Questions Often Asked By Homeowners
1. Why
do circuit breakers trip?
Answer:
Overload is the most common reason for tripping. Too many things are plugged in
or turned on in the circuit. Short circuit is another reason; this may be caused
by faulty wiring, appliances or fixtures.
Answer:
A GFCI or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter is a special breaker or receptacle
providing extraordinary protection from shock. The GFCI can tell if current as
low as 5 milliamps is “leaking” out of a circuit to ground. If the GFCI senses
this leakage it will de-energize the circuit. If this current is “leaking”
through your body to ground because you have touched an energized piece of
equipment you may feel a shock but it will be a very short duration before the
circuit is turned off by the GFCI. These are the receptacles with the “test” and
“reset” buttons found in many bathrooms and kitchens.
Answer:
An AFCI is a special breaker intended to provide fire protection caused by
arcing faults (small sparks) by recognizing characteristics unique to arcing and
by functioning to de-energize the circuit when an arc fault is detected. An AFCI
recognizes the "signature waveform" of an arcing fault and shuts the power off
to the circuit to protect against fire. AFCIs have been required in all new
homes' bedrooms effective January 1, 2002. However if you have an old house you
can still benefit greatly with AFCI protection. Sentry Electric
can install this fantastic safety technology today so your family
will be protected by the best technology available.
4. Why do my light bulbs
burn out so quickly?
Answer:
You may be exceeding the maximum lamp wattage of the fixture. There should be a
label inside the fixture. If the label is not there consider replacing the
fixture. Do not exceed 60 watts for most ceiling fixtures. Many times vibration
is the culprit in short bulb life. There are vibration resistant bulbs for
ceiling fans and garage door openers and there are rough service bulbs for
portable lights. Sometimes a porch light can have a shortened life due to a
slamming door. A rough service bulb would do well in such a location. Sometimes
there is more than 120 volts being brought into the light socket. You can
purchase a 130 volt light bulb to take care of this problem.
5. Why
are my battery powered smoke detectors not good enough?
Answer:
The National Electrical Code which sets the minimum safety standards for the
electrical system in your home, requires that each smoke detector in your home
be hard-wired into your electrical system, battery back-up, in case your power
goes out, and interconnected with your other smoke detectors. So if one goes
off, they all go off. A smoke detector is required in each bedroom and one is
required within six feet of your bedroom door. A C.O. detector is also required
to be installed within 15 feet of your bedroom door is you have natural gas,
propane or an attached garage.
Answer:
A surge arrestor protects against surges, spikes, lightning etc. These surges
may come down the utility line or they may come from within your home or nearby.
This device will sacrifice itself to protect your electrical system and
electronic equipment from surges. Many surge protectors simply plug into the
wall and your equipment plugs into it. Using this kind of surge protection is
less than optimum protection for the attached equipment. Sentry Electric can install a whole house surge
protector to protect everything in your house including phone and cable
equipment. This is the best surge protection you can get and it protects
everything in the house.
7. Why do dimmers get
warm, and is this safe?
Answer:
During normal operation, solid-state dimmers generate heat. A solid-state dimmer
is roughly 98% efficient-2% of the power is dissipated as heat, causing the
dimmer to feel warm to the touch. The closer a dimmer is run to full output and
the higher the load (watts) on the dimmer, the warmer it will feel. This is
perfectly normal and safe. Dimmers are designed to the strictest UL safety
standard, and can handle their full rated load without overheating.
Answer:
Trouble Shooting is the "detective work" involved in any electrical repair. We
need every clue we can get to troubleshoot quickly and accurately. You can help
us tremendously by giving us an accurate description of what the problem was,
and also how and when the problem occurred. We test and examine your wiring of
course, but first we listen to you, to find out exactly what you have
experienced and why you have called us.
9. How long does
Trouble Shooting generally take?
Answer:
Trouble Shooting a problem usually does not take very long. The average time is
about an hour. In many cases the solution to the problem is even easier than
finding the problem. If we discover that the trouble shooting process will take
additional time, we tell you before continuing.
10. How many
technicians do you send on a service call?
Answer:
Most of the time we send one technician. In some cases two technicians are
necessary or more economical than one. In these cases, of course, we send two.
11. Can you fix the problem
the same day?
Answer:
We will make every effort to do so. More often than not we can fix the problem
very quickly the same day. Some problems require a county or city permit, an
inspection, or the power company to do work and we have to work with these
entity's schedules.
12. How can I know how much
this will cost?
Answer:
Ask Us! We don't want to surprise you with a
higher bill than you expect, anymore than you want to be surprised. Once we have
diagnosed your electrical problem we will give you a straight forward price to
fix it.
Remember, electrical wiring
is not a hobby! Many of the serious problems we see are code violations in
wiring installed by a "do it yourselfer" or homeowner with some advice from "the
guy at the hardware store." These problems often come to light when a property
is being sold and a real estate inspector requires expensive repairs. They can
also be a fire, safety, or electrocution hazard.