5 Most Common Reasons for Electrical Fires

Electrical fires are common accidents for both commercial spaces and residential properties. These electrical fires are so damaging that the Electrical Safety Foundation International reports that over 50,000 home electrical fires cause almost 500 deaths and more than 1,400 injuries in a year. That’s more than a billion-dollar of residential property damage.

 

Commercial spaces aren’t exempted. The U.S. fire Administration said that in 2017, about 8,200 fires were due to electrical issues translating to almost a $450 million loss. Electrical fires are becoming a usual occurrence, and it’s high time to take action to prevent it from happening to your property and risking not only your investments but also your family. When do electrical fires happen? How do they start? 

 

Causes of Electrical Fires 

Homes and commercial buildings rely on electricity to power daily activities. We use electricity regularly, and we can’t just assume that this system would keep operating in good condition and without risks. We must understand what causes these electrical fires to be able to prevent them. 

 

Outdated electrical wiring

Often, old wirings cause electrical fires. Homes that are 20+ years old can’t handle all the new electrical appliances in today’s modern society. Today, most homes have multiple computers, several giant TV screens, video players, an AC system, kitchen appliances, and more. Average households have increased power load due to the addition of new appliances. Old wiring easily heats up and catches fire quickly. 

 

Light fixtures

Light fixtures, including light bulbs and lamps, are usual suspects for electrical fires. Some would use bulbs with too much wattage for their lamps and fixtures. It’s wise to always check the maximum wattage that your lamps can hold. You can also check the recommended bulb wattage for your lamps and fixtures. Don’t use a 100-watt bulb for your 60-watt light fixture! 

 

Disregarding safety codes

Homes and commercial businesses must adhere to safety code standards as these are updated now and then to keep up with the increasing electricity demand. Old wires can’t support the current electrical power used in both home and commercial spaces. Replace these wires to prevent excess heat and, worse, fires.

 

Misuse of extension cords

Extension cords are often misused. TV, computer, game console, and phone chargers are usually found in one single extension cord. This is a significant fire hazard as it creates a power load, and these extension cords are designed to handle such an amount of power load. 

 

In some homes, appliances are intentionally plugged into electrical cords. In truth, extension cords are created for temporary use. Machines must not be plugged into extension cords for a long time since machines are meant to be plugged directly into outlets. 

 

Putting highly flammable objects near light fixtures

Even simple reasons such as putting clothes, papers, and other flammable objects near lampshades can cost you your family’s life. Some people would read their newspapers, magazines, and whatnot. The tendency is they put these on their lampshade table. The heat from the lampshade can ignite these materials and cause fires. Be sure to keep those papers away from your light fixtures and lamps. 

 

Check your home and commercial space for any of these tell-tale signs for electrical fires. While accidents do happen, there’s always a higher chance of getting away with them if you make a conscious effort to prevent them from happening. Prevent electrical fires today. 

 

You can call your local fire and rescue service to do a home fire assessment for your home. You can also reach out to us at Hero Services and let our team of professionals check out your electrical wirings and ensure that your home is safe from electrical fires. 

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AC Unit and HVAC Unit: A Common Misunderstanding

 

When you live in an area with a spiking temperature, buying an air conditioning system is considered a must. But lately, most homeowners are sometimes confused by sellers’ technical jargon when buying such air conditioning systems. For most, they seem to have considered an Air Conditioning Unit and an HVAC as the same. One of the main reasons is that these names are being used interchangeably by the sellers themselves. But are they really the same? Here we are going to answer one of the most common questions we get from homeowners regarding these two.           

What is an HVAC Unit, and How Does it Work?

First of all, HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. It is the union of your heating system, central air conditioner, and the ducts all over your home or business area which works together to keep your area comfortable for all seasons. Other than that, an HVAC system also helps in maintaining the quality of your indoor air. When the heater or air conditioner is working, the ventilation system pulls the air from the inside, filters it, and then recirculates it with the outside air, which then provides clean air. The HVAC system also includes heating and cooling to residential and commercial buildings. An HVAC system is commonly found in almost every home as it is known to provide environmental comfort. The three primary functions of an HVAC system, which are heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, are actually interrelated, especially during the whole process of creating quality indoor air and thermal comfort. Other than that, an HVAC system has nine parts, which are the air return, exhaust, compressor, filter, ducts, electrical elements, outlets, outdoor unit, blower, and coils.

What is an AC Unit, and How Does it Work?

When discussing what HVAC is and how it works, we knew that HVAC stands for “Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning.” Now an AC unit is literally just the last part of its meaning: “Air Conditioning.” So in that context, when we are talking about AC, we are generally just talking about the system that cools the air inside your residence or office, the HVAC system’s last functionality. While AC is limited to the cooling function, an HVAC unit can do either the heating or the cooling, or even both. To simplify it further, these acronyms are the same. Even so, air conditioners still come in two basic types, the central and window. A central air conditioner provides cooling to your entire household or office while a window air conditioner cools just the area or room that it is being installed.

