Sometimes, nature gets a little wild and shakes things up for us. We get so used to our normal routines and typically daily lives, that when we are faced with a wild thunderstorm packed with high winds, large hail and lightning, we forget what the aftermath of one of these storms is like. It isn’t until we are forced with things like wind damage and power outages that we are suddenly forced to deal with a major interruption in our seemingly normal lives. An electrician in Burbank wants to help you prepare to deal with one of these events so it is not quite as big of an interruption. You can count on the team at The Electric Connection to provide you with valuable tips about dealing with power outages.

1-Take the time today to gather flashlights and batteries. Don’t wait until a power outage happens. Keep the flashlights in a safe place that every member of the household can easily access.

2-Post the emergency outage number in a conspicuous spot i.e. on the refrigerator, next to the phone or on a corkboard. You will want to call the hotline to get an idea of how long you can expect the outage to last.

3-Show each member of the household which electronics should be unplugged from the wall in the event of a power outage. This will prevent sensitive electrical equipment from being damaged when the power surges back on.

4-Educate your family about why it is important to keep the refrigerator doors closed when the power goes out to ensure the fridge and freezer maintain their temperatures for as long as possible without power.

5-Consider having a standby generator installed by an electrician familiar with Burbank electrical standards.

Being prepared can make all the difference when a power outage strikes. If you would like to learn more about what you can do today to prepare for an outage, give The Electric Connection a call today.

House wiring has undergone some dramatic changes in the last hundred years. What was once a relative luxury is now accessible (and even required) in just about everyone home in the country. That isn’t to say that all wiring is created and maintained equally, nor can we confidently say that any Des Moines home is safe for your family without giving it an on-site look.

If you’ve ever done a renovation or addition to your home, you know the nightmare that city and county building codes can be. It seems like someone at the city and county clerk’s office is sitting around all day dreaming up new ways to make your progress come to a screeching halt. While your home may not have been built anywhere near today’s level of code, it still works just fine. Right? Well, while some building codes may be a tad excessive, often they use technologies that the electricians of the past would love to have had a chance to use. While it may come as an inconvenience, remind yourself that the technology available today can keep you and your family safe in a number of impressive ways. From safer walls and greatly decreased risk of house fire to GFCI outlets that will automatically detect an unsafe circuit and trip the breaker, killing the power and potentially saving a life.

Homes built after the 1940s were made with far safer wiring than any before that. Hopefully, by now, any home that predates that period would be completely re-wired with a new electrical panel for the longevity of the home, but this is wishful thinking. Today, millions of homes across the country and a good deal in Des Moines are essentially ticking time bombs, putting all of those inside at risk for electrocution or worse. While we don’t want to spread fear heedlessly, if you are considering the purchase of, or currently own, an older home, then you should get in touch with a licensed electrician to check the safety of your electrical system. Hopefully, everything will look and respond correctly, but there could easily be opportunities for improving the safety of your home.

In addition to the much older homes in the Des Moines area, newer homes are home to their own problems. If you ever notice an outlet begin to stop working unexpectedly, hear a buzzing in the wall, or even feel a current running, then you should make calling an electrician your top priority. Thousands of homes catch fire every year due to poor or faulty wiring, making this nothing to wait on, ignore, or even attempt to DIY; electricians should handle any blatant problems with your house wiring to keep your home safe. With homes popping up in and around Des Moines, our electricians have seen a surprising number of errors that could have been avoided by a more attentive installation, but that is a blog for another time.

If you suspect that your home’s wiring may be facing some issues, it really isn’t worth delaying to get in touch with the local electricians at Electrical Gurus. We have the tools and experience necessary to quickly determine what, if anything, the problem may be and then implement a fix that will keep your family safe. We understand how important it is to find affordable, trustworthy service for your household, which is why we take each call seriously and employ only the best local electricians.

As a licensed Dallas electrician, I see a lot of the work other electricians do.  A lot of it is good, high-quality work similar to the work I and my employees do but not all of it is, unfortunately.  Just like any other industry, there are plenty of bad deals and scam artists preying on customers looking for a good deal.  The slow economy doesn’t get rid of these phony electricians either.  If anything, it makes them come out of the woodwork as people try to save money by using less expensive services.  So, how do you avoid electrician scams?  Obviously, it can be really difficult to detect some scams, but here’s some important tips that can help:

Above all, remember that taking risks with your electrical work isn’t a good thing.  You wouldn’t tell your friend or boss to use a shifty electrician.  So why put your own loved ones through it. Don’t use a service company you wouldn’t recommend to others?