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How to Prepare Your Melbourne Home for Lightning Season We may be the Sunshine State, but Central Florida also has a more ominous moniker: the lightning capital of America. Every year, an estimated 1.2 million lightning strikes illuminate the skies and threaten people and property all across the region. Most occur between late May and early October — better known as lightning season. At over 300 million volts and 54,000° F, it’s hardly shocking that

Smart Home Lightning Damage: Why Specialized Lightning Strike Inspections Matter It’s impossible to predict precisely when or where lightning will strike during a thunderstorm. However, when it hits a smart home, the damage can be catastrophic. Smart homes are more susceptible to lightning damage due to the multiple electrical components that provide entryways into your property. If lightning strikes your smart home, the voltage it can produce may cause significant damage to your electronics and

Electrical Hazards After a Lightning Strike: What to Check Immediately A lightning strike can do more damage to your home and your electrical system than you might think. At the very least, a lightning strike can cause a power surge that trips some of your home’s circuit breakers. At its worst, lightning can ruin electronic devices, bring down power lines, and even start fires on your property. This is why you need to not only

Lightning Strike 101: A Homeowner’s Guide Thunderstorms in Florida are just part of living in one of the most beautiful places in the world. While you enjoy having close access to sandy beaches and sunny parks, you may have also realized that frequent rain and thunder are one of the few downsides of living in the area. Although the thought of dealing with a lightning strike can generate anxiety for homeowners, it helps to know

How Do I Know If I Need to Upgrade My Circuit Breaker? How to Tell When It’s Time to Upgrade Your Circuit Breaker instead of a circuit repair. Circuit breaker panels are extremely important devices in people’s homes. Even so, homeowners often neglect them. Check with us whether you need a circuit repair or an upgrade. As a quick primer, electricity enters your residence through the circuit breaker. It then distributes the electric currents to

Circuit Repair Vs. Circuit Replacement: What’s the Best Choice for Your Home? Your circuit breaker panel plays an essential part in keeping your home and family safe. If an unexpected power surge ripples through your electrical lines, the breaker will trip and stop supplying power. This protects your appliances and prevents fires from happening. While a blown fuse or tripped breaker means your circuit breaker is doing its job, these issues shouldn’t happen all the

How Lightning Impacts Electrical Systems The possibility that a lightning strike might sweep through your home’s entire electrical system is a scary thought. Modern life is built around power-hungry HVACs, appliances and devices that can be costly to replace after a strike. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reduce the risks of such a huge electrical surge. However, homeowners need to understand what a strike entails so they can find the right solution. Science

What To Do If  Your House Was Hit by Lightning Lightning hits one in every 200 houses every year. The odds of someone being killed are roughly 2,000,000-1. Still, to be safe, there are a few things that you can do to handle the situation if your house were to be struck by lightning. Learn what happens during a lightning strike. Are You in Danger? Do you smell smoke? Is there detectable fire? Has your

When homeowners consider rewiring a house, one of the most common questions is: Can I leave my old knob-and-tube wiring in place? These types of wiring, found in many homes constructed before the 1950s, have their benefits — consider it vintage tech. But let’s face it: what was state of the art a century ago (or even a decade ago) may not be up to snuff today. And that’s why we at Service Minds, Mister Sparky, right here in

Can House Rewiring Include Home Automation Upgrades? Imagine this: You enter your home, and by just saying “hello” or tapping your smartphone, lights dim, your favorite playlist begins, and the thermostat drives to that sweet temperature that makes you feel comfortable. Sounds futuristic? Not anymore. Welcome to the world of home automation. If you’re already thinking about rewiring your house, why not take the plunge and install some clever upgrades while at it? At Service Minds,