Koala-ty Electrical

12/03/2022

Meet Atticus! Atticus is a sweet boy who recently came to us to find his furever home. He's about 8-years-old and just adores attention! He'd do best in a calmer home where he can stretch out and relax. 🥰 He's a big fan of canned food, and he absolutely loves Temptations treats. Please fill out an application if you're interested in meeting this handsome guy!

11/18/2022

Thieves at it again and again and again. Yet the advisor on police services says you have to be careful how much force you use to stop them. Tell that to the owner who got hit in the head with a hammer. Seems they’re more worried about the well being of the thief……

A Sault Ste. Marie business is growing frustrated after repeated break-ins at their store.

11/08/2018

Last post stipulated what the home owner is allowed to do without a permit. In this case, i will post what a LEC ( Licensed Electrical Contractor ) can do, without a permit. The code is as follows:
Notwithstanding the provisions of Rule 2-004, an application for inspection is not required
(a) for the installation of replacement utilization equipment, receptacles, or general-use switches by a licensed
electrical contractor, if the equipment being installed
(i) is installed in an owner-occupied dwelling unit;
(ii) is installed in a branch circuit having a rating not exceeding 30 A and 130 V;
(iii) is interchangeable with the equipment being replaced in function, electrical rating, size, and weight
without having to change any part of the branch circuit;
(iv) is installed in the same location as the equipment being replaced;
(v) is approved in accordance with Rule 2-024;
(vi) is not electrical equipment forming part of an electrical installation to which Sections 24, 38, 64, 68, and
84 of this Code apply; and
(vii) does not involve the repair, modification or replacement of a service box or a panel board or the
replacement of an electro-mechanical overcurrent device in a service box or panel board;

So to summarize above, receptacles are also allowed to be replaced, as a like for like replacement.( Receptacles were not allowed under the home owner capabilities.)
Aluminum wiring is also included under the LEC capabilities. You will note that a breaker change in a panelboard, requires a permit. Many of the rules that were stipulated for a home owner, also apply to the LEC. It must be in an owner occupied residence, not over 15A and 130 V. All materials must be approved under rule 2 - 024, which states they must be approved for use in Canada.

10/01/2018

If you are a home owner, what are you allowed to do electrically in your home? Are there cases, where an inspection permit is not required? Well, in some cases yes...with some stipulations. The code rule ( OESC - Ontario Electrical Safety Code ) is as follows:

- allows for the installation of replacement luminaires, and general-use switches, by the single dwelling unit owner, if the
luminaires or general-use switches being installed are
(i) installed in an owner-occupied single dwelling unit;
(ii) installed in a branch circuit having a rating not exceeding 15 A and 130 V;
(iii) interchangeable with the equipment being replaced in function, electrical rating, size, and weight without
having to change any part of the branch circuit;
(iv) installed in the same location as the equipment being replaced;
(v) not connected to aluminum wiring;
(vi) approved in accordance with Rule 2-024;
(vii) not electrical equipment forming part of an electrical installation to which Section 68 of this Code applies;
(viii) not recessed luminaires to which Rules 30-900 to 30-912 apply; and
(ix) not connected to ungrounded branch circuits;

So the above states....that the owner must be living in the dwelling unit. It cannot be a rental unit. / Ampacity rating is limited to 15 amps and not over 130 volts. / The " like for like" rule applies, basically meaning you are replacing a light, with a similiar light, with NO NEW WIRING ADDED. Plus it exempts aluminum wiring. / No ungrounded circuits allowed for this exemption as well. Note, that the above states, lighting fixtures and switches only. It does not mention anything about receptacles. These would require a permit.

On a side note, yes, the home owner can opt to do his service change if he so requires.....BUT....this would obviously require a permit. The saying, a mans home is his castle, seems to apply and allow the individual to do this. If you hire someone to do this, it must be a LEC ( Licensed Electrical Contractor ).

In the next post, i will identify what an LEC is allowed to do without pulling a permit.

07/22/2018

In the course of doing service calls, some of these are for customers wishing to upgrade from fuses to breakers. ( typically from 60A or 100A, up to 200A ) I have also had customers who just wished to change from fuses to breakers, but with no increase in ampacity. They were told breakers are much safer. After taking a look at their panel, which was done very professionally,.....still had room for expansion, and no visible problems at all. I said i would recommend to leave the panel in place. I then explained a few things to them as to why i suggested this. ( I also asked if their insurance company had recommended this, and that was not an issue ). The advantage of fuses, over breakers, is that fuses are an electrical device. There are no springs, contacts,as in breakers, which may have operational issues as they get older. ( most electricians have been breakers that will not trip, even when shorted to ground ) Good practice is to turn each breaker off and on, once a year to cycle the mechanism. However, in most households, this is not done. A fuse has a metal strip, which will blow or open at a pre - determined level of current.Since its not mechanical, it does not have to be cycled. Unlike a breaker, which if tripped, can be turned off to reset it....then turned back on.....the fuse must be replaced, as its a one time deal. Do NOT confuse the small breakers which look like a fuse, but have a reset on the front of them. They look like a fuse, but note the info on the front, its a resettable mini - breaker.
The disadvantage of the fuse, compared to the breaker, is that it is very easy for the home owner to swap out fuses and bump up the size if there is a problem. Open the front door on the panel, unscrew the 15A, and put in a 20A. Problem solved? . So they may think. If the fuse is blowing, there are reasons for this happening. It could be overloaded, eg, too many things on that circuit drawing over the 15 amp, which would cause it to blow. Putting in a 20A may appear to solve the problem, BUT the problem is that the wire is a certain size, and can only handle so many amps safely. Inserting a larger fuse, and allowing more current flow, could create a potential fire hazard. Well, see the picture of the different colored rings shown? These are fuse rejection rings. On a 15 amp circuit ( a blue fuse ), this ring would be screwed into the base, then the fuse inserted. The blue ring allows only a 15 amp fuse. Since the connection tip on a 20 amp is larger, it will not make contact to the bus, and is thus rejected by the ring. Its a safety feature. However, not all panels have these.
Fuses 20 years down the road, will still work properly. If you have a fuse panel, and may have concerns or questions, call an Licensed Electrical Contractor ( LEC ), and ask for an assessment of your panel.

