Streamline Electric, Inc.

  • Proudly Serving South Florida,
    Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties.
    1001 North Federal Highway
    Suite # 357
    Hallandale Beach, FL 33009

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    (954) 830 - 0637
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    Licensed and Insured
    EC 13003874

  • What are the risks of hiring unlicensed contractors?

    March 24, 2021 By Mike P.

    Homeowners sometimes want the cheaper or faster route, and will hire a handyman or the first contractor they come upon. But as you’ll read, there are many reasons why you should take your time and do a little research before hiring someone that will affect how the electricity in your home performs. Sometimes all it takes is asking a few questions. So here are the main risks of hiring an unlicensed contractor:


    Insufficient Training

    When choosing someone to perform electrical work, it’s critical that the person(s) performing the work know what they’re doing. The hiring of any person lacking the correct training to safely perform the work can pose serious consequences. Being left with an unsafe installation, having to have the work redone, and unsatisfactory workmanship are some examples.


    Lack of Code Knowledge

    If you’re hiring an electrical professional, there is a safe presumption that all the work would be performed in accordance with the National Electric Code (NEC). However, when you’re hiring a non-professional like a handyman, it would be safe to assume that they lack the code knowledge required to perform installations safely. You should always hire a professional to perform electrical work of any kind.


    Substandard Workmanship

    Good electricians that have worked in the electrical field for many years have honed their craft and learned the difference between performing amateur work and true craftsmanship. Any person claiming to be capable of performing electrical work without the appropriate credentials will almost certainly perform substandard workmanship.


    Unsafe Practices

    Part of the training that professional electricians receive is practicing safe working habits and knowing OSHA standards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration established many of the protocols for performing both standard and non-standard installations. Someone could get hurt, or worse. In other words, saving a few bucks just isn’t worth the risk of hiring a non-professional.


    No General Liability or Worker’s Compensation Insurance

    A professional electrical company will have all of the necessary insurances to protect their clients and employees in the event an accident does occur. This is a legal requirement for contractors and this information should be made available to potential clients if you ask. Usually a lack of insurance denotes a non-professional.


    Danger to your Property or Lives

    In the event a person does hire an unlicensed contractor, they are assuming a very high level of risk. If the unlicensed person happens to get injured or cause damage to the client’s property or the property of a third party, the client can and will be held liable for any and all damages.


    Fines

    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) could issue a fine upon any person knowingly or unknowingly hiring an unlicensed contractor up to $5,000. Fines and jail time are also a possibility for the contractor.


    How do I know whom to choose?

    What questions might a person ask that would enable them to distinguish the difference between a professional electrician and a non professional electrician? Here, we’re going to give you some tips to find the right electrical contractor for whatever needs you have.

    1. Where did you acquire your electrical training? You definitely don’t want to choose someone that “learned from their friend”. There are many trades where this is acceptable. But when your home and everything inside – including loved ones – are at stake, you don’t want to leave it to chance that they may not have been taught the National Electric Code.
    2. How many years have you worked in the electrical field? Experience is the best teacher. The longer an educated electrician has worked in the field, the more likely they’ll be to be able to deal with whatever situation arises.
    3. Have you worked solely in the electrical field or did you work with electrical within another profession, and if so how much? The reason this question is important is that sometimes, Handymen try to pass themselves off as electricians (or other professions). Handymen may know how to change a fan or chandelier, but they may not know how a new water heater affects the electrical load. Worse yet, they may cut corners because it’s “how they were taught”. Sometimes, you have people in other professions, like A/C or pools, that want to branch out. Because they’ve worked with electricity, they believe they can be an electrician, which is far from the case.
    4. Have you performed the type of work I’m interested in having done? This kind of goes along with question number 2. The more times you’ve installed an outlet, the quicker and more efficiently you can do it. With experience comes speed while being safe.
    5. Are you appropriately licensed to perform electrical work? This one is simple. If they’re not licensed, they shouldn’t be doing it. Period.
    6. What type of license do you hold? This might seem silly, but there are different types of electrical licenses.
    7. Does that license permit you to legally perform electrical work which would include being the qualifier when pulling permits? Usually, a contracting professional who is also a qualifier has had extensive education in their field past what you would consider a “normal” education. Also, it makes things much easier when you have someone in-house to pull permits.
    8. Are you properly insured for electrical contracting? It’s possible for an electrician to be insured, but not in the ways that benefit you should something unforeseen happen.

    In Summary:

    Home and business owners are liable for any injuries sustained by unlicensed contractors while working on their property or traveling for purposes related to their property. Essentially, the level of risk exposure is easily higher than the benefit of cost savings while receiving substandard work. Unfortunately for some this lesson is learned too late and they become part of a negative statistic. Protect yourself and hire a licensed contractor.

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    Filed Under: advice, Blog, FAQ, Insurance Questions Tagged With: code, contractor, danger, electrician, injury, insurance

    Should I replace my electrical panel?

    April 11, 2018 By Mike P.

