You’re on top of grounding your children, but are you familiar with grounding your home? It improves the safety of your home as well as increases the life of your electronics, and who doesn’t want that? Mr. Electric has all you need to know in order to have your home properly grounded.

Electricity likes to travel the path of least resistance. When there’s too much of it, it needs somewhere to go. That’s where grounding comes in. You see, without it, that path of least resistance is your appliances and electronics – and possibly you when you use them. Burn! Zap! Not a good thing.

Since you don’t want your appliances – or you – to take the heat in these situations, a grounding wire is added to your home, offering all that electricity the perfect chance of escape, via a wire attached to your home’s electrical system which is submerged firmly in the ground – the reason it’s called “grounding.” Both your home’s electrical box and your home’s outlets need to be connected to this grounding wire in order to be properly and safely grounded.

Without proper grounding, you and your home could suffer burned out electronics and appliances, electrical fires and potentially deadly electrical shock.

Without special testing equipment, it may be difficult to tell. Just because you have three prong outlets does not mean the outlets – or your home – are properly grounded. These outlets must be properly wired in to your home’s main grounding wire for proper protection. There is also more to grounding than sticking a big metal rod in the dirt, such as properly attaching wires, grounding to your home’s water pipes correctly, and much, much more. If you don’t want your electrical behaving badly, you can ensure it is properly grounded by having it inspected by a licensed, qualified electrician.

Newer homes, as a result of increased safety regulations, are typically properly grounded. Older homes, on the other hand, may not have had a proper grounding experience, or any at all. Homes built before 1950 are especially at risk. You should always have your home, regardless of age, inspected for proper grounding by a licensed, qualified electrician to avoid the potential risks of fire, electrical shock, and property damage. You never know what the previous resident did without a permit.

Don’t suffer the punishment of burnt out electronics or a burned down home. Mr. Electric® will keep you out of trouble – get grounded today!

There are plenty of reasons to install new indoor light fixtures in your home. Perhaps you want to update your interior aesthetic, or save energy by upgrading to efficient LED bulbs. Maybe you even want to bring your lighting into a smart home control system. Although wiring a new fixture is usually a simple job, complications can crop up if your home still uses an outdated wiring system. In order to comply with your local building code, you may have to perform some extra electrical work to ensure the safety of your new fixture. Read on to learn more.

Bringing Older Electrical Work Up to Code

If your home still uses knob-and-tube wiring, the law prohibits connecting new light fixtures to the old wiring. You don't have to replace the entire wiring system itself, although that’s not a bad idea, because it can reduce your risk of an electrical fire and lower your insurance rates. Even if you don't have the time or money for such extensive electrical work, though, you can remain in compliance with your local code by installing an electrical box between your wiring and the light fixture.

You can purchase an appropriate electrical box at most local hardware stores – but make sure you verify that it is designed to meet local code guidelines for installing new light fixtures. From there, after you turn off the power to the room, you have to cut a hole in the wall where you want the fixture to go, large enough for the box to fit. If you're lucky, the fixture will be near a stud or part of the frame so you can mount the box easily. Otherwise, you have to cut the wall extremely carefully to ensure you leave enough lath and plaster keys to support the box.

Wiring the New Light into Place

Next, once the box is ready to be installed, follow the manufacturer instructions to clamp in the home wiring to the back of the unit. You may have to add a ground wire as well, depending on the specific scenario. Anchor the box using metal supports, and when it's all in place, connect the light fixture. When everything is securely connected, you can turn the power back on and give your new light a trial run.

Remember, knob-and-tube wiring can be a fire hazard, and performing electrical work in general can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. If you have any doubts or questions about installing your new light fixture, the best route is to have a professional electrician give you a hand.

Expert Assistance with Your Electrical Work

For assistance with all your electrical work, including installing new light fixtures, contact a qualified residential electrician today.

We Respect Your Time – Custom Electrical Services knows that we live in a extremely busy world with hectic schedules. When you call one of our Ames electricians we will have courteous and helpful team members take your call and work with you to schedule your appointment.  Our uniformed Ames electrician will arrive in a warehouse on wheels.  They will have the part needed for your repair and if for some reason they do not there is no additional charge to you.  Our electricians have 24 hour access to leading Ames supply houses as well as access to all Des Moines metro area suppliers. This not only saves you time but money as well.

