The Shock Doctors Progressive Electrical Services Ltd
ECRA/ESA #7001377 |
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Writing your Prescription for Electrical Safety Sept 2011 |
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Recalls and Safety Alerts
To keep you informed, we will make this section a regular addition to our newsletter.
RECALLS
SAFETY ALERTS |
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Greetings!
The value of your home may fluctuate with the market over the years but statistically, if your home is well cared for, that number consistently creeps upward over time.
It is good practice to Keep an eye out for minor repairs that can prevent costly, larger problems down the road. It is a great tool to get the most from your home investment.
This month, let me give you a good example to bring home the value of ongoing maintenance checks.
Recently, one of our clients moved a couple of boxes to the attic for storage. Before the day was out, that task turned into a dead stock removal, re-insulation and an electrical circuit restoration.
 Terry Carman
Chief of Staff
PS. I thought i was a die-hard wild game eater, but apparently not. I am never going to try my Aunt Bea's recipe for braised squirrel. |
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| Attic Inspection | |
Last month a client of ours ventured into her attic; Never being up there before, she was surprised to find an amateur installation of her insulation. Batts of insulation were heaped up in some areas, compressed down in others, and jammed out into the eves; an absolute insulation-faux-pas. Although there was enough insulation present to provide the minimum R40 value as required in her attic, it was obvious that poor placement of the insulation and lack of proper attic airflow from the eves would compromise its effectiveness. It needed to be addressed.
Her plan of attack was solid. She would pull back all the insulation, remove damaged and compressed pieces, install moor vents to provide airflow from the eves into the attic cavity and re-lay the insulation properly.
Then she found THE squirrel. Unfortunately for little "Chatterer", he had nibbled down a three foot length of electrical wiring like he was eating a cob of corn, exposing bits of bare wire along the length. It took a good three feet of nibbling before his teeth stripped both the black and white wires at the same spot. When this happened, he became the electrical path and met an early demise
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| Questions answered | |
This answered a number of questions for our client:
Yes, a squirrel could, and would, get in that tiny hole in the soffit just off the back deck.
Yes, there was a real reason for that tripped breaker back in June that only tripped once and then reset nicely giving her no more trouble.
Yes, there was a real reason why a faint, unpleasant aroma occasionally wafted through the house throughout the summer. |
| Followup action | |
Of course, closing off the squirrel access hole was imperative. (Although it did feel a bit like closing the barn door after the horse is gone). She was lucky that she had no additional residents to evict. Replacement of the wire that lay bare in the attic was a necessary repair, and removing the departed stalwart nibbler was a most unpleasant procedure. |
| Healthy attic tips | |
Should you have reason to be in your attic space, make sure to inspect more than the cobwebs at the top. Check the placement of your insulation. Insulation should only extend to the edge of the exterior walls. It must NOT fill the spaces out over the eves. This mistake is one of the main reasons for ice buildup around the edges in the winter. For attic health, cool air should be able to flow in through the eves and leave through the top roof vents. Insulation should be carefully placed. Check that airflow is unobstructed and insulation entirely covers the joists at your feet. You should see no exposed rafters.
Make sure there is no obvious damage to any wires running across the space and that any exhaust fans are vented to the outdoors, not into the attic space. |
| Ask the Doctor? | | |
Cheating this month: Our question comes directly from our "squirrelly" attic owner.
Dear Doc: Why did I have to replace the wire in an attice that no one goes into except the odd stray squirrel? The wire would be covered by attic insulation so even if someone stepped on it nothing would happen.
Dear Squirrely: The insulation on cables serves a purpose other than shock protection. It is engineered to dissipate heat generated by electricity in a safe, efficient manner. This is why it must be replaced, and not just taped up. Also the ESA safety code is very specific on keeping electrical installations maintained in good and safe working order. Say you were in the attic, hiding your secret stash of important stuff in case of Armegeddon and you reached under the insulation and touched the bare wire: unpleasant surprise! |
| Do YOU have a question for the Doctor? | |  If you have a question about the health of your electrical system or just wondering about a little "plastic surgery", ask the doctor: Just click below and send your question to terry@theshockdoctors.ca |
Yours for a healthy attic,
 | | ECRA/ESA
# 7001377 |
Cheri
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Our Doc's Club is a comprehensive preventative maintenance program for your electrical system. The Shock Doctors strongly support the value of preventative maintenance for your electrical system so we have put together a program loaded with value and savings to ensure that your electrical system is working efficiently and help you avoid costly repairs caused by neglect.
For more information on our Doc's Club Membership click here.
Call or email today.
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