 The Conclusion

Investing in an HVAC unit or a separate AC unit can be quite the decision, especially when you live in an area where the temperature is inconsistent. So when you live in a space with a spiking temperature and with a tight budget, an AC unit would be preferable. But if you live in an area where hot and cold alternates, a complete HVAC unit would be for the best.

For more information on heating, ventilation or air conditioning, Contact HERO Services for Knoxville HVAC. We are happy to help!

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The Best Drain Cleaning Methods

Leaking pipes and clogged drains are frustrating and literally drain-ing. When faced with such plumbing issues, you either wish you could end it right then and there, or you could call your plumber pal to help you fix it without having to pay for a high price. 

If you do not have someone to call in times of plumbing emergencies, check out these drain cleaning methods that our experts recommend: 

Refrain From Using Chemical Drain Cleaners 

Plumbing experts do not recommend using any chemical drain cleaners to clean your pipes because it can cause more damage than good. What they recommend instead is plunging or snaking the drain to easily and safely remove the clog. 

Some chemical drain cleaners contain substances that react with aluminum emit harmful gases. Also, some chemical drain cleaners can harden inside the pipes, which can be difficult to remove. In some cases, when mixed with other household cleaning agents, the chemicals can cause the pipes to burst out. Instead, you can use other drain cleaning products that are eco-friendly and safe. Or, you can go organic by mixing a cup of baking soda with water. This classic combo always does the trick! 

How to Unclog Bathroom Sink and Tub Drains 

Most of the time, the culprit for bathroom sink and tub drain clogs are excess toothpaste or long hair. To solve this, fill the basin with hot water and unplug the sink’s drain. This should flush the drain out and clean it. However, this method doesn’t always work for everyone. You can use a plunger or a snake to take out the clog physically.   

Bathroom Sink and Tub Drain Clog Prevention  

Run hot water down the drain after taking a shower to make sure that your bathroom drains and unclogged. The hot water dissolves any water-solution materials present in your shampoo or toothpaste and helps prevent clogged drains. 

If you have long hair, you can use a drain saver for your bathtub to catch any fallen hair and keep it from going down your pipes. It will then be easy for you to take out the hair and throw it away. Never flush hair down the bathroom sink or the drain. 

Toilets

According to our experts, there are only three things that should go down the drain – first, you know what it is, second, you still know what it is, and third, toilet paper. Never flush down anything that is too large and doesn’t biodegrade and can potentially cause clogging. 

Toilet clog prevention 

To prevent toilet clogging, make sure not to flush down anything that is not supposed to be flushed down.

Things you should never flush down: 

• Nail clippings
• Feminine Hygiene Products 
• Dental Floss
• Hair 
• Cotton swabs  

How To Unclog Kitchen Drains 

Hot water always saves the day, and you can very much use this tip when you have a clogged kitchen drain. Run extremely hot water and dish soap to dissolve the clog. If this method doesn’t work, try using a kitchen plunger and rerun hot water with grease-dissolving dish soap again. 

Or, you can still go organic by mixing baking soda and vinegar in equal parts. Pour the mixture down the pipe to naturally get rid of stubborn clogs without damaging the pipes. 

Kitchen Drain Clog Prevention

Keep grease away from your pipes to avoid clogged kitchen drains. Grease can accumulate in the pipes and solidify into a huge chunk of waste that causes clogs. 

To dispose of grease, put it in a disposable jar and throw it away when it hardens. Also, use a sink filter to collect food wastes and keep them out of your drains to prevent clogging. Make use of your garbage disposal if you have, and make sure to run it with water after use. This method helps push food scraps down the drain line. Food wastes such as eggshells, stringy vegetables, and foods that expand with water should be kept away from your drains. 

If you end up having a clog and nothing seems to work for you, you can always call a professional plumber for help. They can make sure that the problem is solved immediately and effectively. Plus, you can always ask them for recommendations that you may need in the future.

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How To Fix Common Kitchen Plumbing Problems

Every single thing in your kitchen, or your home, generally, depends on good kitchen plumbing. Otherwise, not a thing would be running smoothly and efficiently. Without a well-operating kitchen plumbing system, you won’t be able to use your ice cube dispensers, nor your refrigerators, hot water for dishwashing, and a lot more inconveniences will be coming your way. These issues are causing a lot more problems in your home down the road. 

 

It’s always a wise decision to call a professional plumber whenever the need arises, but there are times when professional help is not always accessible. In this case, you will be forced to perform minor repairs yourself, and it would greatly help if you had sufficient DIY skills. Below are common kitchen plumbing problems and how you can fix them. 

