Electrical Guides From the Field
Marc Reeves · July 24, 2026
Space heaters cause a disproportionate share of the electrical fires I get called out to investigate, and it is almost never the heater itself that fails first — it is the circuit underneath it. A typical 1,500-watt space heater draws close to 12.5 amps continuously, and on an older 15-amp circuit that is already carrying … Read more
Marc Reeves · July 21, 2026
Last fall, I got called out to a home in the suburbs where the homeowner kept tripping a breaker in her living room. She figured it was the circuit, maybe an overloaded panel. When I pulled the first outlet off the wall, I knew exactly what I was looking at. The backstab vs side wire … Read more
Marc Reeves · July 15, 2026
I have pulled more melted extension cords out of crawlspaces and behind furniture than I can count, and almost every single one shares the same three mistakes. Extension cords are rated for temporary use—typically 90 days or less—not as permanent wiring, and the gap between how people actually use them and what the cord is … Read more
Marc Reeves · July 13, 2026
How I Check a Warm Outlet Before Opening It Up A warm outlet could be nothing, or it could be a fire waiting to happen — and you need to know which before you even think about opening the cover plate. That’s where a non-contact voltage tester becomes your first line of defense, eliminating guesswork … Read more
Marc Reeves · July 11, 2026
Last year, a homeowner called me out to troubleshoot a tripped breaker in her newly renovated bathroom. When I opened the panel, I immediately saw the problem — her contractor had installed a standard AFCI breaker where a GFCI outlet was required. It’s one of the most common mix-ups I see on the job. If … Read more