 We Respect Your Schedule – Our electrician in Ames understand that you are making time in your busy schedule to have your electrical problems fixed. Our friendly electricians are prompt and professional and even give you a narrow time window so you don’t have to wait around on them all day. We Respect Your Business – Custom Electrical Services knows that you have choices; we respect your business and will always do the job right the first time. Our Ames electricians never take shortcuts and always use the highest grade materials available.  We understand how important your business is to you as ours is to us.  We want to build long term lasting relationships with our customers so they know they can always count on one of our electricians in Ames to for all there electrical needs.

 We Respect Your Safety – Custom Electrical Services doesn’t just send anybody to your Ames home or business, we send one of our trusted professionals.  Your safety is our number one concern.  That is why we make sure all our service professionals undergo stick 3rd party certifications.  Our electricians are Drug Tested, Background Checked, and Professionally Trained.

Electrician in Ames 24/ 7 Service Area Map

Our on call Ames electricians have a large service area.  We cover not only the Ames area but also the entire Des Moines, Iowa metro area.  Even if you live outside of Ames please do not hesitate to give us a call 24 hours per day.  We can cover areas outside of Ames.  Our on call Ames electrician get your home or business up and running in no time.  Service calls and repairs are not the only thing our electrician can do for you.  At Custom Electrical Services we wire over 300+ new construction homes each and every year.  Are you the general contractor on your home or working with a professional general contractor?  Make sure you have Custom Electrical Services bid your next project.  Our design team and put lighting layouts on your plan and make sure you have the latest and greatest options for your homes electrical.

A flood can happen at anytime in your house. It doesn’t always have to come from a river or creek that has burst over it’s bed and turned your neighborhood into a watery community. Heavy rains can be an issue, but if you live near a water source, you are prepared for such eventualities. What you can’t always prepare for are things like burst pipes and water heaters that have failed. If you are not home when either scenario happens, you could walk into a huge disaster. Your first call may be to a water damage specialist and your insurance company, but you also need to call an electrician in Beverly Hills. We all know water and electricity don’t mix! You can rely on the team at The Electric Connection to help you get your home back in order so you can get on with life after a flood, whether it is minor or a big one.

If your home has experienced any kind of water damage, it is crucial to your safety and the overall safety of the home that you have the electrical wiring inspected by an electrician. Beverly Hills homeowners can have water damage happen for a variety of reasons. If your home has been flooded with more than a foot of water and the water has been allowed to soak for more than a few hours, you are probably looking at replacing the wiring in the house. If it was a minor flood with the water only rising a few inches, you will still want to have an electrical inspection to ensure all of the wiring is still in good shape.

When you hear you need to replace wiring, it can be a jaw-dropper. However, keep in mind, the walls will likely need to be torn down and new sheetrock put in due to the water damage. This makes it much easier for your Beverly Hills electrician to complete a rewire and it will be much faster. It is far too risky to assume the wiring was untouched after a flood. Call The Electric Connection today if you need an electrical inspection.

Give your home or office environment a lift with new white lighting designs.  Bring in clean sophistication and timeless style: White on white illumination is perfect for the holiday season!  See the latest floor lamps, table lamps, wall lighting, chandeliers and home decor in a hue that looks fresh year-round…

1.  “Around the World” floor lamp from Van Teal, a striking 77-inch tall decorative tripod composition

2.  “Atilius” table lamp from Uttermost, tailored and elegant in Gloss White glass on crystal foot with a double-backed rectangular box shade

3.  “Spago” mini pendant from Fredrick Ramond, an artistic handcrafted woven metal orb of “Cloud” white surrounding an opal-etched glass shade

4.  “Cove Neck” White outdoor wall light from Nuvo Lighting, a handsomely combined mix of Asian and American style with textured glass

5.  “Walker” table lamp from Chelsea House, a dynamic white ceramic with Silk Egg shade

6.  “Sancerre” chandelier from Golden Lighting, stately in a White Gold finish with strands of delicately draped crystal beads

7.  “2 Seventy Series” island light from Nuvo Lighting, frosted acrylic spirals encase energy-efficient LED

Lighten up on Black Friday with new white lighting designs, chandeliers, lamps and home decor.  Visit 1800lighting.com for the best and brightest ideas in home decorating and illumination for the holiday season.