Water heaters play an important role in every residential home. Water heaters are the source behind hot showers, warm baths and various temperatures of water used for washing dishes and clothes. When choosing to install a new water heater in your home, there are a few different options available. Homeowners can choose between traditional gas water heaters and the increasingly popular electric water heaters. The licensed electricians at Expert Electric recommend installing electric water heaters. Here are three reasons why electric water heaters are a better alternative to gas water heaters.

By choosing to install an electric water heater as opposed to a gas or propane water heater, you are creating a safer environment for your family. Gas and propane water heaters can result in leaks which can eventually lead to fires and explosions. The damage caused by a gas leak can be detrimental to a home. Electric water heaters are a much safer alternative. With electric water heaters and other electrical appliances, homeowners still run this risk of electrocution; however, this is less likely to occur.

Electric water heaters have fewer parts than gas water heaters which reduces the costs associated with part replacement and repair. Electric water heaters generally last longer than gas. A longer lasting water heater is important to many homeowners given how expensive the installation of a new water heater can be.

The process of installing a gas water heater is far more complex than installing an electric water heater. In most cases, the installation costs with electric water heaters are significantly less than the installation costs with gas water heaters. The cost-efficiency of electric water heaters lasts beyond the initial installation. Electric water heaters are low-maintenance resulting in less repair costs throughout their lifespan. In addition to their low-maintenance, electric water heaters can be programmed to only run when needed, resulting in less wasted energy.

To learn more about electric water heaters and their installation, please contact the licensed electricians at Expert Electric. We offer various commercial and residential electrical services including outdoor parking lot lighting, standby generators, motion sensing lights and more. Call us today at 604-681-8338 or book a service appointment through our website.

With little ones crawling around the floors, it is hard to always keep an eye on what they are doing all the time. Electrical outlets are at the perfect height for them and seem to be the most interesting thing to investigate. This convenience leads to hundreds of children suffering severe shock (electrocution) each year. This is why tamper resistant outlets are so important. If your home is missing tamper resistant outlets, it may be time to upgrade.

A tamper resistant outlet looks just like a normal outlet, to the untrained eye but have important mechanisms behind the plastic to ensure that nothing foreign can find their way into electricity. Behind the two top prong holes is a small plastic panel. This panel slides across to cover the prong holes. If a child approaches the receptacle with a key or other narrow object with the intention to insert it into the outlet, the plastic panel will prevent them. No matter how much force they apply, it will block the foreign object from entering the outlet and allowing electrical current to escape.

If this plastic panel is preventing objects from entering the prong holes, how do you plug in your normal devices then? The trick to this is that pressure must be applied equally through both prong holes in order to slide the panel to the open position. If there is uneven pressure, the panel does not move. This is how it can prevent paperclips from entering, but operates seamlessly when plugging in a lamp.

Tamper resistant outlets can prevent serious injuries to children. If you have a young one making their way around your home and you aren’t sure if you have tamper resistant receptacles, now is the best time to check. Contact your local Expert Electric at 604-681-8338. We can help to identify what kinds of outlets are used in your home, and upgrade them if needed.

Custom Electrical Services was recently voted for first place for Urbandale and Johnston area as best 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 and Johnston 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 Johnston residence who took the time to vote.  We are proud to serve the Urbandale and Johnston area 24 / 7 as well as all of central Iowa!

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.