Alister Blunt. the founder of Blunts ‘Your Home Electrician’, has been installing security systems in the greater Melbourne area for nearly 20 years.  This was Alister’s first company car, a very suave looking 1981 Ford Falcon XD, to deliver him to security system installs and repairs.  This smart looking vehicle was used to serve the areas of Canterbury and Kew, and although it has since retired gracefully, it still holds a special place in Alister’s heart.

When we buy electronic equipment, most of us don’t really think about the kind of damage that lightning or other electrical power surges can bring about.  But there’s more and more evidence to suggest that you should.

Power surges are spikes in voltage.  They are very brief, usually lasting millionths of a second. Power surges can vary in duration and magnitude, varying from a few hundred volts to several thousand volts.

Like it or not, your home experiences power surges virtually every day, and usually without your knowledge.

How Does a Power Surge Cause Damage?

A spike in voltage can be harmful to appliances and electrical devices in your home. An increase in voltage above an appliance’s normal operating voltage can cause an arc of electrical current within the appliance. The heat generated in the arc causes damage to the electronic circuit boards and other electrical components.

Smaller, repeated power surges may slowly damage your electronic equipment. Your computer or stereo may continue to function after small surges occur until the integrity of the electronic components finally erode and your satellite system, cordless phone, or answering machine mysteriously stops working. Repeated, small power surges shorten the life of appliances and electronics.

Where Do Power Surges Come From?

There are several sources of power surges, including:

• Power utilities during power grid switching.
• Lightning, the most powerful form of power surge.
• Large appliances motors turning on and off.

Power surges can enter a home through several paths. Lightning can take the path of the cable TV, satellite dish cable, incoming telephone lines, or through the incoming electrical service line.

Sarath Perera, associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of Wollongong says that continuous disturbances in the power supply tend to happen without our knowledge, but can substantially compromise sensitive equipment over time.

“There is a range of things that can happen resulting in too much or too little voltage and equipment can be affected by either of those things,” he says.

An NRMA insurance spokesman warns that power surges tend to happen more in the summer months, around storms and blackouts, and in regional and holiday locations.  Some standard home insurance policies can be upgraded to include cover for power surges.

There are a number of surge protection products on the market that will offer warranty protection and an insurance-type payout should they fail to do their job in the face of a lightning bolt or other catastrophic failure.

How to Protect your Home Electronics.

E piece of electronic equipment in your home should be plugged into a power strip with built-in surge protection.  These can comfortably handle the “everyday” type of surges we all encounter.

But power strips can’t do the job alone.  For ultimate peace of mind, they need to be supported by one or more whole-house surge protectors.  Some models combine electrical, phone and cable protection in a single unit, while others are designed for each of these three individual services.

To learn more to schedule service, contact the licensed and experienced electricians at Blunt’s today.  We welcome this and every opportunity to serve you.

Phone: 9428 6770

Click here to ask questions or schedule service now

So, in the spirit of the holiday season, Blunt’s Electric is pleased to pass on these five key home electrical safety tips.

1. Rely on Professionals

Electrical work needs to be done by licensed electricians. It’s illegal to do your own electrical work, and you can be fined for working on your electrics yourself. Also, your insurance company can refuse your claim if any damage originated from work done by anyone without a license.

2. Electrical Safety Test

Prevention is better than a cure, so if you’ve bought a new home or it’s been a long time since you’ve had an electrician in, book an electrical safety test. A licensed electrician will test your electrical board, power points, appliances and wiring, and then take any steps to make the electrics safer.

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3. Install Safety Switches

Safety switches are cost effective and protect people from electrical shocks by automatically turning off the power supply if a misconnection occurs. Many homes already have them (it’s compulsory for all new homes) but check that you have safety switches and install them if you don’t. If you do have them, they should also have a ‘test’ button so test this regularly (the test result should be that the power turns off).

4. Get a UPS (Uninterruptible power supply)

If you are running a home office or just use your PC a lot, a UPS is a good idea. When power cuts your PC turns off immediately as it has no battery power, and this can damage your hard drive and/or you can lose what you’re working on. A UPS is inexpensive and easy to install.

5. Be Aware

No one really needs to be reminded of these things, but there are a couple of common sense items that will help you keep electrical accidents to a minimum.   Taking precautions and not using appliances near water, not overloading your power points, putting safety plugs in power points you don’t use, etc. will ensure you and your family is safe.

If you have any questions or need an electrician to perform an electrical safety test, contact Blunt’s today.  We can help you with all of your electric needs.

9428 6770

Click here to ask questions or schedule service now

What is a Split Air System?

Split air systems come in two main varieties:  air conditioning only, or heating and air combined.  Like central air conditioning, split air systems have one or more outside condensing units.  Each such unit can support up to five indoor blowers that radiate the air throughout your indoor living space.

For added flexibility, the blowers can be mounted on walls, ceilings, floors…even inside a closet.  They are designed to complement rather than detract from the aesthetic appeal of your home.

