Circuit Breakers

February 17, 2009. Posted by ABC Home & Commercial in Electrical • Austin

Circuit breakers are a vital part of home safety. If installed properly, breakers perform a vital function in protecting your home or commercial facilities electrical system.

All circuits are controlled and protected by the circuit breakers. If there is an overload, short or ground in the circuit, the breaker will detect the fault and open (kill) the circuit. The purpose is twofold: prevent fire; prevent electrical shock.

TROUBLESHOOTING BREAKERS AND CIRCUITS

One of the most common situations occurs when the electricity goes out in a certain area of the home but the breaker doesn’t seem to have opened the circuit. A breaker switch can sometimes open a circuit without its mechanical handle flipping off. You should first try to manually switch the breaker off and then back on. It’s also possible the current was interrupted somewhere other than the breaker due to faulty wiring. In this case, an electrician will probably need to … Read Full Post »

Identifying & Preventing Oak Wilt Disease

February 9, 2009. Posted by ABC Home & Commercial in Landscaping, Lawn • Austin

In Texas, we have a green luxury that most of us take for granted. Whether in our front yards, neighborhoods, or local park, oak trees are considered to be majestic and beautiful trees that provide a lot of shade and greenery to our otherwise dull scenes. Especially in central Texas, besides the beauty of rolling hills, we have great oak trees to complement the entire scenery.

However, oak wilt is threatening that beautiful scenery quite rapidly. Oak wilt, also known as “sudden oak death,” is one of the most threatening tree diseases in Texas and continues to kill off live oak and red oak trees – including shumard oaks, Spanish oaks and blackjack oaks – spreading from one to the next. This disease is caused by a fungus called Ceratocystis fagacearum which takes over a tree’s water conducting system, thus causing the tree to die quickly. Oak wilt kills off a … Read Full Post »