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NEWSLETTER: Winter
You´ve Helped Me With My
Project,
Now Let Me Help You With Yours
The season is changing rapidly and with the change the rain becomes comforting...cleaning the air
and cleansing the Earth. There are times in my life that I truly look forward to our mild winters
and gentle rain. As I relax and finally fade into sleep, I listen to the winter rain, as the sound
comforts me to another place of peaceful thought.
Before I actually go to sleep, I contemplate many ideas that I have achieved during the daylight
hours. I go over my thoughts and look back to other times in my life when I was not as
fortunate.
Today, I am in
the process of building a shop for Globe Building & Electrical Contractors Inc. Over 30 years in
the building and electrical contracting service business and my company finally is building a shop
for the company. Usually the building is for a client and now I am sincerely grateful to all who
have made it possible, to be able to achieve such a greatness.
Last year, I
had the pleasure of buying a piece of land just outside of town...15 minutes from downtown
Eugene. The new site of a future home and soon the shop of Globe Building & Electrical
Contractors Inc.
I take this special opportunity to sincerely thank each and every one of you, for a gracious and
happy year.
I would like to share an important message
with you about a friend of mine, Stephen Dyer of
Dyer Remodeling. As an electrical contractor I come in contact with dozens of building and
remodeling contractors every year. Of these, one has stood out to me as providing the same type
of service that I give: detailed, courteous and professional. As you know, I am a perfectionist, and
Stephen has gained my trust over years of working together. Please read his letter to you,
enclosed with this newsletter, and call on him to help you with all your door, window, skylight
and remodeling needs.
I am about to journey to Maine for Thanksgiving and visit dear friends as they celebrate the 20th
anniversary of their home...of which I had the pleasure of helping them build.
Sincerely Yours,
Bari Swartz
IN THIS
NEWSLETTER
Our Formula To A Great Project:
We Complete Our Work So It Is Safe,
To Code
and Aesthetically Pleasing
Before your set up your new home office, call Globe to review your building and electrical needs
and overall safety.
When you´re converting your den, basement or outbuilding into a home office, call Globe
for a free estimate on remodeling. A well-built home office can help you realize the return on your
home investment.
With fax machines, computers, scanners, extra hard drives and other peripherals, you are likely to
need additional outlets and circuits. In fact, to protect your data you´l want a dedicated
circuit just for your computer so home appliance trouble doesn´t zap your business plans.
Call Globe for safe, to-code rewiring.
A foot of professionally installed electric wire is worth a mile of fire hose... Call Globe to
review your home, office and business wiring today and be safe always.
(& Adults Too)
- Never fly your kite near power lines and power poles.
- Never touch your kite if it gets caught on an electric wire or pole.
- Don´t climb power poles.
- Don´t climb trees that are near power lines.
- Never touch a fallen power line.
- Keep electrical appliances away from water.
- Stay away from substations and electrical equipment.
- During an electrical storm, get indoors.
Most injuries from electric heater fires occur at night when family members are asleep and the
heater unattended. Many people use power or extension cords which can be too small to supply
the current required by the typical portable electric heater. So ask yourself these questions, and
call Globe to help remedy any wiring problems:
- Is the heater operated at least three feet away from upholstered furniture, drapes, bedding
and other combustible materials?
- Is it where towels or the like could fall on it and trigger a fire?
- Is the extension cord (if used) marked #14 or #12 American Wire Gauge (AWG)? Is the
cord stretched out?
- Is it buried under carpeting or rugs?
- Is anything on top of the cord?
- Is the heater used on the floor?
- Is The heater turned off when family members leave the house or are sleeping?
- Is the heater on cabinets, tables, furniture or the like?
- Is it being used to dry wearing apparel or shoes?
- Is it in the bathroom or near any sink or water source?
You should be able to answer "yes" to these statements:
- The storage area above the stove is free of flammable and combustible items?
- Short or tight fitting sleeves, and tight fitting shirts, robes, gowns, etc., are worn while
cooking?
- Items that could attract children (like cookies and candy) are not kept above the range and
are kept out of the immediate area.
- The stove is not left unattended when cooking especially when the burner is turned to a high
setting.
- Pot holders, plastic utensils, towels and other non-cooking equipment are never placed or
stored on or near the range because these items can be ignited.
- Are all flammables well away from the heater?
- Is the heater´s fan working?
- Are the control knobs, wires and covers in good working order?
- Will the heater tip over?