07/09/2018

Its a common misconception, that EVERYTHING that is sold off the shelf in Canada, must have some sort of electrical safety approval.That is normally the case, and most companies do their best to ensure that consumer products are approved. However, there are products that slip through the system, and make it to the shelf for consumers to purchase, with either fake markings on them, or no markings at all. Take that extra minute and look for approval on the product....whether it be a toaster, kettle, power bar, etc. Any of these items, not functioning correctly, could cause a fire in the home. I have attached a link showing the ESA approval agencies. Once you get to the page, you can download the information card.
www.esasafe.com/consumers/safety-and-security/product-safety/recognized-marks

06/30/2018

Hiring a contractor to do some work? Heres a few tips to go by. If doing electrical work for you, ask if they are registered with ESA. You can verify this, by going to....findacontractor.esasafe.com You then select the area you are in......what type of work you want done ( residential, commercial, pole work, etc ), and it will bring you to a list of contractors authorized to work in that area. ESA verifies that contractors have proper liability insurance, WSIB coverage, are a LEC ( Licensed Electrical Contractor ) and have a master electrician on the payroll. As an option, you can always ask to see a copy of their liability insurance, and ask for a WSIB clearance certificate. ( This basically ensures that they have been paying WSIB dues, and that if someone gets injured on your property, that the onus does not fall on you. If they didnt have WSIB coverage, then this could come back on you, as the homeowner. ) Now if you are hiring a roofer, obviously you are not going to find them on the ESA website. However, the other protocols apply. They should have liability insurance, and WSIB coverage. Its not hard to prove. Also dont be shy to ask for references, eg, previous customers who can verify their professionalism and quality of work. If work was done in the area, go check the workmanship.
( Remember, people can always give a friends phone # and say to give them a good reference and have them act as the homeowner too ) You, as the homeowner, have the right to ensure that any work done for you, is done professionally, safely, and within the $$ quote that was given to you. If that changes for some reason, the contractor should discuss that with you immediately and explain why. ( Eg, replacing shingles, and the sheathing is damaged underneath.....that could be an unexpected if not mentioned in the quote ) If you feel red flags are coming up, when you inquire about verifying some of the above issues to the contractor, be careful. You could be on the hook for thousands of dollars for shoddy workmanship, & lawsuit if someone was hurt with no WSIB coverage. Most contractors will be happy to resolve any of your concerns.

06/28/2018

The old style of wiring....knob and tube. What is it? Well, as the name says...it consists of K**bs to secure the wiring running beside wooden joists and beams. However, where the wiring passes through a wooden member, Tubes are used to protect the wire from the rough surface, and also protect the wood in case any arcing was to take place within the tube. K**b-and-tube (K&T) wiring was an early standardized method of electrical wiring in buildings, in common use in North America from about 1880 to the 1940s. The system is considered obsolete and can be a safety hazard, in some cases. The age of the wiring and terminations can be an issue.......plus there is no ground wire ran with the conductors. Each conductor is run seperately and not in a cable format as todays cabing. Some pics as follows.......

06/27/2018

So you decide to change from an electric range to a gas range. Now, you need an outlet for the gas range. Whats your options? 1 - Install a new outlet beside the range outlet by fishing in a cable. However, be advised the height of the receptacle is specified as follows --> where a gas supply piping or a gas connection outlet has been provided for a free-standing gas range, one receptacle behind the intended gas range location not more than 130 mm from the floor
and as near midpoint as is practicable, measured along the floor line of the wall space intended for
the gas range; ( image below shows acceptable location )
Sometimes, the above may not be feasible, if the house is finished and cables cannot be fished. In that case, option 2 may be suitable.
2 - Install an adapter to convert from the 240V / 50A, to 15A - 120V. Simply plug in, and youre done. The drawback is that it is fused for 15 amps, BUT nothing is serviceable. If there is a fault downstream, and the fuse blows, you need a new adapter. Convenient, but limited. Typically called Gas range adapter.

06/26/2018

We are in the process of developing our business page. If you have any inquires, pls contact myself in a message....or post, and we will do our best to respond in a timely fashion.

06/26/2018

This pic was from a residence here in town. Obviously the deck was built after the service was installed. Note the incoming service conductors on the right side. Easily within reach of anyone on the deck. ( Was taken from a realtors website.....and yes, this was reported to ESA ).

06/26/2018

Summary sheet of smoke / CO / visual signaling devices requirements, in Ontario.