Ask the Sparky

It might! You may have looked at all the breakers in your home panel and added them up, only to be baffled as to why there are 345 amps of branch breakers installed on your 200 amp panel.

B.C. electrical code sets out a calculation (created by very smart people) that allows your electrician to determine how many amps are required for any combination of loads in a house. Some items like a range are entered below their rating, some must be entered at their electrical rating, some that run continuously are entered at 125% of their rating. There are values for square footage area of the home, and also something special like that pottery kiln in the basement studio.

This is easily added up by your B.C. Red Seal Electrician and their trusty code book (almost in our sleep), so don’t hesitate to ask!

It is possible that you do have an obsolete switch in the wall that was abandoned, but more than likely it will control one half of an outlet that is meant for floor lamps. While not so common in the age of LED pot lights, it is still common practice for any room that does not have a light fixture wired in, to switch an outlet instead. Often this system gets messed up as changes are made, or wall outlets are replaced.

Still need help, or would like an overhead light installed? Give a ring to your B.C. Red Seal Electrician and we’ll help you sort it out!

In a residential setting, by far the largest power use is from space heating or water heating,  (Although one callout we remember, the culprit was a bitcoin mining computer!).  So while the kids may leave the lights on constantly, it will take a much bigger load to create a significant issue with your power bill.

There is a lot of smart meter data that can be accessed at the BC Hydro customer portal which is a great place to start tracking down errant power use. However if you need further expertise to analyze the problem, give a ring to your B.C. Red Seal Electrician and we’ll help you sort it out!

What Is a Tamper Resistant Outlet? - The Craftsman BlogYes! It is a requirement now that all new installations have Tamper Resistant Receptacles for safety unless the receptacle is 2 meters from the floor. For any plugs within reach, they must be Tamper Resistant.

These plugs have safety shutters that will block out foreign objects from being interested and causing an electrical shock.

So these are especially important for young children who are most at risk. If your home or workspace has been built before 2009, you will want to upgrade.

These new receptacles are not expensive at all and can be easily swapped out by one of our Red Seal Electricians.

Electrical Overload Images – Browse 9,825 Stock Photos, Vectors, and Video | Adobe Stock

Well its not about how many devices you have, its how much power each of those devices is pulling.
Quick Answer: 1800 Watts.
 
Long Answer: You see, every device that uses power adds to a total load on your circuit which if it exceeds a certain amount of wattage, it’ll cause the breaker to trip as its attempting to pull more power than is allowed.
 
Most plugs in your home are 15 Amp and therefore can carry a total wattage of 1800.
 
Many devices will list how much power they use on the back of the appliance or on its nameplate. From there its simple math! Just add it all up and see if it comes to an amount below 1800.
As a general rule of thumb, you should have a plug that’s dedicated to just having a heater or any kind of high heat appliance.
 
If you are having issues still even with few loads on your circuit, then call us and we’ll have one of our Red Seal Electricians take a look at it!
10 Best Portable Air Conditioners Of 2023 Portable AC Unit, 60% OFFWell it is very important to know that plug circuits can have 12 or more connection points in the circuit before the power gets to your plug in A/C or Heater. Maxing out each one of those joints increases the risk of exposing a weak link = “melt down”. Regular outlet wiring in your home is not designed for continuous heating and cooling, and as a result can cause issues.
 
If a load is “continuous” it means a device that will be running for more than 1 hour out of 2. If a load is continuous then by code it cannot be loaded more than 80% of its total capacity to allow for the safety margin.
 
Having a dedicated circuit for these permanent heating and cooling devices as required by code ensures that it will be rated for a continuous load that won’t be under any strain and ensure safety.
 
Be safe, use permanent heating and cooling with dedicated wiring to do the job it was intended for. Your plug in appliances are a convenience boost, not a replacement for the real thing.
 
If you’d like to set up a dedicated circuit or if there’s too much strain on your current circuits. Let one of our Red Seal Electricians take a look!
Your EXPENSIVE APPLICANCES like your Washing Machine, Dryer and LED Pot Lights contain electronics that are highly sensitive to electrical surges. An Electrical Surge is when there is an unexpected increases in voltage. When a device is exposed to a high burst of electricity, it’ll fry and melt the electronics.
 
Usually this is caused by a storm or other extreme weather.
Even without a storm, surges can and do happen.
 
Whole House Surge Protection which is vital to saving you money on vulnerable costly appliances. Which of course you can contact one of our Red Seal Electricians for if you are so inclined.