For busy people, having an electrical maintenance contract can be a great time saver. No more worrying about finding spare time to do all the maintenance around the house. No more wondering if you’ve done everything you’re supposed to. But that’s not the only reason to sign up for maintenance agreements. Having regular electrical maintenance appointments can be a key factor in your home safety in multiple ways.
Fire Hazards
One of the leading causes of home fires is problems with electrical wiring. The heat from electrical wiring can degrade and eventually break down their protective covering, leaving bare wires which can easily spark and start a fire inside your home’s walls. You may be able to tell some of the more obvious signs of old wiring such as:
- Breaker switches going off frequently
- Brown, discolored wall outlets
- Getting shocked when you plug in or touch an appliance
The problem is that once these signs are visible the trouble with your wiring has become a serious danger. Residential electrical contractors are trained to discovered problems with your wiring and electrical system before they become dangerous. Your contractor will perform regular electrical maintenance, repairing or replacing parts that have begun to wear out before they get to the point where they might start a fire.
Outdoor Lighting
Your electrical maintenance contract can include your outdoor lighting system, both in landscapes and on paths and buildings. When your contractor replaces bulbs on a regular basis and installs brighter bulbs to illuminate outside your home, it’s safer in two ways. First, brighter lights along walkways and on porches make it easier to walk into your home after dark, cutting down on the problem of tripping over objects you can’t see. Guests to your home can safely walk on unfamiliar paths, as well.
In addition, having reliable bright lighting outside your home is a great burglar deterrent. Most thieves don’t like to operate in bright light; they prefer breaking into homes when it’s dark and difficult for anyone to see them. Bright lights on your porch and motion-activated floodlights on your property can repel all but the most determined burglar.
HVAC
For some people, having the HVAC system in their home working well isn’t just a convenience, it’s a matter of life and death. Senior citizens, especially, are vulnerable to extreme heat variations on both ends of the thermometer. A furnace that goes out in the dead of winter in the north or a power outage that prevents air conditioning from working in Florida can be a danger to the youngest and oldest members of your family.
Allergies are a huge problem for some people here in southern Florida, and many HVAC units are equipped with filters that screen out molds and pollen. If you’ve got a child or other family member with extreme allergies, keeping that filtered air moving is a bit priority, and regular maintenance is the best way to make that happen.
Your contractor can find problems before they start, making electrical repairs while they’re still minor inconveniences and reducing the chance of you having to suffer through a dangerous heat wave without air conditioning.
The DIY Fan
Some families have a member who’s an avid DIY fanatic. They’re convinced they can do every repair necessary on their own home. Unfortunately, many of these people suffer serious shocks when trying to repair or replace their own electrical wiring or appliances. Some simple repairs are easy enough to do yourself, but not all wiring troubles are in a DIYer’s knowledge base. If you have an electrical maintenance agreement with a professional contractor, he’ll spot and repair any problems before your DIY fan can even find them, in most cases. If not, a valid response to them is to ask them to wait for the contractor instead of wasting money they’ve already spent.
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