Routine electrical service and maintenance is critical for all home or commercial buildings in the Des Moines Iowa area.   When you have routine electrical service done, it will keep your important electrical systems running longer and help you avoid expensive future repairs. In the event that there is an issue with your electrical system, your electrician can identify it during this routine visit so that repairs can be done before the problem becomes larger or even becomes an electrical fire.  Schedule your local electrician today and have your electrical system checked out.

If you are looking for a place to escape from life’s every day hustle and bustle,Look for IP (Ingress Protection) rated fixtures that are waterproof, meaning dust-tight and protected against long immersion in water, rather than simply “water safe” or “wet location safe” options.  Waterproof fixtures are meant to be submerged and will prevent water from entering them due to sealed assembly.  Take the precaution to ensure that your fixtures will meet all safety and application standards for an underwater environment prior to purchase or installation.

Ingress Protection (IP) ratings specify the environmental protection the enclosure provides.

The IP rating normally has two (or three) numbers:

An “X” can used for one of the digits if there is only one class of protection, i.e. IPX1 which addresses protection against vertically falling drops of water e.g. condensation.

IP First number – Protection against Solid Objects

IP Second number – Protection against Liquids

Voltage Requirements

When weighing your options on which type of fixture to choose, cost, convenience, and the size of your project are important. If one were to complete a large project for the grounds of a grand hotel, for example, line voltage (120V) would be the ideal option as vast distances may exist between the focal point and the fixture itself.

While it’s also true that standard incandescent bulbs can be found at virtually any hardware or household goods store, in an age where environmental awareness is important to daily life, technology and the public are moving in tandem towards different solutions. Since line voltage lighting consumes much more energy and will typically require the expertise of a licensed electrician, more homeowners are choosing low voltage (12V) options. Low voltage fixtures are notably the safer and less hazardous of the two choices, are often smaller, and easier to conceal within a natural landscape. They also have the added benefit of lower cost over time. Note that a transformer is required to convert to the lower voltage for fixtures which will be used underwater. You may also make use of photocells and timers to save on electricity consumption costs even further.

Let’s take a look at some examples of the different types of submersible low voltage products available today:

Low Voltage Halogen

This LED lights consume approximately 75% less power than incandescent units for the same amount of light output. This amounts to a sizeable savings over their life span. Moreover, standard underwater LED fixtures consume about 1/5 of the power as standard incandescent bulbs!

Besides energy savings, the nature of LED production makes them ideal for underwater applications. There are no bulbs to change as LED fixtures typically come in a permanently sealed housing. Sealed construction means underwater lights may be left in a permanent location with no concerns about extra cable allowances, or making provisions to change bulbs. They should, however, be accessible in order to clean the lenses during regular pond maintenance.

It’s important for your daily convenience and safety that your home’s wiring remain in excellent condition. At the first signs of trouble in the wires, you need to call for trained electricians to come to your home, track down the source of the problem, and safely repair it. Do not attempt to troubleshoot the electrical issues yourself, since you will risk a high voltage shock. (In some areas, it’s illegal for anyone who doesn’t have proper certification to work on high-voltage wiring.)

We need to emphasize once again that you should leave the electrical repairs to electricians. You not only risk injuring yourself with amateur repair work, you could start a fire in your house. Play it safe and cautious, and call for experts to handle the task.

When problems like this occur in an older home, you should consider upgrading your wiring or upgrading your circuit panel. This will make your house safer and make it easier to add more powerful modern appliances without causing shorts.

The times, they are a-changin'. President Obama recently announced the details of his highly anticipated Clean Power Plan, a measure aimed at reducing the country's harmful fossil fuel emissions and limiting our contribution to climate change. The plan, when fully implemented, should reduce carbon emissions by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Read on to learn more about the Clean Power Plan and what it means for you.

Lower Prices at the Meter

The Clean Power Plan was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, under the authority granted by the Clean Air Act. It imposes sharp limits on the types of energy production that power the nation's electrical work, but grants flexibility to states in how they act to meet those limits. In general, the plan encourages a shift away from burning coal during energy generation, while states have the option of upping their renewable energy production, using nuclear energy, increasing their efficiency or relying more on natural gas.

The good news for homeowners is that the plan is projected to decrease the bills you pay to power your residential electrical work. An analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that the average home electricity bill could fall by as much as 8 percent, and consumers could save up to $37.4 billion overall in electricity by 2020. The rationale for the savings is that renewable fuel sources cost less to run over time once the initial infrastructure is in place. Also, the plan encourages investments in household energy efficiency, which means that you may come to be less reliant on your home electrical work without substantially changing your behavior.

Clean Air for Breathing

The Clean Power Plan has another ancillary effect that has nothing to do with electrical work: it should cut down on air pollution and create a healthier breathing environment. For example, while we rely on the ozone level high in the sky to block harmful sun rays, ozone at ground level is known by another name – smog. It is created when sunlight interacts with pollutants and can be very harmful to our health. The plan should reduce smog levels and provide us with cleaner air to breathe.

Furthermore, one of the biggest signs of climate change is unusually hot and dry weather in certain parts of the country, which can lead to out-of-control wildfires and harmful particulates that damage your lungs. Strange weather patterns have also been blamed for an increase in allergies this year. By slowing the pace of climate change and keeping harmful pollutants out of the air, the Clean Power Plan can help you breathe easy.

If you have any concerns about the effect the Clean Power Plan will have on your energy prices or electrical work, call a knowledgeable electrician today.

When’s the last time you gave much thought to your home’s electrical system? Chances are that unless you’ve experienced a power outage or you’ve had circuit breakers tripping on a regular basis, it was not very recently. It’s important to realize that frayed wires, loose connections, and similar electrical problems are not unique to any one type of household—anyone can experience these problems.

Without appropriate repairs, these problems can short out important appliances or even start a fire. When it comes to repairing electrical problems though, you should only trust a trained and licensed electrician, such as the members of our staff. But the only way to know it’s time to give us a call for repairs is if you know the signs that a repair is needed in the first place. Keep reading to learn about these indicators.

If any electrical outlet in your home is warmer than the wall that surrounds it, even when nothing is plugged in, your wiring is probably experiencing some trouble. While warmth while something is plugged in is normal, an outlet should never be too hot.

Intermittent electricity will cause this to happen. This is another sign that something is wrong with the electrical wiring in your home and needs immediate inspection and repairs.

Malfunctioning electrical systems or components will often cause a low buzzing noise, which usually ceases when you cut power to the circuit.

If you notice that the breakers keep tripping on one particular circuit, then you’ve probably overloaded that particular circuit. It could also be a problem with one or more appliances hooked up to it.

You should never see sparks coming from any electrical outlet. If you do, be sure to shut the power off to the affected area immediately, and then call for professional repairs.