IMPORTANT: Electrical Counterfeit Awareness!
Every day, counterfeit electrical products are finding their way into our homes, businesses, and public institutions. These fraudulent products pose a serious financial and legal liability to the electrical industry, and they have become a grave safety crisis for our communities – a crisis that requires immediate action.
Counterfeit electrical products pose significant safety hazards, and can cause deaths, injuries and substantial property loss in the home and the workplace if left undetected.
The Electrical Safety Foundation International (EFSI), in cooperation with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). has launched Counterfeits Can Kill, a national electrical counterfeit awareness program to help educate the public about the dangers of electrical counterfeit products.
What is Electrical Counterfeiting?
Trademark counterfeiting has reached the electrical sector. Counterfeiters have targeted well-known industrial and consumer brands, and registered certification marks of testing and certification laboratories.
Although counterfeit products may appear as excellent copies of their original counterparts, these products are often made using inferior materials and lax methods to produce substandard products. Advertised at prices unable to be matched by a genuine brand manufacturer, these products have failed to pass minimum safety tests upon investigation by authorities.
Undetected counterfeit electrical products such as circuit breakers, batteries, extension cords, and holiday lights can cause fires, shocks, explosions, and electrocutions.
Facts About Counterfeiting and Electrical Products
- According to The Gallup Organization, less than one-third of Americans are aware that counterfeit versions of electrical products such as batteries, extension cords, and circuit breakers even exist.
- Counterfeit goods account for 5%-7% of global activity, a value of nearly $600 billion.
- In 2007, the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confiscated nearly $200 million worth of counterfeit products – the equivalent of 37 seizures per day.
- By mid-year 2008, CBP had already seized 796 shipments of counterfeit goods, valued domestically at $24.8 million – a 28% increase in total number of seizures and a 30% increase from mid-year 2007.
- In 2006, counterfeit electrical products made up 5% of total seizures reported by CBP. One year later, these goods represented 8% of total seizures, valued at more than $16 million.
- In a recent study conducted by the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), 60% of Americans surveyed admitted being unable to distinguish between an original and a counterfeit electrical product.
- According to The Gallup Organization, the most effective deterrents cited by consumers in preventing them from purchasing counterfeit goods are the possibility of supporting terrorism, causing harm to a loved one, and supporting organized crime.
- 64% of counterfeit electrical products are purchased from authorized retailers.
Saftey Tips: Guidelines Designed to Help Consumers Identify and Avoid Potentially Dangerous Counterfeit Electrical Products
- Use established vendors and authorized retailers. Purchase electrical products from reputable retailers who obtain their goods from legitimate distributors and authorized manufacturers. Avoid purchasing electrical products at deep discount stores, flea markets, or bargain warehouses.
- Exercise caution in online transactions. The convenience and anonymity of online shopping have been key factors in the dramatic rise in the growing inventory of counterfeit electrical products in the United States. Do your homework when conducting business from online. Be especially wary of purchasing electrical products directly from unknown companies or unauthorized sellers, particularly in countries such as China, Russia, and India, where counterfeiting is a major issue.
- Check for certification marks. Quality electrical products sold in the United States should be certified by nationally recognized testing laboratories for safety. Look for certification marks from laboratories such as UL, CSA, or ETL-SEMKO. If you have outstanding concerns about the marks, contact the certifier prior to product purchase or use.
- Scrutinize labels and packaging. Distinguishing between an original product and its counterfeit version can be challenging, but product packaging and warning labels offer a valuable source of information and may reveal important telltale warning signs. Make sure that labels and packaging are free of grammatical errors, and that any information provided is consistent with information elsewhere on the package.
- Avoid products that lack any identifying brand label or affiliation. Make sure that the name and contact information of the product manufacturer is clearly displayed on the packaging and/or the product. Legitimate manufacturers are proud of their products and stand by them. If this information is missing, then consider an alternative product or retailer.
- Trust your instincts. Beware of bargains that seem too good to be true. Counterfeiters often use inferior materials and avoid key manufacturing steps to reduce the cost of their products, allowing them to be sold at prices no genuine brand manufacturer can match. Electrical products sold at extremely low prices may be counterfeit or defective.
- Be proactive. Organizations such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) provide up-t-date information about product recalls on their websites. These publicly-searchable databases track detailed descriptions of product appearance, conditions of sale, make, model, hazard, and distributor.
(All information taken from the ESFI website at http://www.esfi.org/cms/node/134)
|
|
|
|
 |
Seal Recessed Light Fixtures to Combat Wet Attics, Mold, & Mildew
Recessed light fixtures go by many names – in Canada, they are often called potlights, while in the U.S. they are called canlights, and in Austrailia they’re referred to as downlights. Whatever you choose to call them, recessed light fixtures have become extremely popular and are being installed in increasing numbers in rooms of all kinds, in both new construction and as a retrofit measure. The Canadian record for fixtures in one house leading to an attic is 166; in the U.S. it is 444.
If these fixtures are not properly sealed, the heat from the bulb warms the attic space when they are turned on, and when off (typically overnight), down drafting can occur and create severe discomfort for occupants.
