In order to avoid emergency electrical situations, it is important to know what types of situations are most likely to cause an electrical outage. Understanding when you’re most likely to experience an outage can help you and your family have emergency supplies at the ready and your emergency electrical service provider’s number on-hand. Here are five of the most common issues that could lead to a power outage.

• Bad Weather: When a storm hits, there are many issues that you could face that could cause your electricity to go out. It could be lightning, too much heat or cold, or even ice that knocks out the power.
• A Crash: When cars run off the road and hit a power line, it can lead to a power outage. This issue may take hours or longer to correct.
• Digging: An excavation can also easily lead to major power issues. This can happen when one of the buried wires is hit or cut accidentally, causing you to experience a power disruption.
• Poor or Old Electrical Work: One thing that you need to be aware of are times where someone did not have qualified electrical work or an electrical inspection done, or when wires are simply getting too old. This can result in several problems, including a lack of power and even unsafe conditions inside your home.
• Natural Disasters: All types of natural disasters can result in power struggles, from blizzards and ice to earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. Whenever weather impacts power lines, you can anticipate an electrical outage.

If you’re currently dealing with an emergency electrical situation at your home or business, remember to stay calm. Ensure that each member of your family is safe, then call A-1 Electric’s team of master electricians to have a repair professional at your door within 24 hours.

The United States has over 450,000 miles of electrical lines running across it. While these electrical lines are almost always functional, blackouts can happen at any time — and some blackouts can span multiple counties and last for weeks on end. Let’s take a look at three of history’s worst blackouts and how they affected our country.

• 1965 Northeast Blackout. On Tuesday, November 9, 1965, a major blackout struck the Northeast United States after a tiny power surge occurred on a minor line, which shut down a major line originating from Northern Ontario. In just five minutes, over 30 million people in 8 different states were left completely without power for 13 hours. This blackout was so severe that it led to the creation of the Electric Power Research Institute to place additional electrical inspection regulations into place.
• 1977 New York City Blackout. On July 13th, 1977, the Big Apple saw its worst blackout ever when a substation was struck by a bolt of lightning. Neighborhoods from Bushwick to Crown Heights lost power for around 16 hours until power was restored. Large-scale rioting and looting ensued as restoration was delayed. By the time power came back online, around 4,500 looters were arrested, and 550 police officers were injured.
• 1982 West Coast Blackout. On December 22nd, 1982, high winds knocked a key transmission line out of commission outside of the town of Tracy, California. About 2 million people lost power, going without electricity for hours. The blackout stretched from San Francisco to Las Vegas, Nevada, and is considered one of the worst blackouts the West Coast has ever experienced.

An electrical emergency can strike at any time. If you’re in need of emergency electrical services, your first call should be to the team at A-1 Electric. Give our team of independent electrical inspectors and professionals a call and receive service in 24 hours or less!

Whether you need a simple rewiring project done or you want to install a new breaker box, you should never take on electrical work on your own. The dangers associated with trying to perform electrical maintenance are simply not worth the risk, and that’s not all! Performing electrical work without the proper permits and required work site inspections is illegal in Pennsylvania!

Many homeowners believe that doing the work themselves will save both time and money. Unfortunately, the truth is that handling your own electrical work can cause everything from damage to your home to serious, life-threatening injuries. It can also result in legal trouble, including fines and court costs, if you are found to be working without a permit. Continue reading →

You’ve finished your gift shopping, mailed out your greeting cards, and scheduled your end-of-year travel — but is your home ready for the winter holiday season?

Make sure you check these five holiday to-dos off your list before guests arrive! Continue reading →