 

Low Water Pressure at the Kitchen Sink 

Weak water flow at the kitchen sink might signify that you are having a clogged aerator. This happens when minerals like calcium accumulate in the aerator as they go along with water as it flows through. To fix this issue, you can simply remove the aerator using a brush dipped in vinegar. Replace it right after wiping out all the debris and making sure it’s all cleaned. 

 

Leaking Kitchen Faucet   

Generally, leaking faucets and any problem of that sort require professional help. To first-aid the kitchen plumbing issue, check for common problems before calling in a professional plumber.  

 

If you notice the faucet leaks from the bottom, there is a great chance that it’s due to a worn O-ring seal. If you plan to disassemble the faucet yourself, be sure to turn off the water source first to avoid more complications during the process. Gently remove the coupling nut and induce the spout right from its socket to access the O-ring. 

 

Clogged or Leaking 

There is a P-shaped trap tailored to prevent sewer gases and foul odors from sneaking inside your home. With the help of gravity, water is pulled into the curved section of the pipe, which blocks out the gases. Substance buildup such as soap scums or grease can accumulate in the P-trap and eventually blocks the water from flowing. Sometimes this also causes water leaks. 

 

If you need to check the P-trap, place a container below it and loosen up the slip nuts using pliers. Make sure to do this at each end and remove the trap.  

 

 

Garbage Disposal Care

It is basic human decency to always dispose of garbage properly. Those homes with a garbage disposal are fortunate, but they cannot handle wastes like grease and bones. Food wastes are sometimes the reason why garbage disposal gets clogged and stops working. If you are faced with this problem, you may simply press the reset button. To prevent any kitchen plumbing problems, let cold water run down the drain for 15 seconds before using it. You may also repeat the same step for around 30 seconds after using it. 

 

Dishwasher Leaks

When you want to search for a leak location, make sure to check the following problems that may be causing the leak before pulling the dishwasher out. 

 

• Broken float switch 
• Damaged spray arms 
• Leaky door gaskets
• Leaks

 

Insufficient or No Hot Water at All 

Your water heaters may need upgrading if you have recently added a water-using appliance to your kitchen. If there’s just too many appliances using a water heater, you might face hot water insufficiency. 

 

Insufficient or no hot water being produced may be due to a damaged gas pilot, thermocouple, or control valve. Sometimes it can also be due to a broken dip tube. This tube allows cold water to get to the bottom of the water tank for heating. If this is damaged, you can easily replace it by disconnecting the cold water inlet and undo the pipe nipple. 

 

Clogged Drains 

Debris buildup in the drains can disrupt the flow of water through the drains. You can use a plunger as a first aid to this kind of problem, as it is also a safe way to unclog your drains compared to chemical drain cleaners, which damages your pipes over time. Choose a product that is organic or eco-friendly to be safe. You may also resort to the classic DIY solutions that our great ancestors have passed down to us – baking soda and water or baking soda and vinegar. This combo never fails us. You can trust the process just by watching the bubbling action breaking up the clog. All you have to do is wait for about half an hour and then run hot water down the drain right after. 

The post How To Fix Common Kitchen Plumbing Problems appeared first on Hero Services.

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Knoxville Plumbing

Based in 2004 by a U.S. Air Power veteran, our company takes satisfaction in its professionally educated of their discipline, drug-examined, and background-checked technicians, a lot of whom are veterans themselves. We consider that in applying the military’s ideals of arduous work, honesty, duty, and pride to what we do daily here at Hero Companies, and our many glad shoppers have responded with 5-star opinions on Google, Fb, and Yelp! Our technicians put on clean uniforms which can be inspected daily. They use flooring protectors and take every precaution to respect your property or business.

Hero Services gives 24/7 emergency service so shoppers won't have to attend for prolonged periods without water, electricity, septic, or warmth/air conditioning. Our Straight Forward pricing ensures that purchasers will know what they need to pay with none hidden fees. We additionally offer a number of financing choices, comparable to the identical as cash and 0% curiosity, that may be applied for easily. We now have a great deal of delight in our work and can do all we will to provide our shoppers with one of the best total value.

Are you experiencing a pipe leak? Contact us and our technicians will find and restore the leak utilizing excessive-high quality elements and equipment and we provide trenchless strategies similar to pipeline bursting and directional boring. Has your water heater stop working? Our plumbers will repair or replace the unit with a state-of-the-art, vitality-environment friendly water heater and make sure that it's correctly installed.

