It seems like everything you buy today requires an electrical outlet. If you find yourself living in an older home or one with out-dated wiring, you could also end up at a loss for power. With electrical outlets spread sparsely around your home, it can be difficult to find enough outlets to plug in a lamp at the location you want or plug in all your electronics in the same spot. Fortunately, you do have some options for expanding your electrical accessibility and capacity.

The most common fix for this problem is to use extension cords. Extension cords can go extend as far as 150 feet, but are not always an ideal permanent solution. If you were running a significant amount of power through a long running extension cord on a regular basis, it would be a better idea to install an outlet at that location. With a heavy loaded extension cord you run a greater risk of fires and overloading the circuit. Undersized extension cords can overheat and cause a fire. If you will be running several electronics of the same outlet (television, computer, entertainment system) you should invest in a power bar with a surge protector. A power bar will be able to handle the larger electrical load and protect your valuable electronics from surges.

Another option would be to use an adapter to split two standard electrical sockets into four. This can be helpful when you need to plug in an additional lamp or phone charger in your room. If you find that you are tripping your breaker when you are plugging in more devices or appliances onto an adapter, power bar, or extension cord, you are probably overloading your circuit. The best course of action would be to have an electrician install a new outlet on a separate circuit.

While having new outlets installed by a professional electrician is the safest idea, it is not always possible in every situation. If you are a renter you may not be able to or want to upgrade the current electrical system. Or it is possible that your current breaker or electrical panel may not be able to handle additional electrical outlets. If that is the case, have a licenced electrician inspect your home electrical system to ensure that you are able to safely add on additional outlets. While planning for new outlets, identify areas that would be optimal for having power and covering the room appropriately. This way you can avoid problems down the road and installing an excessive amount of outlets in one room.

It is important to use undamaged extension cords and not run one extension cord off of another. For the best peace of mind, have one of our electricians install an additional circuit and outlets in your home. This will keep your home up to code and reduce the risk of fires significantly.

If you live in a stormy or cataclysmic area, then you know how important it is to have a plan – an escape route, a first aid kit, a survival backpack, and anything else you might need to get by when push comes to shove. A few weeks ago a nasty storm hit our area, knocked over some power lines, and took the transformers with them. This left us and our neighbors without power for the better part of two weeks. Once the dust settled and we recovered, it was time to invest in a backup generator.

The Perfect Plan B

There are loads of generators to choose from, with as many makes and models and your local car dealership. It used to be just a pull chord engine you’d plug the necessities into like the fridge and stove. Now you can plug your whole house into one if you need to. The choices are far beyond what is expected. The man at the store helped me wade through all the options, weeding out all the unnecessarily bulky models and the ones too small to power the house.

After all the work, we finally found what we needed. Now we just had to find out how to get it home and hooked up. No amount of do-it-yourself material was going to help me here. I needed a professional. The man at the store gave a good recommendation and just like that the project was underway.

In a nutshell, generators have come a long way. Having a professional doing the job is an absolute must; most of the terminology was foreign and there were wires everywhere. But after a day or two the job was done, and the generator sits nicely in the backyard, waiting for bad weather to strike again. We’ll be ready this time.

Each year there are in excess of 50 fatalities that are caused by preventable house fires in our country, which is an extremely startling statistic. This is especially true since these fires could have easily been prevented from spreading if there had been an operational smoke detector on the property.

Having these installed on every storey in your home or commercial property is one way to ensure the response to a fire emergency, is quicker. In many instances, this can actually help save lives and property. Here are some basic facts about smoke detector installations:

The best way to ensure that your property and family are safe from a fire is to make sure that the fire gets detected early. A smoke detector is a device that’s specifically designed to quickly alert those on the property, about the presence of smoke. Typically, these could be attached either to the ceiling or a wall. These are battery-powered devices that have to be replaced on a regular basis. You also have the option to hardwire a smoke detector into the main electrical system on the property.

There are 2 main varieties of smoke detectors:

The first type is the photoelectric one that has a light – this light gets altered in the presence of smoke which in turn, activates the alarm. This kind of alarm is always quick in detecting whether the smoke is originating from a fire that’s slowly smouldering, or from a much cooler one.

This type of installation essentially has an integrated ionisation chamber which has very small amounts of a radioactive material which is able to quickly identify smoke. This kind of a smoke detector is far more effective at quickly detecting the hotter fires (when there are flames). This smoke detector emits a very small amount of radiation and doesn’t pose any danger to health.

Regardless of whether you have hardwired or battery-powered smoke detectors, it’s important to have at least one on each floor on your property. In addition to this, you should also design a detailed, yet simple emergency evacuation plan. Make sure that all the members of your family understand what has to be done in case an emergency situation arises and they hear the beeping of any smoke detectors in the home.

If you live anywhere in or around Sydney, and are planning on getting smoke detectors installed on your property, you should identify a certified, skilled, insured and reputed company to handle the job for you,.

For more information, simply speak with the experts at Allround Electrical and take their advice on various aspects of power factor installation solutions. The number to call is – 1300 169 263. You can also write to us at this email address. We can handle all types of smoke detector installations and all other electrical jobs too.

Thanks for reading,1300 169 263

In my 27 years, I have heard these questions a lot: “Why is it so hard to find the top electrician for my electrical repairs? There are so many choices and my problem seems so easy, any electrician should be able to do it. Does it matter who I call? Aren’t all electricians the same? How do I find an expert electric man?” – Nick Shaeffer

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