Services
The Facts
During a typical year, home electrical problems account for 67,800 fires, 485 deaths, and $868 million in
property losses. Home electrical wiring causes twice as many fires as electrical appliances.
December is the most dangerous month for electrical fires. Fire deaths are highest in winter months which
call for more indoor activities and increase in lighting, heating, and appliance use. Most electrical wiring fires
start in the bedroom.
Do you have? Flickering lights, tripping circuit breakers, burning plastic smell ,too many extension cords,
loose plugs (outlet will not hold the plug in), hot to the touch receptacles.
These are signs of impending electrical problems and serious fire hazards.
Please Call us today to schedule an inspection of your homes electrical system.
Additions
Advice
A/C Wiring
Aluminum Wiring Solutions
Appliance Installation
Ballast/Lamp Replacement
Cable Jacks
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Ceiling Fans
Circuit Breakers
Code Violation
Computer Wiring
Consultation
Dimmers
Electrical System Design
Electrical Panel Upgrades
Emergency Lighting
Exhaust Fans
Fuse Box Upgrades
GFCI’S
Home Theater Wiring
Hot Tubs
Indoor Lighting
Inspections
Junction Boxes
Landscape Lighting
Lightning Damage
Maintenance and Repair
Meter Base Installation
New Construction
Outdoor Lighting
Outlets
Permits
Phone Jacks
Remodeling
Renovations
Security Lighting
Smoke Detectors
Spas
Surge Protection
Switches
Timers
Time Clocks
Tennant Finish Out
WARNING:
Electrical storms in the DFW area cause
untold amounts of damage to our homes
and business. It is very important to install
a whole house surge protector to protect all
of your expensive and valuable electronic
and home theater equipment as well as the
electronics in your kitchen appliances.
Do you have a Federal Pacific or Zinsco
Electrical Panel. We recommend you replace
these immediately. Is your home wired in
Aluminum? We can HELP!
For the safety of your home and family
please click on the links in blue for more
information.
Need To Hire an Electrician?
Important Information:
Is your home properly grounded? It is very important that your home be properly
grounded in order for your electrical system to function properly, especially with all of
the electronics used in todays modern homes and businesses. It is imperative to have
proper grounding to divert dangerous lightning strikes away from your homes electrical
system. If in doubt please call us for an inspection of your home or business.
We use only the best quality materials and wiring devices. Including Cooper, Cuttler Hammer, Lutron, & Square D, etc.
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Electric lighting accounts for approximately 25 percent of all the energy used in buildings in the U.S. Some
of this lighting takes more energy than necessary. Short of turning the lights off, one way to cut back on
this energy consumption is to install fluorescent lights in place of incandescent or halogen lighting. If you
are using T12 lights in your establishment, making the switch to T8 fluorescent lighting will save the most
in energy and money.
For a quick return on your investment, replacing T12 lamps and ballasts with high efficiency electronic
ballasts and T8 lamps is the smart choice. In many cases, this is the easiest upgrade since the T8 lamps and
ballasts fit into the same fixture.
Lighting retrofits can provide energy savings greater than 40% while improving the quality of the lighting.
These quality improvements include quiet operation, improved color rendering, and a reduction in HVAC
costs due to less heat being generated by the lighting system.
"Your Electrical Solution" TECL #24399 Hurst, Texas 76053 Ph: 817-538-8959 Service, Quality, & Experience You Can TRUST!
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Additional Information on The Services We Provide
Free Safety Evaluation
At Arrow Electric your home and the safety of you and your family is our first priority. We make sure your
home is free of electrical hazards and meets today’s standard of safety. Damage is caused in homes by faulty
wiring and negligence more than any other source. That is why we complete a FREE Electrical Safety
Evaluation in EACH & EVERY home we go to. It is our goal to address current problems, detect problems, and
prevent future damages. Most major electrical issues are avoidable with proper maintenance and evaluation.
Home Inspections
Our exclusive Whole Home Electrical Inspection is an essential first step towards insuring the safety of your
family and your home from any electrical hazards. All potential hazards will be identified, and based on our
report, a suitable plan of action can be determined. Our inspection will provide you with a detailed written
report on the present condition of your home’s electrical system. Using our exclusive check-list, our
technician will conduct a thorough survey of your home’s electrical system. Our electrician will open your
electrical panel and check the condition of all components. He will make note of exposed wiring. He will
check lights, receptacles and switches, check for GFI's in the proper places, and check smoke detectors
location an operation. The integrity of ground and bonding connections will be verified. Any Code Violations
and Safety hazards will be noted. This thorough inspection may take up to 2 hours.