Early fixtures, because of the heat build-up from the bulbs, had to be left exposed in the attic with a minimum six-inch uninsulated space around them. Subsequently, the electrical industry produced fixtures that had a tin box installed over the ballast, which enabled them to be insulated with electrical code approval. However, these boxes on newer fixtures are still unsealed in that the ballast box is vented. Some electrical contractors will claim they are sealed, but indeed they are not.
Recessed light fixtures must be sealed. They should also be insulated, but only when protected by a large enough wood or drywall box to prevent overheating. Even a newer fixture with its tin box will require a wood or drywall box over top of the tin box to allow heat from the bulb to dissipate. The sealing and insulation procedure we’ll outline today follows boxing specifications from B.C. Hydro (www.bchydro.com).
Your box will need to be either 14″ wide x 48″ long x 12″ high for an older fixture, or 21″ wide x 29″ long x 12″ high for a newer fixture. Boxes of these dimensions will, as a rule, dissipate enough heat to avoid a fire hazard or blowing bulbs.
If you choose to hire a professional contractor for this project, they will probably use a two-component polyurethane sealant. However, this product is not generally available from hardware or lumber retail stores and must be obtained from an industrial supplier. If you plan to do the project yourself, you can choose either a one-componentinsulating foam sealant or caulking.
The idea is to create a perfectly airtight separation between the ceiling and the attic. Seal all the joints and seams in the box (this will also hold the pieces of drywall or wood together) and seal the bottom of the box to the ceiling. You will also need to seal where all electrical wires penetrate the box. After sealing, the insulation can be blown or positioned over the box.
Occasionally, access above the light fixture is very difficult (for example, in low-slope roofing or cathedral ceiling situations). Also, on ground floor fixtures the rim joint around the ceiling space is often not effectively sealed at the time of construction. This particularly applies to older houses without plastic vapour barriers or house wraps for wind proofing. Such fixtures can be sealed from below using a combination of silicone caulking and foil tape, as long as you’re sure that there is adequate space above the ceiling for heat dissipation fro the shell of the light fixture.
(Taken from Cozy Home Corner by the ZeroDraft House Doctor)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Seal Electrical Receptables to Stop Drafts
Almost everyone has experienced the discomfort of a cold draft around the ankles. That chilly air that attacks your toes can make you feel cold all over, and of course, any time you have to turn up the heat in your house to stay warm, you’re spending more money on energy too!
Sealing electrical receptacles on both the interior and exterior walls of your house can help reduce drafts and air leakage, as well as the risk of condensation and mold formation within the walls. It also helps to childproof the receptacles by preventing small fingers from poking around inside.
It’s a relatively simple project suitable for even a beginner do-it-yourselfer. You’ll need a flat-head screwdriver, a caulking gun, some paper towels, and thin rubber or plastic work gloves. For materials, you’ll need energy saver gaskets and childproofing safety inserts. You’ll also need clear, low residual odor, paintable caulking like siliconized latex.
Before you start, make sure that the power is switched OFF.
Once the power is off, your first step is to remove the cover plate from the receptacle. Apply a thin bead of caulking to the back of the gasket, then stick or embed the gasket on the wall over the receptacle or switch. Make sure that the caulk seals the flanges at the top and bottom of the receptacle, then wipe away any excess caulking with a paper towel and re-install the cover plate. Make sure you save the punch-outs from the gaskets, because you’re going to use them later on.
For rectangular shaped switches and receptacles, you’ll need to use a switch gasket and cut it to fit using a utility knife. For multiple or over-sized switches, you’ll need to overlay the gaskets, cut off the excess with your utility knife and seal the join with caulk to make it airtight.
Remember the punch-outs from your energy saving receptacle gaskets? Use these as plug gaskets to cover the ground pink holes in the receptacles by installing them on the prongs of the childproofing safety inserts. They can also be installed directly onto the prongs of any two-pin plugs that are always plugged in.
Once you have your gaskets caulked into place and your punch-outs installed, the last step is to turn the power back on.
This simple, quick, low -cost comfort improvement project can help make your home cozier and safer. It can also help you save money on your energy bills and wool socks! 
(Post taken from the Cozy Home Cornerby the Zerodraft House Doctor)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good afternoon!
Good afternoon everyone!
We just wanted to take the time out to say that we are very excited to catch-up with the 21st century and start blogging! Until we start with the good stuff next week, we are proud to say that we were featured in a FRONT PAGE article of the Community Marketplace newspaper (also on page 6!). If you live in the South Brunswick, NJ area or know someone who does, they can check us out on the front page of that paper! This is our first (of hopefully many!) front page articles and we are very excited about it!
Until next week, please check out our website, www.FriendlyElectric.com, which has lots of information about our company, including coupons and specials! We are in the process of spicing up our website as well to include tons of pictures, even MORE coupons, and helpful electrical information and tips!
We look forward to blogging again early next week, so keep checking back here for more!
Have a terrific weekend!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome To Friendly Electric’s Blog
At Friendly Electric, your New Jersey Electrician, we hope that sharing our experience will save you money and a few headaches. We’ll talk about tips, tricks and important information every New Jersey homeowner should know about their home’s electrical systems. And if you live in New Jersey, you will find important region specific information that will help you avoid local electrical pitfalls.
Remember Do-It-Yourself can sometimes be more trouble than it’s worth always consult a professional electrician before attempting to DIY it can save you lots of time and money and your safety it also paramount.
|
|
|
|
|
|