Is there a problem with the wiring in your house? Let our educated electricians come and safely clear up the problem. Are you looking to improve the lighting in your small business? Our electricians can install new, more efficient lights.Do you want your septic tank pumped? Enlist our specialized pumping services. Does your restaurant’s grease entice have to be pumped? Our pumping service can try this as well.Does the warmth pump or AC/C unit at your house or administrative center want changing? Our HVAC technicians will take away the outdated unit and set up a new one. Does your warmth pump or air conditioner want extra freon? Contact us and we will make it happen!

The mission of Hero Providers is to provide plumbing, electrical, pumping, and HVAC companies with the same level of accountability, honor, and pleasure instilled in the men and women serving in our armed forces. All of our technicians are professionally educated of their subject, meaning that the technician that comes to your own home or enterprise is specially skilled within the job they are asked to perform. Conveniently situated on Clinton Highway, we are proud to serve the folks of the Better Knoxville area.

HVAC is brief for heating ventilation and air conditioning, and whereas both the heating and cooling components are grouped together as a system, they may employ vastly completely different strategies for regulating your own home’s temperature. As an illustration, in the event you dwell in a northern climate, you may have a full ducted heating system, but rely solely on a scattering of window units to your air conditioning. In the meantime, for those who live in the south, a full central air system is a greater option, as it could possibly warmth and funky the entire home extra efficiently. Usually, however, HVAC models fall into four types:

Cut up System: Units are described as “split techniques” when they have parts of the unit put in within the exterior and inside of the home. The air conditioning unit will be utilized in combination with a furnace, making it a super alternative if you already have a gas furnace installed in your house and want to improve to central air. The outdoor part of the unit usually accommodates a fan, condenser, and compressor, whereas the interior unit homes the fan and evaporator.

Indoor air quality expert Nate Bellino believes individuals would be a lot healthier in the event that they cleaned up the air inside their homes. And that’s precisely why he based HomeLab, so that householders can easily determine sources of indoor air pollution, repair them, after which monitor and maintain that level of wholesome, protected-to-breathe air. Here is his advice for preserving your private home’s air as clear as possible.

After we hear “pollution” we principally think of the outside, but it surely’s a lot worse inside. The EPA estimates that indoor air is 2-5 times extra polluted than outside air. A current research from George Washington College and Harvard found that 90% of properties comprise poisonous mud, which we inhale. We additionally spend 90% of our time indoors, so the air we breathe inside is impact.

A effectively-designed, nicely cared for plumbing system delivers dependable performance every day. Most of us take little discover of plumbing till an issue occurs and clogged drains or leaky plumbing leads to injury, inconvenience and unhygienic conditions.What’s the easiest way to cope with a small plumbing situation? Learn the way to handle these annoyances the suitable way, saving time and money.

Countless objects filter through your sink, bathe and tub drains, together with dirt, food waste, lint, hair and soap. Toilets handle waste merchandise and large quantities of bathroom paper. Construct up inevitably occurs over time, resulting in a mass blocking the passage of water from above. Back ups have a tendency to add to that mass, as larger gadgets pile up. Water ultimately overflows from the fixture and onto the ground or countertop.

The first step is to diagnose the type of blockage full or partial. A full blockage allows very little or no water to go by way of, and may be a result of dried particles that hardens or expands to fill the pipe. A partial blockage is the commonest sort of clog, and results in gradual water flow. Partial blockages shortly lead to full blockages, particularly when you proceed to use the toilet fixtures.

Whether you’re buying a house, or simply transferring in to your new house, here is some recommendation that may assist you. For those who’re in the buying course of the things you may be looking for are security and restore aspects. Most electrical contractors can offer you an inspection to test for each of these. If you are considering to yourself proper now that you've got or are going to hire a Dwelling inspector, assume again.

A home inspector does a generalized inspection. Most of them will know just a little about plenty of different areas, however be an professional in none with a few exceptions. It's a certainty in most areas to say you'll be compelled to hire one to get a mortgage, and that’s a very good thing. When you rent an experienced licensed electrician, your Knoxville Electrical inspection might be extra thorough and you can get an estimate to what repairs will price at the same time.

Septic tanks and methods are, by nature, designed to operate properly without issues or the necessity of human intervention or maintenance. For well over a hundred years, septic tank methods have been serving as a simplified answer to a unending provide of waste which is produced in the tons of of millions of tons per year range.

Since their inception, septic tanks have worked very much the best way they had been designed and have functioned so well that they have been the main alternative of officials and regulators - second only to public wastewater methods the place buildings are directly linked to municipal lines. Septic tank systems are usually not foolproof and can run into problems. Most programs are connected to a leach or drain field in some unspecified time in the future and the connection is normally made by buried piping and lines that allow secure passage for the wastewater to journey from the tank, to the filed.

Learn more here: https://goheroservices.com/knoxville-tn-services/plumbing/