Are You Ready for the Spring Real Estate Market?

Smart Home technology, lighting design or an Automatic Stand-by Generator can add value to your home.

Whether you are looking to purchase your first home, a new home, relocating or downsizing, spring is typically kick off for the residential real estate market.

Now is the time to prepare your home to show well and provide value to the buyer. This can mean adding automated smart home technology to the house such as smart thermostats, smart switches and control from your smart phone or tablet.  Adding or changing the lighting in a room or rooms can provide a fresh perspective.  A few key updates can go a long way in selling your home.

Does your home have a generator? Mother Nature is never predictable, vehicular accidents can take down power on a gorgeous day and our grid is vulnerable to outages. An automatic standby or even a portable generator with professional installation increases the value of your home.  Protect your home from a utility outage.  A few hours or a few days can be inconvenient to no longer having the comforts of your home accessible. Ensure your home is protected by a generator.

Contact Lucci Electric to assess your home automation needs , lighting design or to develop a plan for a turnkey generator installation.

Spring thaw in February causing your roof to leak?

Warmer daytime temperatures, freezing nights and a few more snow events spell trouble for potentially leaking roofs.

Ice dams are not obvious threats. They become obvious after the damage has been done. Snow on the roof, heat rising in the attic, and Mother Nature’s warm sunshine produce melt that are all a recipe for possible ice dams.

How an ice dam forms:

Melting snow runs towards the edge and eaves of the roof, and then they refreeze and melt again in the days following a snow storm.  This cycle cause the ice to form and “back up” the gutter system preventing the flow of water. The water pushes behind and under the shingles and eaves resulting in interior damage to ceilings, walls and windows.

Roof and gutter deicing cables along with automatic moisture sensors are the best solution to this problem.

De-icing cables offer the most direct and effective protection. Fastened into position over the eaves (and often within the gutters as well), these cables output heat to prevent melted snow from refreezing before it has the chance to run off the roof, into the gutter or drainage system, and finally into the yard.

                       Solution

Conditions are ideal to have the professionals at Lucci Electric review your roof and gutter deicing needs.

Safety Tips during a power outage

During a Power Outage: Safety Tips

  • Only use flashlights for emergency lighting, candles can cause fires.
  • Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Most food requiring refrigeration can be kept safely in a closed refrigerator for several hours. An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours.
  • Turn off or disconnect appliances and other equipment in case of a momentary power “surge” that can damage computers and other devices. Consider adding surge protectors to electronics or have a licensed electrician install whole house surge protection.
  • If you have an automatic generator, make sure you have fuel, and any debris is cleared around the generator.
  • If you have a portable generator, make sure it is properly connected (installation by a licensed electrician) and  NEVER run a portable generator inside a home or garage

Importance of Maintaining your Automatic Standby Generator

3 Reasons Why Maintaining Your Standby Generator is Essential

There’s A Lot To Check

Standby generators seem simple enough — using LP or natural gas as to create electricity — but really it’s a complex machine, just like your car. Would you let your car go a year without a check-up? Of course not, because you know if you miss a little problem in your car it can quickly turn into a big one. As an authorized Generac Service Center and Dealer, we check the oil, oil filter, spark plugs, air filter, adjust and tighten the valves, perform a transfer test, check the gas pressure, check the voltage, hertz, and RPM outputs, and check the battery.

It Will Pay Off In The Long Run

A well-maintained standby generator can last from 10,000 to 30,000 hours.  On the conservative end your generator could last about 10,000 hours; that means your standby generator, if well-maintained has a potential life span of at least 20 years. That is definitely a long-term investment. A well-maintained standby generator should last you years and give you peace of mind.

It’s Not Worth The Risk

Your family is the most important thing to you. You can’t protect them from everything, but if there’s something you can protect them from, wouldn’t you want to? When you neglect to regularly maintain your standby generator you are risking it not working when you need it the most. We all know that most blackout occur in terrible weather such as blizzards or rainstorms. It’s at these times that heat, information, and comfort are the most important to your family, and a standby generator you can rely on is most important to you.