Electrical Panels Change Out Seattle Washington

Electrical panels are one of the more frequent jobs for Seatown Electric Home owners all across Washington State are in need of a new electrical panel, and don't even know it. We are going to try and cover all of the problematic panels and the process for removing them in this post. 

Lets start by explaining what the Electrical Panel  is, The "Grey box" usually located in a garage space or basement. Some call it the Fuse box, Switch box, or Breaker box. This "Grey box" is the source, or heart of the homes electrical service. Typically one of these panels controls the whole house, But in some cases there is an auxiliary panel or "sub panel". 

So how do you know if your electrical panel is outdated? The best way, is to get a free estimate from SeaTown Electric . But if you just want to have a look for yourself here are the Electrical code requirements for Seattle Washington:

Grounding and bonding must be installed, Two eight foot grounding electrodes are required and must be connected with copper wire (wire size depends on the service size). One main water pipe bond must be install within 5 feet of where it enters the house, all metal waste pipes, plumbing and gas pipes must be bonded. Electrical panels must have a main breaker either at the electrical panel, or you might find it at the meter. There is also Height, and space requirements per NEC code.

Some of the problematic panels are Zinsco, Federal Pacific, and old screw in type fuses. 
Federal Pacific Panels , Zinsco Panels and fuse panels should be replaced if they are still in your home. The breakers fail to trip when under heavy load causing fires. Seatown Electric can take out the old electrical panel and replace it with a new panel in a days worth of work. our electricians specialize in Electrical panel replacement and Knob and Tube replacement in the greater Seattle Area.

to scheddule a free estimate please call (206)-293-0037 or visit Our Website

Redmond Washington Electrical Troubleshooting

Another service call for Seatown Electric, this customer had one of there upstairs circuits that was not working. We started at the electrical panel and checked every circuit to make sure the breakers were in the on position. The customer said they checked every single breaker, But just to be safe we like to run our fingers down the Breakers and put slight tension on them to see if one is tripped in the on position. There is a lot of service calls that electrical contractor go on in the Seattle area that are similar  to this, and most of the time it is an easy fix. We look for the obvious, a bad breaker, tripped GFCI  or loose wiring first.

In this case it was a tripped breaker, stuck in the on position. A good tip for home owners to look at to save a trip fee is to turn every breaker off hard then back on. This will reset the breaker if it is in fact tripped, but in the on position. The video above can help everyday homeowners troubleshoot a simple fix.

After setting the breaker back on, power was restored. Job complete. Another satisfied Angies List customer

For questions or to schedule a free estimate please call (206)-293-0037 or visit Our Website

AFCI Breakers And GFCI Protection Seattle Washington

What Does an AFCI or Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter do? Arc-Faults are designed to help prevent fires by detecting an unintended electrical arc and disconnecting the power before the arc starts a fire. Unlike GFCI devices that prevent electrical shock, AFCI breakers only detect Arc-Faults. Same goes with a standard breaker, A standard breaker only detects circuit overloads and short circuits. And the AFCI again, only detects Arc-Faults. 

Arc-Faults have created a whole new challenge for Electrical Contractors and home owners in Washington State. An example, is a typical circuit extension will now require Arc-Fault protection. If the electrical panel cannot fit the required space of an Arc-Fault protection, the homeowner might be faced with having to get a sub panel, or a full panel change out, just to bring one circuit up to code.

In dwelling units, all 15-20 Amp 120 volt circuits supplying outlets or devices are required in   kitchens, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, closets, hallways, laundry areas, or any other areas described in article 210.12 (A)(1) through 6. of the NEC code.

A quick rule of thumb for AFCI protection requirements, and GFCI requirements is: if you are adding or altering a circuit in a residential dwelling you are most likely going to have to GFCI protect it: bathrooms, exterior, exposed basements, garage, kitchens, wet bars, and  any wet locations. Or  AFCI protect it: Kitchens, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, closets, hallways, laundry areas. GFCI outlets protect from electrical shock, AFCI breakers protect from Arc-Faults. 

For a whole home safety check please visit: SeaTown Electric or call: (206)-293-0037

West Seattle Knob and Tube Rewire

This particular rewire stemmed from another Angies List Customer calling in to get his 1920's Knob and Tube wiring looked at. The home is located in West Seattle. The process for the home inspection begins with taking off all of the wall plates. Most Electrical contractors will only use a plug checker to determine the extent of the knob and tube, not Seatown Electric. Our process is very thorough and accurate, leaving all of our customers with a detailed report of how much of the home is knob and tube, and what condition it is in. We have a 24hr turnaround process for all of our estimates, so the bid process does not drag out.