When choosing a split system air conditioner, make sure you choose one that is easy to maintain and inexpensive to install.  Most air conditioners with three-phase connections are expensive and entail high maintenance.  More so, you should know that EER or energy efficiency rating gauges the air conditioner’s efficiency.  The EER is the ratio of the air conditioner’s cooling capacity to the power consumption.  Consequently, when the EER is higher, the air conditioner produces better cooling.

You should also ensure that the room or area in which you plan to install the split system air conditioner has proper insulation.  In addition, you should choose a split type that has high moisture removal rate and one that has faster rate of airflow.

Split air systems also have such built-in features as:

• Remote control operation
• Auto timers
• Auto sleep mode
• Humidity control

More Split Air System Advantages

Here are some additional system advantages:

• Anti-allergy enzyme filter keeps allergens out of the air.
• Ability to cool your home more efficiently and in a shorter period of time than conventional air conditioning units.
• Because it is a more efficient system, split systems save you money on your energy bills.
• You have total control over the cooling or heating of each room in your home.
• Because there are no ducts the split system is very quiet.

Learn More from Blunt’s Today.

Contact Blunt’s Electric for a free quote and evaluation of your home’s heating and cooling needs. Or, if you already have a split air system, we also provide expert system maintenance and repairs.

We look forward to hearing from you.

9428 6770 Click here to ask questions or schedule service now

Light and colour

Colour and light are interdependent. The stimulus of light on the retina causes us to perceive colour and our perception is affected by the quality of the light.

The goal of every lighting scheme is to select the amount and quality of lighting to render colours as accurately as possible.

Incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, full-spectrum

Rooms without much sunlight can benefit from halogen lights. It isthe most like direct sunlight—cooler and clearer than incandescent yet warmer than fluorescent.

Cool-toned lights look best when illumination is highest. Warm-toned lights look best at low levels of illumination. Halogen is an excellent choice for brightly lit interiors. Incandescent lights or even candlelight will complement low-lit rooms best.

Full-spectrum lighting is considered psychologically beneficial. Consider full-spectrum if the level of daylight in your home is low overall. Full-spectrum lighting renders colour more accurately than any other light.

Sconces

Sconces can range from looking like artwork on your wall to a discreet source for a wash of light. These are the most versatile of lighting options and are perfect for every décor.

When to use built-ins

Built-in lighting is artful in a different way. If the light source is hidden in the architecture, light itself becomes the constantly changing design element. It can add or change the intensity of colour and emphasis to create different modes in your living space. If your room is filled with art, for example, you can highlight certain pieces of art with a wash of light and use shadows to downplay less important objects.

There’s much more to think about when it comes to decorative lighting, so please come back for more electric words of wisdom from Blunt’s Electric.

9428 6770

Click here to ask questions or schedule service now

While it’s more cost efficient to install data cabling during construction, there are ample benefits for any modernly equipped residence.

• Consistency–A single data cabling system can serve the same purpose as multiple systems. Do you really want to figure out how to install and troubleshoot the phone, ethernet, ISDN, and other home cabling…one tedious installation at a time? Plus, what happens in 6 months when you want to upgrade to two-line phones? Do it right the first time, and one well-designed system will suffice.
• Longer life – Data cabling is an investment that will last for the long term.
• Support for multi-vendor equipment – A standards-based cabling system will support your applications and hardware even after you change or mix & match vendors.
• Simplify moves/adds/changes – Need to move a computer or TV from one room to another? Add a modem connection to the office, etc? Data cabling makes it all so much easier.
• Simplify troubleshooting – Even cables that were installed correctly can fail. With data cabling, problems are less likely to shut down the entire network, easier to isolate, and easier to fix.
• Support for future applications – Your structured cabling system will support future applications like multimedia, video conferencing, and much more with little or no upgrade pain.

At Blunt’s Electric, we make life simpler and safer for all of our customers. Contact us today to learn how we can do the same for you.

9428 6770

Click here to ask questions or schedule service now

Safety Switches Prevent Injury..And, They are Required by Law.

Safety switches are an inexpensive way to protect the people in your home from electric shock. They are specifically designed to prevent injury as they automatically turn off the electricity supply when faulty switches, wiring, or appliances are used.

Evidence clearly indicates that safety switches can prevent up to 90% of electrical-related accidents. In 1992, safety switches became mandatory for all newly built homes.  Even today, new homes must have safety switches on both the power and lighting circuits.

How can you tell if you have a safety switch or not? Have a look at your switchboard (usually located in the same place as your electricity meter) and look for a switch that has a “test” button next to it. If you do not have this switch, you probably don’t have a safety switch installed and you will need a licensed electrician to install one for you.

Building a new home

If you are building a new home, you must have a safety switch installed on both power and lighting circuits.

Buying a property

If you buy a property without a safety switch, you must have one installed for the power circuits within three months of a property transfer. This applies to any transfer of domestic premises.

Selling a property

If you sell a property, you first must establish if a safety switch is installed for power circuits. This must be declared on the standard sales contract and Form 24 Property Transfer.

Rental home

Rental homes must have a safety switch installed by the owner for power points within 6 months of the agreement.

For more information on how to make your home a safer place to live, contact Blunt’s Electric today.

9428 6770

Click here to ask questions or schedule service now