1 .Electric Range/Stove: Electric ranges and stoves generally require a dedicated circuit due to their high power demands. They typically operate on a 240-volt circuit.

2. Electric Oven: Similar to electric ranges, electric ovens often need their own dedicated circuit. They typically operate on a 240-volt circuit as well.

3. Electric Dryer: Electric clothes dryers require a dedicated circuit to handle their high power requirements. They typically operate on a 240-volt circuit.

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1. Surge Protectors: Install surge protectors or surge suppressors at key locations in your home. These devices are designed to divert excess voltage from power surges, preventing it from reaching your sensitive electronics. Use high-quality surge protectors and make sure they have a sufficient joule rating to handle surges effectively. Place them between your electronic devices and the power source.

 

2. Whole-House Surge Protection: Consider installing a whole-house surge protection system. This system is typically installed at your main electrical panel and provides protection for all the electrical circuits in your home. It helps to suppress large surges before they reach your devices.

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1. Absence of a Carbon Monoxide Detector: If you don’t have a functioning carbon monoxide detector installed in your home, it increases the risk of not being alerted to a CO leak.

 

2. Malfunctioning or Expired CO Detectors: If your carbon monoxide detectors are not working correctly or have expired batteries, they may fail to detect CO leaks. Regularly test and replace batteries according to manufacturer guidelines.

 

3. Yellow or Flickering Gas Burner Flame: A gas burner flame should burn blue. If you notice a yellow or flickering flame, it could indicate incomplete combustion and the potential presence of carbon monoxide.

 

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Finding the right electrical contractor to do some work at your home or business is key to ensuring the safety and optimal function of your electrical systems. A simple Google search would produce countless options to choose from, but not all electricians and electrical contractors are equal.

It is important that you do your due diligence to make sure that the contractor you hire is the best choice for delivering the results that you’re looking for and will put you and your property at risk.

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Chandelier Installation Tips

If you are looking to Install a Chandelier we have a few tips and pointers for you to read and consider when taking up the task. As many people may not realize Chandelier Installation is not a simple task and many things should be considered when making such plans. Most importantly is to ensure that you have adequate support to hold the Chandelier and avoid it from falling. In addition the location and any obstacles should also be considered as well as the risk that you may need to make adjustments in order to hold you Chandelier in place. This can in some cases mean that you will need to make repairs or cuts into the ceiling in order to have the Chandelier Installation take place.

 

Here are a few pointers to think about when thinking of having a Chandelier Installed!

1.  Where is it going to be Installed?
2.  What is the weight of the Chandelier?
3.  How tall is it and what is the width of the Chandelier?
4.  Does it require to have supports Installed?
5.  Is there enough support already in Installed?
6.  Is there enough room to put up a ladder?
7.  Will there be a need to erect a Scaffold?
8.  Does the Chandelier have any Crystal?
9.  Is there a Large Ceiling Plate that will support the Chandelier?
10.  Have you considered having a Lift Installed?

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What Should Your Electrician Do?

A few skills and capabilities that a licensed electrician should have include the following:

• Maintaining all electrical components & apparatus clear and safe
• Installation of all electrical  systems and electrical wiring
• Electrical repair, troubleshooting and prevention of hazards

Now that you have an idea of what an electrician is capable of, you can easily formulate your questions around their capabilities. Below, you will see a few questions to ask any electricians in Toronto.

The 10 Important Questions you should Ask when hiring a Toronto Electrician or anywhere else in the GTA:

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Ground Wires in Light Fixtures & Devices

On a daily basis we find that someone or other is connecting Ground Wires from a Light Fixture or Chandelier to a Black Power Wire in a Ceiling Box.

Everyday we are called out, to a home as someone is experiencing one or all of these Electrical issues. The issues are as follows: Breakers Tripping, Switches Blowing out, Lights or Bathroom Fans not turning on, or a GFI Receptacles Tripping, and many other factors!

This stems from people trying to be a “DIY” known as a Do it yourself-er and failing at this task terribly!

Don’t take the risk hire a Licensed Electrician who will get the job done right the first time!

DIY’S Light Fixtures & Electrical Devices Installation!

If you want to try and Install your own Light Fixtures, Chandelier, Switches or Plugs! That’s totally fine provided that you know what your doing. If you don’t know what your doing and you connect the wrong wires to the wrong wires in the Box. Than you are running the Risk of Electrical Shock, Electrical Short Circuit, or even worse an Electrical Fire. You can even blow a hole in your Electrical Panel if the Short Circuit creates enough of a short circuit blast that could indeed blow a hole right through your Electrical Panel.

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Exposed Wires are Risky Business

Electrical safety hazards in the home are far too common. Ignored exposed wires are one of the worst, and most widespread Electrical hazards in today’s homes. Our everyday device cords become worn out and end up with bare wires being exposed. Similarly, your home wiring system itself is not immune to this issue. Let’s discuss the risks we take when we don’t repair exposed wires throughout our home.

Electrical Devices

We all have at least one and that’s an understatement. Every electrical device comes with an electric cord, and if we’re honest, they’re not always the sturdiest. Overtime, a laptop cord will start to fray, usually near the ends of the cord where we put the most pressure. You or someone you know will experience this eventually, and odds are, the exposed wire will remain that way for some time. The most frequently asked questions we receive are:

1. Is it dangerous?
2. What Can I do about?
3. Like what am I supposed to do?
4. Do I have to replace It?
5. Isn’t there anything that can be done to Fix it?
6. How dangerous is it really?

