Curious about our company?

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

  • Yes. The owner of Corvus Electric is a state (Maine) licensed Master Electrician.

    All employees of Corvus electric are also licensed.

  • The state of Maine requires all electricians to carry $ 1 Million of Commercial Liability Insurance and we do.

  • We’re located in Orland Maine.

  • You can view a coverage map on our home page which displays our normal area of operations.

    We don’t usually travel beyond that area but exceptions do exist. Get in touch with us and we can discuss it.

  • Pricing depends on the nature of the work to be done. We offer both estimates and quotes depending on circumstance.

    The better you can define the scope of work the more precise we can be with our pricing.

Curious about Electricity?

Here I hope to save you a little bit of money and trouble. This page serves two purposes:

The First - To further educate the customer about electrical systems in their own home.

The Second - To spare both the customer and company from the costs incurred by appearing for a service call that will last ten minutes or less.

  • When a circuit breaker is tripped, the handle rests in the middle (tripped) position.

    Unless the circuit breaker is then “clicked” (there should be an audible and tangible click) into the off position (towards the outside of the panel) and then “clicked” back into the on position (toward the center of the panel), your circuit breaker was never actually reset.

    If you have followed this procedure, the handle is in the on position, and there is still no power, you have a faulty breaker that needs replacing.

    If you have followed this procedure and the circuit breaker immediately trips, it is functioning properly and has just prevented property damage or personal injury.

    Now you need an electrician to find out why.

  • Step 1. Reset the GFCI. There is a button on the center of the GFI that says “reset” on it. Push that button in until you hear and feel a distinct “click”.

    This is best accomplished with a flat head screwdriver.

    If you cannot obtain a “click” the it is time to call an electrician.

  • GFCI stand for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter and it’s primary function is to prevent electrocution. They have been required since the 1970’s.

    In basic terms, a GFCI device watches for electricity that leaves the system and goes “missing”. When it notices that electricity goes “missing’ it shuts off the circuit.

    Usually electricity that goes “missing” is going into a person or animal.

    GFCI protection is most commonly installed around water as wet people are more prone to electrocution than dry people.

    GFCI’s are life safety devices.

  • Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI) exsist to PREVENT ELECTRIC ARC’s and consequently FIRE. They have been required since the early 2000’s.

    Basically what they do is monitor the waveform of the electricity and watch for arc’s (small lightning) in your home. If it detects one, it shuts off the circuit.

    Why?

    Because arc’s = heat and heat = fire, especially when the source is a broken lamp cord behind the couch surrounded by dust and an old blanket.