Electricity brings warmth and light to our families. It powers most modern conveniences, and it even helps
protect us from threats to our security. Electricity is powerful, but in our homes it must be handled carefully.
Most people have a handful of electrical safety hazards lurking about the house. Many go unnoticed until an
accident, or a tragedy, occurs. If left alone many will turn into major problems that will become as
inconvenient as they are expensive to fix.
Is your insurance company looking for a professional electrical inspection or are you buying or selling a
home?
Given that the average house changes hands every eight years, rarely does a licensed electrician perform
significant work in a house after it’s built. This means many houses have accumulated a number of
electrical hazards as a result of unqualified electrical work being done over the years. Unfortunately, the
insurance companies have learned the hard way that this can lead to many insurance claims and have
therefore decided that a detailed electrical report in many cases will help them give proper coverage. Our
electrical home safety inspection has provided our clients the information they need for their insurance
companies. When it comes to buying or selling a home don’t get blinded by last minute problems with the
home’s electrical system! Worried about the knob and tube, aluminum wiring, incoming electrical service or
outdated fuse panel? We provide a detailed report regarding your home buy/sell inspection. Have one of our
professionals provide recommendations and pricing that make sure your real estate transaction goes
smoothly.
Repairs, troubleshooting, installations & renovations
If you have an outlet that does not work or a light fixture you need installed – no problem – call us and have
our knowledgeable electricians get it done for you safety and efficiently. We do every type of electrical
service big or small. From a simple dimmer switch installs to an extensive whole home re-wires. We
specialize in troubleshooting and repairing all electrical issues. If you have power outage in your home or
just parts of your home, relax. We are trained and able to diagnose and repair the problem as quickly and
efficient as possible. Electrical problems can be serious, so please call a licensed electrician. Our
electricians are trained to educate you, and present all options available to you. Call us now and we will
have one of our expert electricians come out to your home and give you peace of mind and comfort.
Electrical Panel upgrades
Does your Home still have an old style fuse panel? Are circuits overloaded? Have circuits been doubled-up?
Has new wiring been added over the years, and does it meet code? Has your Insurance Company refused to
renew your home insurance policy? Your home may be in need of a service panel upgrade. Don’t
compromise on safety. Have your electrical system inspected by one of our highly qualified electricians. He
will help you to decide on whether you should have your outdated fuse panel replaced with a modern circuit
breaker panel. A circuit breaker panel is more convenient and is built to far higher safety standards than
outdated fuse panels.
Important safety concerns to upgrade your panel:
•Reduce the chance of an electrical fire
•Eliminate doubled-up circuits
•Eliminate the need to replace fuses or install the wrong size of fuse – which is a common fire hazard
•Capacity to add additional circuits in the future
•Increase the resale value of your home
Extra protection is incorporated into the latest equipment in the form of circuit breakers. These circuit
breakers protect every device in the house with sensitive circuitry that responds quickly if there is a fault,
opening the circuit and eliminating the risk of danger. There is also excellent protection available in the
form of Ground-Fault Circuit Breakers and Arc-Fault Circuit Breakers. Older equipment and wiring systems
did not have to support the modern appliances of our day. Overloading and doubling up of circuits is
commonly seen on older outdated fuse panels, the result of improper installations that were never inspected.
This can cause fires. Upgrading the source of power distribution to your home by installing a circuit breaker
panel can eliminate this potentially dangerous situation.
Surge Protection
Today homes are filled with sensitive electronics that are easily damaged by common power surges, spikes,
or voltage impulses. A lightning storm near a residence can deliver a high energy electrical surge that can
enter a home and destroy appliances, televisions, stereo equipment, and other electrical products. The cost
of replacing electronic equipment in an average home is approximately $8,000. This figure can easily top
$20,000 if the homeowner has a sophisticated entertainment system, or a home office. Arrow Electric
recommends that to fully protect your investment, consider a 2-stage approach to Surge Protection.
