An office, retail, or commercial fire due to electrical causes is very bad for business. The National Fire Protection Association reports that within every five year period there are 3,340 office or commercial fires nationwide. This isn’t a bad assessment considering that residential fires far exceed commercial fires. However, it is a common goal is to reduce all commercial or residential fires. Burley Electrical Services would like to help reduce commercial fires and share a few signs that are common in commercial buildings that may be considered an electrical hazard.
Old Electrical Wiring
Commercial centers that are older than 50 years may have an old wiring system. Fifty years ago, knob and tube wiring was standard. This system used aluminum wires which later proved to be hazardous and a major cause of fires. Due to the aluminum wiring, the knob and tube electrical systems received a bad reputation. As such, they are no longer used but can still be found in older commercial buildings. If you own a commercial building that is 50 years old or older, have the wiring inspected and see if it has been updated. If not the building is at risk and should have the electrical system updated.
Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping
It is a bad sign when the breakers in a commercial building continually trip. When a breaker trips frequently, it is often cause by a circuit over heating or overloading. You may need additional circuits installed to prevent overloading a single circuit. Overloads are dangerous. The breakers trip to prevent overheating that cause fires. However, if a circuit continually overloads or overheats, it is still at risk for a fire. Consider adding additional circuits to prevent overloading a circuit.
Hot Electrical Outlets
When an outlet feels hot to the touch or even begins to melt or smoke comes out of the outlet, this is a serious problem. Commercial buildings are sometimes have a shortage of outlets. Therefore, the outlets are over used and at times, the power strips are added to improper levels. When an outlet is forced to pull a lot of power it can create heat and the outlet will feel hot. This is a common cause of electrical fires. If the commercial building doesn’t have enough outlets to perform the task needed, consider adding additional outlets and circuits to help reduce the load to a single outlet or circuit. Again, demanding too much power from a few outlets causes overloading or overheating which eventually can cause a fire.
Light Fixture, Switch or Outlet Buzzing or Flickering
If you have an outlet, light switch or light fixture that has a buzzing sound, this is never good. Buzzing usually indicates a faulty wiring system and needs repair. Lights that are dimming or flickering also indicates faulty wiring, or most commonly, a loose connection in a circuit. If a connection is loose then the internal wiring may be exposed which gets hot and can cause any material that comes in contact with it to catch fire.
Commercial Electrical Repairs, Upgrades & More in Imperial Point, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Deerfield Beach, Boca Raton, Davie, Lighthouse Point, Parkland, Fort Lauderdale & South Florida
It’s not good for business for the commercial building to burn down! If you are responsible for a commercial building and have a few warning signs that the electrical system needs repair or inspection, contact Burley Electrical Services. We provide a number of quality electrical services for commercial and residential electrical systems. To schedule our services, contact Burley Electrical Services today.
