltage electrical systems to power the devices with a low electric power demand. These include your outdoor lighting sprinklers and doorbells.

Electricity isn’t free of hazards though. There is always a potential for electrical hazards in any home if proper precautions are not taken. Identifying these potential electrical safety hazards is the first step to eliminating them. Let’s take a look at some of the most common electrical safety hazards in the home.

1.     Defective electrical wires

It is important for all home owners to consult Dallas electricians in all matters concerning the wiring. Professional electricians are well aware of the safety standards related to wiring. Never attempt to do wire work yourself because poor wiring can easily result in power surges, fire and arc faults. Dallas electricians can inspect the wiring inside your house to ensure there are no cracked, worn or corroded electrical wires that can cause electrical accidents. Frayed extension cords, improper electric connections, pierced wire insulation, cracked wire insulation, damaged electrical appliances and overheated wires are all leading electrical hazards that can be a danger.

2.     Having water near electric appliances and outlets

The electric outlets in the bathroom and the kitchen should be located at a decent distance from sources of running water. Tap water can conduct electricity since it contains ions that can be charged when exposed to electricity. With a fair distance between the electric outlet and the water source, you can significantly reduce your changes of electric shock. It is a common practice to have radio, phone and hair dryer near the bathtub. While music may keep you entertained during the shower, it is nevertheless a safety hazard. Just as important it is to locate electric devices and outlets away from water sources, it is also important to handle electrical appliances with dry hands only. So no matter how enticing the aspect of having a hot shower with your favorite music may seem, don’t reach out for the music player with wet hands.

3.     Curious children

Babies, toddlers and young children are inquisitive by nature and you can’t do anything about that. However, what you can do is to supervise them as much as possible. As young children attempt to do things they never have before to explore the world. It is our responsibility as adults to take extra measures to protect them from electrical outlets at their height or within their reach. A good way to ensure safety for children is to use one of those extra safe power points, which prevent sharp objects, or the tiny fingers of your little ones from entering the socket. Do not leave electrical sockets unprotected with young children in the house. It isn’t fair to keep them from walking around the house but it is pretty doable to make electrical sockets safe for your young ones. Dallas local electricians can help you make your electric sockets extra safe to eliminate the danger of electric shock for your children.

4.     Heavily covered wires and cords

Heavily insulated cords and wires can heat up fairly quickly and cause electrical fires. While insulation is important for all wires carrying electricity, going overboard with insulation introduces a set of dangers of its own. This is why it is important for you to leave some extra space around heavy electrical appliances like televisions and computers so they get proper ventilation to keep them from overheating. If you find cracked or pierced electrical wires in the house, never try to attempt to fix it yourself. Always call Dallas local electricians in such cases. Having a safety switch in the house is an effective way to reduce the risk of fatality from electric shock in your residential space.