Energy Conscious Consultant

Electrical Emergency: What constitutes An Emergency?

As an electrician, I receive phone calls concerning electrical problems.  If a customer calls me and says it is an emergency and something is burning, I would tell them to go turn off the breaker.  If you don’t know which breaker it is, go turn off the main breaker to you house or the service disconnect.  If it’s not smoking, not burning, not on fire, then it may not an emergency.  You may simply have a problem with a loose wire or an outlet not working properly. If you are unsure, then call an electrician.

If there is a fire, you must turn off the service disconnect immediately.  The service disconnect should not be locked and must be readily accessible to turn your power off in any emergency.  Smoke, burning, or fire is an emergency situation.  To correct your problem, I am available to repair, replace, or install what is necessary.  If your fixture is not working that is not an emergency.  I won’t leave a job to go change a light bulb.  If I receive an emergency call and can not respond to it quickly, I will tell the customer. 

Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Floods: Are You Prepared

June 1st is the official start of hurricane season. Even though NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) is predicting a 50% near normal season in 2009, you shouldn’t let your guard down.  An average season is 11 storms: 6 of them will become hurricanes, and 2 of them will be major.  Now is the time to prepare before there is a storm.  Do you have your family disaster plan in place?