After a few back and forth e-mails confirming scope of work and misc. additional items, the homeowner let us know that we where the middle bid. Our price for the rewire was not too high and not too low. We scheduled the work for 5 total working days.

The house was vacant during the rewire (this is not required) but does help. There are many different Wiring Methods, but after many rewires, we believe we have found the best most efficient way to do them. On day one, we focus on pulling out all of the old switches and outlets. We aren't concerned with keeping the old outlets since they aren't Tamper Resistant which is required in the 2014 NEC Code. Not every single outlet is required to be Tamper Resistant, but enough for Seatown Electric to make it a company policy that all outlets will be Tamper Resistant.


Once the outlets and switches are removed, the next step is to remove all of the old metal boxes. This home had lath and plaster, so we had to be very careful not to knock out pieces of the wall. Using a flat head screw driver we disassemble and pry out the old boxes. Then cut out the opening for the new Plastic Cut In Box. After all the new boxes are cut out, we vacuum up all of the lath and plaster pieces and shake off the drop clothes in the trash, to get ready for the next steps.

Getting all of the boxes out and removing the knob and tube will take up most of day one. On day two, home run wires are pulled. Home runs are the start of the new circuit. Basically, they come from
the electrical panel to the start of the circuit. Once they are all pulled in, we start fishing wires in to all of the new electrical box locations. NMB Wiring is used for all of the new electrical installed. The next few days we are fishing in the new circuits.

 Seattle Electrical Code only requires you to rewire the dwelling "as is" meaning you only need to rewire to the existing locations. Labor and Industries will sometimes make you rewire "up to NEC Code" meaning you have to add outlets and switches. This adds a minimum of 3-5 days. Since the home was in Seattle territory, we only added outlets that the homeowner requested.

On the last day of the rewire the circuits are all attached to the Electrical panel. This homeowner chose to purchase the best Electrical Panel we offer. It comes with a copper bussing, whole home surge protection, updated grounding and bonding, panel labeling, and limited lifetime warranty on all parts.

A thorough testing of all the circuits is done after power is restored to the home. Everything worked perfect the first time. Inspection was scheduled the next day, and passed off the first time. This whole home rewire went about as smooth as it could have. Another satisfied Angies List customer.

Emergeny Electrical Service Redmond Washington

SeaTown Electric received another emergency service call today. It was for a customer who found us through Angie's List  . The customer lives in Redmond Washington, and the emergency crew for SeaTown Electric was just wrapping up a Knob and Tube rewire inspection in  Seattle Washington. The home owner had a sump pump that had no power to it. The arrival time was within 2 hours from the home owner calling in. Our crew showed up ready to troubleshoot all of their electrical needs. It started by inspecting the outlet that was not working. Usually during electrical troubleshooting we look for space heaters, vacuums, tripped GFCI outlets, or any other "heavy" electrical load that could effect the circuit. After taking out multiple electrical outlets, and inspecting the wiring, everything looked good. The electrical panel was the next step to look over.

At the electrical panel we noticed loose wires on the neutral bar, But the wires did not connect to the circuit that was not working. After opening more outlets in the circuit and tracing more wires, we found a junction box. There was the issue, the wires in the junction box where loose. after a quick tighten, the outlets all worked again. the electrician notified the home owner that Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Basically all King and Snohomish county requires GFCI outlets in exposed basements, and that there sump pump outlet was not GFCI protected.

The home owner decided to GFCI protect the sump pump outlet and everything was brought up to Washington State code and NEC code. The Redmond electrical job was complete. Another Angie's List satisfied customer.

Safety Hazards With Space Heaters in Seattle Washington

We thought some helpful information would be good on electrical space heaters, And some of the dangers that come with plugging them into lighting circuits. Most homeowners would not think twice to plug there new space heater into any old outlet. Seatown Electric has had countless service calls in the Seattle area over outlets that are burned up or breakers that are tripped due to overloaded circuits.

Most older homes have overloaded circuits just from being wired "to code". Because back when the wiring was done, it was done in an era where only a few appliances were used. With technology changing rapidly, there is defiantly a need for more power.

So how much is a typical 15 amp circuit rated for? Household devices are required to run at 110-125 volts and most are rated at 115 volts so 1725 watts for a 15 amp cord or circuit. It is generally considered to be a good idea to not run at the exact rating of the breaker or fuse using this voltage because the voltage can rise, increasing the amps, Not to mention the fuses or breakers will sometimes fail. 80% is a number commonly suggested, in this case it is easier to just to suggest 1500 watts which is about 13 amps.

So what happens if you plug in a space heater? It depends on the wattage of the heater, you can check this on the manufacture label. Most can be found as a sticker mounted on the side. A typical space heater runs at roughly 1200-1800 watts. What this means is by plugging in the space heater you have come close, if not already maxed out the breakers max load.