    Introduction

    There are lots of factors to take into consideration when you’re deciding if you should replace or upgrade your electrical panel. Everyone’s situation is different. Read more to find out if an electrical panel change is needed in your home or business.

    “Hazardous” Panels

    Example of a "stab lok" electrical panel.

    First, let’s go through the list of known hazardous panels.

    These are considered dangerous by many insurance companies. It can affect your new policy or renewal. The most problematic brands are FTE or Federal Pacific. Its’ prior company, which made the “Stablok” type of panel – Federal Electric Products – is also on the list (seen on right). Then there’s Zinsco/Zinsmayer, Sylvania, GTE, or any combination of those names. Some others are Pushmatic/Bullydog, Edison Base Fuse Panels, and Challenger. They all have various issues that can cause hazardous situations for your home or business.

    Rust or corrosion can be one of many reasons to replace your electrical panel.

    Foreign Materials

    There are lots of factors from everyday usage that contribute to deterioration of electrical panels. Paint overspray and water damage can occur if you’re not careful. Heavy oxidation, corrosion, and burnt/scorched bus bars are dangerous as well. The National Electric Code (NEC) states that the integrity of electrical equipment, including wiring, shouldn’t be damaged. Paint, plaster, cleaners, abrasives, and corrosive residues are all included in this. There shouldn’t be any damaged parts that could affect safe operation. This includes broken, bent, corroded, or cut parts.

    Similarly, there are also problems when internal components from one panel were retrofitted into an existing panel to make it look updated, even though it hadn’t been. Components should never be modified unless the manufacturer has said that it can be done. Those components were made for a certain purpose that may not be the same anymore.

    Clearance

    An example of an issue with clearance (as well as hazardous chemicals) as well as the NEC specifications for proper panel clearance

    There may be an issue with clearance in front of, below, or above your panel. You may even have an improper location for it. Older houses that were designed with a lower electrical load in mind are most prone. As we progress, the way we used to do things become obsolete and we have to update our older homes to make them safe. Poor clearance can pose safety issues, especially where fires are concerned. Some of the most abundant clearance issues happen when the panel is located in a laundry room, behind a refrigerator, in closets or bathrooms, or in the attic. They might even be behind your A/C, behind bushes, or inside cabinets.

    Why is clearance an issue?

    To understand this, put yourself in the position of a service technician working on a piece of live electrical equipment. Something is impeding access to that equipment – perhaps a dryer for example – which is made of metal and highly conductive, the technician would have to lean over this piece of metal equipment essentially grounding themselves to work on a live circuit. This poses an electrocution hazard. Additionally, if a circuit in a panel requires immediate access to turn it off for the purposes of protecting your home and either shelving, cabinetry, boxes, or other things prevent access, those extra seconds or minutes could mean the difference between a possible fire and excessive damage or potential harm to the technician.

    Overloading

    An overloading panel is a fire hazard and is a good reason to replace your electrical panel.

    Another common issue is overloading of panels. An overloading electrical system can pose a serious fire hazard. For instance: oversized breakers/fuses, excessive loads on an insufficient panel, undersized wiring, burnt/melting components, or tripping circuit breakers or fuses.

    If you’re not sure if your electrical panel should be replaced, give us a call.

    Adding a generator to your home’s emergency back-up plan can provide great piece of mind in the event that you experience a power outage. Since each situation and budget is different, we can custom tailor your generator set up to fit your specific needs. Whether you require just the basics or complete home power, we can help! Call us today and one of our experienced team members will provide you with a free phone consultation and discuss your options.

    Filed Under: advice, Blog, FAQ, Insurance Questions, Panels and Breakers Tagged With: breaker, code, danger, FAQ, injury, insurance, new home, panel

    SERVICES

    • Services We Provide
    • ADDITIONAL SERVICES OFFERED
    • ZINSCO/GTE-SYLVANIA PANELS
    • FEDERAL PACIFIC STAB-LOK CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND ELECTRIC PANELS (FPE)
    • CHALLENGER PANELS
    • PUSHMATIC/BULLDOG PANELS
    • SPLIT BUS PANELS
    • FUSE BOX PANELS
    • ALUMINUM WIRING
    • CLOTH INSULATED WIRING
    • KNOB & TUBE WIRING
    • RECEPTACLES, OUTLETS, SWITCHES AND DIMMERS
    • Electrical Vehicle Outlets
    • UNDER-CABINET LIGHTING
    • TRACK AND RAIL LIGHTING
    • CEILING FANS
    • CHANDELIER INSTALLATION
    • RECESSED LIGHTING
    • LANDSCAPE LIGHTING
    • UNDERWATER LIGHTING

    MONEY SAVING IDEAS

    • ATTIC EXHAUST FANS
    • FLUORESCENT LIGHTING
    • LED LIGHTING
    • TIMERS & MOTION SENSORS
    • WATER HEATER TIMERS

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    Streamline Electric, Inc
    1001 North Federal Highway #357
    Hallandale Beach, FL 33009