Cloth kitchen towels used to wipe or drain large quantities of vegetable cooking or salad oil can
catch fire if heated. Normal laundering procedures may not remove all of the oil from the cloth. If
these oil-containing towels are dried in the clothes dryer, left in a pile while still warm, or stored
in a warm area, they may begin to smoke and catch fire.
Fires can also occur with paper towels and with other household oils (chemically unsaturated oils,
such as linseed oil and tung oil that are used to refinish furniture). When discarding do not
tightly pack them in the trash container. Make certain that the trash container is placed in a
ventilated area and is not exposed to excessive heat.
- If you come across a downed power line, treat it as a live wire. Don't touch it, don´t
go near it, and please report it immediately. Do all you can to warn others of the downed line until
a crew arrives.
- Look up! When working outdoors, make certain you keep your distance from overhead
power lines, especially when painting, putting up a TV or CB antenna, trimming trees, using
metal ladders, roofing, etc.
- Don´t erect anything within 10 feet of a high-voltage line. For example, never locate a
swimming or wading pool under a power line.
- Use power tools outdoors only in dry weather. Stand on dry surfaces and use only dry
materials. Make sure power tools are properly grounded. You may want to consider purchasing
a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).
- NEVER use radios, hair dryers or any electrical appliances near water, such as a swimming
pool or bath tub.
- ALWAYS disconnect an electrical cord by pulling the plug, not by yanking the cord.
- Don´t place a cord where it´s likely to be walked on or damaged in any way.
Don´t hide cords under rugs or furniture.
When replacing a light bulb in a portable lamp or fixture, make sure that the replacement bulb is
of equal or lesser wattage than that recommended by the lamp or fixture manufacturer.
- Check outlets and extension cords to make sure they aren't overloaded.
- Examine electrical cords to make sure they aren´t frayed, damaged or placed under
rugs or carpets.
- Make sure that the proper wattage light bulbs are being used in light fixtures and lamps.
- Consider installing ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).
- One of the most important precautions consumers can take is to test their smoke detectors
and to replace smoke detector batteries annually.
- Consumers should always follow appropriate safety precautions and manufacturer's
instructions.
If you have an old house Ü with old wiring Ü how do you know if repairs are necessary? How
extensive and costly can such repairs be?
Electrical systems age and can become overloaded, particularly in older homes. Over the years as
more lighting, appliances, and equipment are added, the electrical system becomes overburdened,
and problems can develop.
If fuses blow or circuit breakers protecting branch circuits trip frequently, new branch circuits or
other repairs may be necessary. Globe can determine if repairs are necessary.
Are Really For:
Never use an electric appliance or product for anything other than its intended use. Hair dryers
aren't meant to thaw frozen pipes, dry clothing, or warm bedding.
Ovens aren´t intended to heat your home. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the
proper use of a product.
Turn your garden into a wonderland at night! You can make your home stand out in your
neighborhood while you improve your own safety and security with lighting outside the home as
well as inside. And of course new lighting will expand your outdoor entertaining options
throughout the year.
You can have the most impressive home on the block on an affordable landscape lighting design
budget. Call Globe for a free estimate.
How does a three-prong plug work? What's the benefit of
using it?
The third prong on a three-wire cord set provides a path to ground for electricity that is straying
or leaking from a product. This helps protect the equipment and can help prevent electric
shock.
How does a polarized plug work? What's the benefit of using
it?
A polarized plug is a plug with one large or wide prong and one narrow one. It ensures that the
plug is inserted correctly in a socket and reduces the risk of electrical shock.
What is a GFCI?
A GFCI is an electronic device for protecting people from serious injury due to electric
shock.
How does the GFCI work?
GFCIs constantly monitor electricity flowing in a circuit. If the electricity flowing into the circuit
differs by even a slight amount from that returning, the GFCI will quickly shut off the current
flowing through that circuit. The advantage of using GFCIs is that they can detect even small
variations in the amount of leakage current, even amounts too small to activate a fuse or circuit
breaker. GFCIs work quickly, so they can help protect you.
If the GFCI is working, is there any danger of electric
shock?
Even if the GFCI is working properly, people can still be shocked. However, the GFCI can act
quickly to prevent electrocution.
Many Thanks to Underwriters Laboratories and The National Electrical Safety Foundation
bari@captainelectric.com
©Copyright 2002 Globe Building & Electrical Contractors Inc. All Rights
Reserved.