In Seattle, Knob and Tube is present in roughly 30% of homes. The wiring method was to support a table lamp in each room and maybe a couple small appliances in the kitchen. Most of these homes have the entire upper floor on one circuit. If you plug a space heater into any Seattle home with knob and tube wiring, You are most likely putting the home into serious risk, Especially if the home has an outdated electrical panel. Then you have no overcurrent protection if you do in fact overload the circuit with a space heater.

There is a couple steps you can take to prevent electrical fires, or burned outlets from space heaters. The first step is map out the homes electrical system. Seatown Electric in Seattle Washington is one of many Seattle Electrical Contractors to choose from when hiring to resolve electrical issues. Going through the house and get a detailed label and map of what each circuit is doing helps to determine how the original wiring was done. Step two, Is to have a look at the electrical fuse panel or breaker box. If it has been updated within the last 20 years then AFCI Breakers would be recommended to help catch any faults in the circuits or appliances that are plugged in. If the panel box is older than 20 years it is recommended that it be upgraded. If Knob and Tube is present, an estimate to get it removed would be recommended.

By this time you should have a pretty good idea of how the electrical is wired, your Electrical Contractor most likely can come up with recommendations on the next steps to accommodate your space heaters. They will include fixes such as, dedicated circuits, splitting up existing overloaded circuits, installing AFCI or GFCI beakers, New panel box, and Rewiring old Knob and Tube.

Above is an image of an outlet found by Seatown Electric on a service call in Seattle Washington, The homeowner had smelled burning in there newborns nursery. There was an 1800 watt heater plugged in, the entire floor including the kitchen was on one circuit. There was no breakers in the home, just old screw in fuses. The home had no ground, No smoke detectors with Knob and Tube wiring, and was asking for a fire. Luckily the homeowner called when they did, because as you can see this outlet was about to create a fire with no warning.

To sum up this post, think twice before plugging in one or multiple space heaters. If you are not sure of the condition of your homes electrical you owe it to yourself and your family to have an Electrical Contractor look it over. And please, bare minimum get interconnected smoke detectors installed to at least warn your family of a potential fire.

For scheduling a free estimate in the Seattle area please visit www.seatownelectric.com

 

Knob and Tube electrical wiring safety hazards in Seattle washington

Is Knob And Tube wiring safe? 

All Knob and Tube wiring is dangerous. There is nothing safe about Knob and Tube. Most homeowners or electricians in the Seattle area have heard rumors from neighbors, or handyman contractors, saying things like "It's not dangerous if you don't tamper with it" or "It's been around this long and it still works". The fact is, yes, it does work, and so does speaker wire.  But is speaker wire safe to use as a current carrying conductor? NO. And neither is Knob and Tube. 

Why isn't Knob and Tube safe? Well, for starters, it was designed for the early 1900's appliances, a table lamp or two, and maybe a refrigerator. It was not designed for computers, multiple small kitchen appliances, flat screen TVs, cell phone chargers, etc... This is old, brittle wire, we are talking about. There is a reason why insulation companies have to get Electrical Contractors to "sign off" on the Knob and Tube, before they can cover it. Seatown Electric will not "approve" knob and tube wiring.

Knob and Tube wiring has No Ground. What happens if you have no ground? It's simple. You and your family are at risk of shock. Anyone who says this is safe, needs to be educated on electrical grounding and bonding. Bottom line is, Knob and Tube is far from safe, and it should be replaced. SeaTown Electric, and our knowledgeable estimators, will come up with a plan to meet any budget, and help make your home the safest it can be.

You can visit www.seatownelectric.com for a free estimate on removal of old knob and tube wiring.

Is My Electrical Panel Safe?

Is my electrical panel safe?

 

Our answer is always the same. What year was the house built? And, have you ever had it inspected? If it has been 5-10 years, and you have no record of any inspections, you owe it to yourself and family, to have it looked at.

 

Along with inspections, to assure your safety, there are also websites available to help rule out problem panels. www.ismypanelsafe.com is a a very helpful recource, to help determine if your panel is one of the worst out there. In the electrical industry, there are three panels that every electrical contractor will agree are the worst: Zinsco panels, Federal Pacific panels, and of course, Fuse panels. All of which, have been recalled due to extreme fire hazards.

 

Electrical panels are the heart of your electrical system, and a lot of the time, are overlooked as being a simple "grey box". In reality, the panel is the source that ties in all of the components, that make your system safe. If you constantly trip breakers, and your panel is older than 20 years, you need to start thinking about upgrades.

 

To request a FREE quote, visit us at www.SeaTownElectric.com