Stage 1 - Primary Protection for Service Entrance
Stage 2 - Secondary Protection at Point of Use
By installing 2 stages of surge protection, your electronic equipment can be protected from most power
surges, spikes, and every day voltage impulses that are common. Do not underestimate an unchecked high
voltage surge than can wipe out your investment instantly, or the smaller everyday surges that can degrade
the electronic components in your home slowly over time.
Aluminum Wiring
In recent years there has been an increase in the concern over the safety of aluminum wiring. In particular,
purchasers or owners of homes built from the mid 1960’s to the late 1970’s with aluminum wiring are finding
that many insurer’s will not provide or renew insurance coverage on such properties unless the wiring is
inspected and repaired or replaced as necessary, and the work is inspected by the ESA (Electrical Safety
Authority), and a copy of the certificate of inspection is provided to the insurer. In some cases the insurer
may require replacement of the aluminum wiring with new copper wiring. Many homes have a mixture of
both aluminum and copper wiring.
Problems with aluminum wiring
Reported problems with aluminum wiring have been related to the overheating and failure of aluminum
wiring terminations. This is due to the tendency of aluminum wiring to oxidize, and aluminum’s
incompatibility with devices designed for use with copper wiring only. Aluminum has a higher rate of
expansion than copper wiring, which can lead to loose connections, arcing and melting, eventually fire.
Warm cover plates or discolouration of switches or receptacles, flickering lights or the smell of hot plastic
insulation may be evidence of poor or improperly made connections.
What can you do?
All homes are wired differently and must be assessed on an individual basis. The Electrical Safety Authority
recommends that the homeowner hire an authorized electrical contractor that is knowledgeable in the
approved methods for working with, and repairing aluminum wiring. You do have a couple of options.
Rewiring
Rewiring would be the best long term solution for eliminating problems associated with aluminum wiring,
but it also represents a substantial investment. This may be the best solution in some cases. A great starting
point would be to call Arrow Electric and arrange for an Electrical Safety Inspection Report for your home.
Aluminum Wiring Device Replacement
Another solution is to replace all devices with the proper COLAR devices specifically made for aluminum
wiring. This method is the more common and economical. We replace all receptacles and switches with
COLAR devices. All light fixture junction boxes are pigtailed with copper wiring and connected with an
approved aluminum to copper mechanical connection. This method is recognised by most insurance
companies.
Knob & Tube
What is Knob & Tube wiring?
Knob and tube wiring is the original wiring method used from the late 1800’s until approximately 1945. It is a
system that involved stringing individual conductor insulated wire across porcelain insulators called
“knobs,” and through other porcelain insulators called “tubes.”
Is Knob and Tube wiring safe?
This is an often asked question. There are a number of concerns with knob and tube wiring. Some of them
are listed here…
1.It is an ungrounded system, which provides a greater chance of shock or electrocution and of damage to
sensitive equipment.
2.It is very old wiring and in many cases has deteriorated, cracked or missing insulation, which can lead to
fires.
3.The original switches and receptacles are not CSA approved and in many cases the contacts are loose
inside the device, which makes for a poor electrical connection and the potential for fire.
4.It is common to find that newer wiring has been improperly connected to knob and tube wiring by
amateurs, resulting in dangerous conditions in the form of shock hazard, reverse polarity problems, switched
neutrals, overloaded circuits, and fire hazards, to name just a few.
Like other components of your home, such as your roof, furnace, air conditioner and plumbing system there
comes a time when replacement is necessary. That time has come for knob and tube wiring. So, to answer
the question “is knob and tube wiring safe?” we have to say that in our opinion - the answer is no – it must
be re-wired safely by a licensed electrical contractor.
What can you do about it?
In our opinion, rewiring the home is the only solution that correctly addresses knob and tube wiring. Other
solutions like eliminating it only where it is open to view (in basements and attics), or installing GFCI
receptacles, are band-aid solutions that we do not recommend. Although installing GFCI protection may be
acceptable to the Electrical Safety Authority, GFCI receptacles may not work in situations with shared
neutrals (commonly found in knob and tube wired homes). Rewiring the home is an investment that adds
substantial value to your home. It is a major project that may take 1-3 weeks, depending on the size and
construction of the home. It is the best solution to serve your long term interests.
