Sunset Air Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Aberdeen’

How to Spend Less on Heating This Year

Monday, November 16th, 2020
house-and-money-symbol-on-scale

Winter will be here before we know it, and we would like to help you prepare! Sure, it might not get as chilly here as other parts of the country, but our winters pack quite the punch. And that requires a fully functioning heater that works powerfully and effectively.

Having a great heater in place means many things—it means having a system you can rely on and a system that doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg to use. That’s right, you want that heater that works as efficiently as possible. After all, it is too cold for too long for homeowners to be overpaying for winter comfort.

Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take towards bettering heating efficiency that will leave you spending less to heat your home this year. Read on to learn more!

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Three-Prong Converters and Updating Your Home’s Electrical System

Monday, November 2nd, 2020
plug-in-outlet

You’re probably familiar with the “three-prong converter.” A house with old two-prong outlets won’t allow for standard three-prong plugs to connect. The solution? Pop over to the hardware store for a small converter that plugs into the outlet and then allows the three-pronged plug to fit. Done.

Except not really. Since the 1970s, major appliances are required to have three-prongs, and for good reason. It allows the appliances to work with homes that have grounded electrical outlets: that’s what a three-prong outlet is. A house with these outlets has been properly grounded. If your house is old enough that it still has two-prong outlets, we recommend you upgrade your electrical service rather than use converters, also known as “cheaters,” as a way around it.

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Don’t Ignore Those Flickering Lights—Here’s Why

Monday, February 11th, 2019

brick-wall-with-recessed-lighting-shining-on-itPerhaps flickering lights in your home is so commonplace that you’ve simply figured it’s “just something that happens.” This may especially be the case if you live in an older home. However, this shouldn’t be acceptable! In fact, you could be putting your home and its occupants in danger. Electrical issues that cause flickering lights can be serious. Electrical fires account for hundreds of injuries each year, through no fault of the homeowner, but are almost entirely preventable.

So what if it’s just a single bulb or light fixture that’s flickering? Then you probably only need to switch that one out. However, if you find that multiple lights are flickering in a room or throughout your living space, the cause is very likely an outdated electrical system with either frayed wiring or too much demand being placed on it. It’s worth noting here that flickering lights certainly are not the only sign of electrical trouble! There are a number of other indicators to watch out for that it’s time to upgrade your electrical system, which we’ve gotten into below.

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Should I Upgrade My Fuse Box?

Friday, August 8th, 2014

For many decades after the introduction of electrical power into homes, the fuse box served as the center of a house’s electrical system. Whenever an appliance placed too much demand on a circuit, a fuse would blow to prevent damage from electrocution or a fire.

The fuse box is now an old-fashioned concept, superseded by the circuit breaker panel. If you live in an older home that still uses a fuse box, the question has probably crossed your mind: “Should I replace it with an upgraded service panel?” The answer is simple: “Yes.” We’ll explain why below.

Upgrading your electric service panel is not difficult: you need only to call a skilled electrician in Aberdeen, WA and schedule an appointment to have the work done. The experienced team at Sunset Air can handle the job for you that will keep your home safe and your lights and appliances running without interruption.

Why Upgrade From a Fuse Box

Fifty years ago, the average electrical use in a house rarely exceeded 60 amps at any time, and consequently, fuse boxes were designed with this amount of power in mind. Most fuse boxes contained only four fuses, each capable of sustaining 15 amps. As power use increased in homes, fuse boxes were either enlarged to handle more circuits, or people placed larger capacity fuses into the fuse box—a potentially dangerous situation.

A modern home uses 150–220 amps due to the increased use of computers, monitors, and more powerful appliances. Fuse boxes do not have the capacity to handle this amount of amperage without constantly shorting out. This is both inconvenient and dangerous. Although you can continue to repair the fuse box and replace burnt-out fuses, you put your home at greater risk of an electrical fire.

A circuit breaker panel is much safer for your home. You will have lowered risk of electrocution and fires. Circuit breakers are also less of a hassle than fuse boxes: you only need to flip a circuit to restore power, while you have to replace fuses and risk running out of them.

So if you still have an aged fuse box in your home, it’s time to call for an electrician in Aberdeen, WA to swap it out for a modern service panel. Call Sunset Air today to arrange for the new installation that will protect your home and family. You can trust to our more than 35 years of experience.

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