Arcs, Sparks, Buzzes: A Fire on the Way

The newspaper article says that a house or a business in your community burned down last night. The Fire Department says that the fire started in an electrical panel.

In some cases, people in the housefire die or sustain serious injuries because they didn’t wake up in time. The fire at the business site will put the owner out of commission until repairs and reconstruction occur.

Is there a way to avoid such fires that start in electric panels? Yes, if you pay attention and practice preventive maintenance.

Here are some tips for homeowners:

• Place your hand on the panel. If you feel heat, there’s a problem. A fire is waiting to happen.

• If you hear arcing and sparking around the panel, there’s a problem. The arcing and sparking lead to a meltdown of the electrical cable and connections, and eventually to a fire.

•  If you notice buzzing around the panel (and you notice there are no bees there), there’s a problem.

• For all the danger signals listed above, contact a licensed electrician.

• Have your licensed electrician look for faulty insulation in the wiring and for required tightness in the wires related to the electric panel.

• Check not only the main electric panel but any sub-panels in your home and the meter can (the industry name for the “container” that holds the meter attached to your house).

• If you find yourself tripping the circuitbreaker more than two times in a row, it’s also time to call the electrician. There is probably a “dead short” somewhere in the system. Continuous “tripping” will melt the wires, leading to a possible fire.

FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

Commercial property owners are subject to the same problems with electrical panels in their stores, shops, warehouses, etc. Preventive maintenance for businesses involves:

• Having your electrical system examined periodically. If a licensed electrical contractor is at your shop to make a repair, pay a bit extra for a complete overall examination of your electrical system.

• Asking a licensed electrician to perform a safety inspection, looking for any possible electrical hazards in your business site.

(Source: Kent Crook, Wiremasters, Miami, FL)