Because people have successfully used an exposed electrical cord for long periods of time, the benefits have somehow managed to outweigh the risks. Differing from the common consensus, it’s actually a very serious Dangerous/Hazardous and risk of electric shock and Fire Hazard. An open wire may not send the appropriate power to a device. Not to mention, it’s not properly distributed. lead to exposed wires starting to burn out, heating up, arcing and starting an Electrical Fire at the damaged end. Plus result in higher than normal drawing of power, surges to make up for intervals of power/electricity loss getting to the appliance.

A high power surge could also lead to a blown fuse, Breaker tripping, or even worse, an electrical fire. Best practices include taking care of your cord, getting it repaired/replaced when fray, torn or damaged, and buying a new cord when necessary. Another worthy mention is never purchase or use a knock off cord, as they are generally never certified and Not up to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code.

Home Wires

Exposed electrical wires in the skeleton of the home are a much higher fire risk than the above mentioned electrical devices. This is because they tend to be located around other wires, and lots of wood or other combustible materials. Sparks can fly without warning and out of sight. Regular home inspections are always a good idea for preventative maintenance. Similarly, if you’re buying an older home, an inspection done by a certified electrician could save you money and headaches down the road!

Electrical Tape is Not the Answer

Many keep electrical tape handy for cases just like this. However, this band-aid is not a viable solution. If there are bare electrical wires that are exposed, tape is not the answer and danger looms. In cases like these, where the protective casing is still intact, you may be in the clear. Having said that, replacing your extension cord or damaged Cables will help you sleep better at night, knowing that your Electrical Cables and Wires are safe and sound. If the tear gets worse, you may not even realize it, as it’s covered up in black tape. Don’t take the risk! If you have other exposed wires throughout the home, they can easily be fixed by a certified electrician. The stakes are too high in don’t take the gamble, get a professional to come in and ease your mind.

Pinched, torn, exposed, or ripped electrical wires should be fixed immediately, without hesitation. Compare it to driving a car with a leaking tire, leaking break cylinder, mediocre breaks. The risk is present, and very real! Don’t take the gamble!

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions regarding Exposed Wires:

Should I worry about Tangled Wires?

Worry, Yes! Be fearful. Fix, absolutely! Tangled wires are as much a fire hazard as exposed wires. In an extreme case, the danger doubles. Every device you plug into a socket is 120V of power. Imagine an extension cord with 5+ devices or appliances plugged in. That’s a lot of power in, one square footage. Alternatively, try limiting your sockets to 2 or 3 plugged in items.

What if my exposed Wire is outside my home?

The danger on outdoor bare wires increases dramatically as exposure to climate, sitting water, moisture raises the treat level to extreme. Exposed live wires are dangerous and a treat to life, as the risk of electrocution is high and the Danger is high. Not only is is climate, sitting water and the weather a factor, but also outdoor pests can make things a lot worse, a lot faster. Call a professional certified electrician to take on the job. To start, they’ll cut power to wires in question. Once they locate the circuit in the breaker box, they’ll safely disconnect the wire. Next, they’ll pull the wire out through the wall. The next steps get a bit detailed, we suggest calling in the expert instead of taking on the job yourself.

Don’t hesitate to call us if you find an exposed wire inside or outside of your home. In emergency situations, we’re here all hours of the day or night to assist you. So, don’t delay, call KVA Electrical for all your electrical needs!

Hazardous Pot Lights

How Hazardous Pot Lights can have a serious affect on your home and families well being!

We were called to a house in the City of Toronto for an Electrical issue, with respect to some Flickering Pot Lights located in the front Entrance of the Home. These Pot Lights were acting strangely anywhere from the point of them Flickering, to going on and Off randomly and doing some strange things at the same time.

Upon arrival our Electrician immediately realized that the Pot Lights, did act quite strangely and that they were Flickering and Turning On and Off randomly and on their own without anyone doing anything to cause this.

 

How We Solved It

We started by removing them and pulling them down form the Ceiling quickly finding out that the Pot Lights Transformer was starting to Burn it’s Self out, in turn being one of the Main causes for the Flickering issue.

In addition, to these issues and as we continued to remove these Pot Lights we Found a strange and concerning factor here. Which led us to further investigate and take a closer look as all of the Pot Lights had only one Wire Feeding them although there was a Total of 4 Pot Lights Installed in this particular Area.

As we continued to Investigate and look closer at this problem we found that a previous Electrician or Handyman had Installed these Pot Lights with a Tail coming out of the Pot Lights and made open connections in the Ceiling with Pre-Existing Pot light Housings that they left from a previous Installation. As shown in the Images 1 through 4, this is a serious concern and an Electrical Fire Hazard to say the least. We took immediate and corrective actions in order to rectify this issue and resolve any issue of open Wiring and removing the threat of any and all Hazardous Electrical Condition.

We Removed all of the Pre-Existing Wiring and Installed New wiring and Ran the Wires from Pot Light to Pot Light and provided Direct Wiring and Connections to the Pot Lights and Installed them in to the Existing Ceiling Space.

As shown in Images 5 through 8 this is a proper and correct way of Installing any type and kind Pot Lights!

Always hire Professionals as well as Trained people and Staff for any Trade related Work and Especially when it comes to the Electrical Trade it is vital to hire Licensed Electrical Contractors, that will do it right the First Time without any Hazardous conditions or Risk of Electrical Fire Hazards left behind.