How Wildfires and Air Conditioning Are Related

In California’s history, the Mendocino Complex Fire, the largest wildfire in the state’s history, burned roughly 720 square miles of land within Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, and Glenn Counties. And in autumn of 2018, the Camp Fire that destroyed thousands of properties and took multiple lives in Butte County is recorded as the deadliest and most destructive modern Californian wildfire.

“Californians may feel like they’re enduring an epidemic of fire. The past decade has seen half of the state’s 10 largest wildfires and seven of its 10 most destructive fires, including last year’s Camp Fire, the state’s deadliest wildfire ever.” – www.theatlantic.com

This year, forest fires and wildfires aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, there have been 2,527 fires recorded or a total estimate of more than 21,000 acres of burned land since the start of the year up to the 21st of July.

And with the wildfire season, utility companies have been de-energizing key areas that are considered high risk. The state is now experiencing rolling blackouts with no signs of ceasing anytime soon.

Different Power Lines Issues that Cause Wildfires

Power lines are seen to be one of the culprits of several major and disastrous wildfires in different regions of California. As they are often outlined in the open, several factors can affect these electrically charged lines and cause a spark. This has been proven to be true just recently with the devastating fire that originated in Camp Creek Road and had ended up burning communities in a foothill town in Paradise.

With such costly natural disasters occurring and continuously occurring, it might be best to understand how exactly do these accidental sparks happen.

Downed Lines. Here’s a short explanation from www.wildfiremitigation.tees.tamus.edu – Power distribution systems contain protective devices (e.g. fuses, circuit breakers) that detect short-circuit fault conditions and operate to limit damage to the system. These devices are intended to clear faults quickly, but in as many as 30% of cases in which a single energized line conductor breaks and falls to earth, surface contact resistance causes the resulting fault to draw too little electrical current to blow a fuse or trip a circuit breaker.

Vegetation Proximity. Trees and other plants coming into contact with power lines can trigger fires in different scenarios. A tree falling over a line can break the line resulting in downed line or a tree branch resting on power lines for a sufficient period of time can cause damage and create a spark.

Conductor Slap. “Power lines must have sufficient clearance between conductors so they never contact one another. However, under some circumstances, conductors may “slap” together, which can create high-energy arcs capable of producing fires. Some materials may burn as they fall, igniting the vegetation or other materials underneath,” – www.wildfirevictims.com.

Protect Your Property. Be Informed.

There has been countless news in print and online that talks about the ongoing rolling blackouts in the state to counter the dangerous threats of wildfires. These informative pieces of news and posts help the locals handle the de-energization of power lines with a better understanding of the more imminent danger lurking in the barren and dry lands.

Yet, this summer, it’s not all about sudden wildfires and scorching heat. It’s also about shaping up your home air conditioning service to get through the fluctuating power supply without breaking down or malfunctioning. This is where Marthedal Solar, Air & Heating – Fresno Air Conditioning provides full support to all out clients. We understand the value of a fully functional AC service in one’s daily life.

In order to keep up and stay problem-free, schedule a maintenance and tuneup visit right away. A clean, well-maintained, and fully functional AC can surely help you survive the inconvenience of losing power at a time in a day. Call us! Or visit https://aamarthedal.com/

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