By: Kellie Pearson

The future looks bright here at Mr. Electric®, and we hope the same for you! As you are mentally preparing for the New Year ahead, maybe you are planning your goals and resolutions for personal development and improvement. This video by our president, Joel Worthington, is sure to motivate you to achieve them. We also want to encourage you to consider your home’s development and improvement, too!

When you think about your home’s electrical system, what can be improved? What can be replaced and updated? We have put together five tips to help you get started on getting your home’s electrical system in tip-top shape for the New Year. 

Although they initially cost higher, LED Energy Star qualified bulbs end up paying for themselves in energy savings in about 10 years. They use 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 35 to 50 times longer. Plus, they offer more peace of mind since they emit very little heat, decreasing the threat of an electrical fire, and are much more durable, so they won’t shatter all over the floor. They’re also guaranteed for three years minimum, which is above and beyond the industry standard, so you’ll save on maintenance costs as well as energy costs. Basically, there’s no excuse not to get them!

Did you know that you’re technically supposed to do this every month? Not many consumers actually do this, but a new year is a great time to put this to practice and schedule it along with your other monthly home maintenance routines. You’ll find these outlets in moisture-prone areas such as the kitchen and bathroom as the current National Electrical Code requires. Simply press the test/reset button and make sure the outlets trip and resent correctly. If they are malfunctioning, call your local Mr. Electric to have them replaced to reduce electrocution risk.

Replacing the batteries should be done at least once a year, and both of the detectors should be tested monthly to ensure proper functionality. And speaking of replacing, how old are your detectors? Remember that smoke detectors need to be replaced every 10 years. Depending upon the model, older model carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced every three years, and the newer ones, every 5-6 years. Make safety a priority for your home and get this done!

Power surges can enter your home unexpectedly during a stormy night, a random power company disruption or operation of a heavy-duty electrical appliance. They destroy electronic devices in their path and at times cause fires as well. It is unfortunate when your Mac or PC dies, but even more so when your photos, documents, music and other personal content are lost along with it as well. To reduce damage from power surges, have a whole house surge protector installed by your local Mr. Electric at the panel and additionally multi-outlet power strip surge protection for delicate circuitry, telephone and cable lines. This will ensure both main zone as well as secondary zone surge protection to absorb any excess power that seeps through the primary protection.

This can be done in a variety of ways: turning lights out after you leave a room, unplugging and turning off electrical devices when not in use and ensuring lighting and appliances are Energy Star qualified. Perhaps you can create a friendly family competition to see who can use the least amount of electricity, or even consider looking into installing a solar energy system for your home. Whatever you choose to do, remember that you can also call your local Mr. Electric to perform an energy audit for your home to ensure its electrical system is operating at maximum efficiency.

We hope you find these tips helpful to make your home’s electrical system the best and brightest it can be, and we wish you a Happy New Year from all of us at Mr. Electric!

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.

Custom Electrical Services was recently voted for first place for the best Urbandale electrician!  The pole was taken by USA Today Best, and was presented by the Des Moines Register.  The voting is segmented into different areas by city.  Not all areas have the polls closed as of date.  The Urbandale closed on September 27th, 2016.  The Des Moines metro voting closes on October 11th, 2016.  Custom Electrical Services would like to thank all the Urbandale and residence who took the time to vote.  We are proud to serve the Urbandale area 24 / 7 as well as all of central Iowa!  Custom Electrical Services is a member of the Urbandale Chamber Of Commerce.

We take pride in our work.  Our track record supports this.  Our electricians are not only licensed.  They receive special training that gives them superior customer service skills compared to other electricians.  We work hard to provide the best customer service experience possible.  Our electricians understand that your home is your castle.  They show respect for you and your property.  We are not your typical electrician that comes out and says your project is going to cost X.  We take the time to evaluate your entire electrical system as well as perform our full page safety inspection.  This provides a TON of added value to our service.  When is the last time someone took your panel cover off and inspected all your connections?  Most customers say not since I have lived here!  Electrical connections can loosen over time.  Wiring can expand and retract as loads fluctuate on the circuits, this expansion and loosen the connections inside your panel or breaker box.  Loose connections can leave to excessive arching and can cause fires.

Who are you letting into your home?  Our electricians receive an extensive background check.  We are not going to send a criminal into your home.  We realize the delicate nature of having strangers come into your home.  While you may not personally know the electrician you can rest assured we do!  Our background checked electricians are team members, not sub contractors.  We employee them full time and work one on one with them on a daily basis.  We work with them to develop the best customer experience possible.  We want you to feel comfortable with having our trained service technician in your home so you can be just as comfortable as we are with them.

In addition to a 3rd party background check our electricians receive drug testing.  You would not a person on drugs drive your kids to school!  So you defiantly don’t want an electrician on drugs performing wiring in your home!  Are drug tested and background checked electricians were the seal of safety.  This seal is worn with pride and taken very seriously.  When you see the seal of safety on our electricians uniform you know that you are working with a safe professional.

We proudly serve Urbandale and all Des Moines metro customers 24/7.  We understand that your electrical emergency may not take place during regular business hours.  That is why we have a never close policy. Our phone is always answered by a live person regardless of the time or day.  You can also contact us online by clicking here.

Custom Electrical Services is your first choice for an electrician serving Urbandale Iowa.  We perform countless service calls and wire new homes in Urbandale Iowa.  Our projects in Urbandale are some of our favorites.  We loving helping people such as your self with all there electrical needs.

We offer all electrical services for Urbandale.  Our electricians in Urbandale carry many of the parts necessary on their service trucks for that emergency repair.  Have an electrical problem in the middle of the night?  We our electricians in Urbandale offer 24 hour service for those unexpected emergencies.  We realize that your electrical emergency is unexpected.  Our electricians are trained to help you get your home or business back up and running safely!  Our electricians love to help!

Our Urbandale Electricians can handle any task.  From changing that high light bulb to totally rewiring and updating your electrical in your entire Urbandale home.  Many of our customers have simple jobs, while others need an complete electrical update!  Need an new electrical panel or breaker panel?  Our electricians can replace that old electrical panel correctly and to code.  Many Urbandale customers who replace there panel ask us to install a whole home surge protector.  This device when installed properly in your home can protect your entire electrical system and electrical appliances.

Have some smoke alarms not working properly?  Our Urbandale electricians carry top of the line smoke alarm units as well as carbon moxide units on there service vans.  We can handle any smoke alarm call.  From changing a smoke alarm battery to updating and replacing all the smoke alarms in your entire Urbandale home.  Don’t have any smoke alarms?  Our Urbandale electrician can fish in the necessary wiring in order to add high quality smoke alarm units in your Urbandale home to offer you the earliest detection possible in the event of a fire.

Have worn out and failing plugs and switches in your home?  Our Urbandale electrician can replace some or all of your plugs and switches in your home.  We carry the latest styles and colors of electrical devices to complement the style and colors of your décor.  We install the most reliable child resistant / tamper resistant plugs.  These plugs help to reduce the chance of electrical shock by preventing a foreign object from being inserted in the electrical receptacle.  Have plugs by water or in your kitchen, bathroom, or garage?  We can install GFCI receptacles in the proper areas to offer you and your family the best electrical protection possible.