There are some jobs out there that you can very well do all on your own. But there are others that need the guidance and experience of a certified electrician in Gaithersburg. Considering a renovation or remodel for your home and not sure what you’ll need an expert for? Follow along with the team at Kolb Electric to find out!

It can be tempting to try your hand at electrical work, particularly if you think a job is simple. But at Kolb, our team would really, really recommend that you almost never attempt electrical work on your own.

Why? Primarily because of safety. It can be very easy to get an injury when doing electrical work, even for a professional. But also because a lot of work requires certain certification for the job to be within electrical code, which is a legal matter you don’t want to be on the wrong side of.

Here are our top “this needs an expert” picks:

Planning on doing a remodel and need the experience and skill of a certified electrician in Gaithersburg? We’re the team for you! Our experts are top-class when it comes to comprehensive electrical service, and we’re always happy to help. Contact us today to find out more about our services, or to plan your remodel with our electrical professionals!

When you sit in the den to read a good book, you probably want some soft lighting to do so by. You don’t want harsh, bright overheads sending a glaring reflection off of the page back into your eyes. Of course, you could use a lamp to read by. However, we suggest that you speak with a member of our staff about dimmer switches and softer overhead lighting options. That way you can enjoy the convenience of overhead lighting without the headaches – figurative and literal – of harsh reading light.

Cooking a nice dinner for the family can be a fun affair. It can also be rather hectic, with timers going off and sauces to keep an eye on, not to mention the action on the cutting board. If your kitchen is not well-lit, there is no way that you can hope to go about your business safely. Under cabinet lighting and adjustable track lighting can give you what you need to see precisely what you’re doing when working in the kitchen.

Some people forget that lighting can be as much about fashion as it is about function. Illuminating original artworks, photography pieces, or even unique architectural flourishes can be a great way to class up your home. We have the right indoor lighting solutions for any such purposes.

Over time, things can go wrong with any electrical system. It’s part of the nature of wiring:  wires deteriorate and connections can break down.  But what if the problem that develops is because of something that happened when the electrical system was installed, something you didn’t have any control over?

There’s nothing so treacherous to the safety of your home as faulty wiring. Mistakes in the initial wiring of your home can lead to serious safety hazards and property damage.

So what can you do about faulty wiring?  A licensed Dallas electrician can help you find the problem areas in your wiring and repair them, but we generally don’t get called in until the faulty wiring causes a serious problem.  Nobody really has the time or money to deal with these problems, so it’s better to not have to suffer through them in the first place. The best way to do that is to be aware of the electrical warning signs that your wiring might be faulty.

Unplug the electrical appliance that is plugged into the “trouble” outlet. Connect a small working lamp into the outlet instead. Often, the problem isn’t even with the outlet; it’s caused by broken or faulty electrical objects. If the small lamp doesn’t light up, then the problem is with the outlet.

Another important thing to do before you call an electrician is to double check that the outlet isn’t connected to any switches. Many times when our electricians at Lightning Bug Electric get called out to fix a broken outlet only to find that it’s connected to a switch that has been turned off. It’s always good to do a switch check before you decide the outlet is broken.

Electrical outlets that are in locations that can get wet, such as bathrooms, kitchens, patios, etc., have a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) for protection. A GFCI outlet will have two buttons in the middle: one that says TEST and another that says RESET. If the outlet has tripped, the RESET button will be protruding a little bit. Push the button and test the outlet.

If the problem outlet is a GFCI but the RESET is not protruding out, there is a chance that it is connected to another GFCI outlet that has tripped and needs to be reset. Check all your home outlets and reset them, then test the problem outlet to see if it works.

The circuit that the outlet is on could have been tripped. Check the circuit breaker panel to see if the tripped breaker is between ON and OFF. If so, turn it on and test the outlet.

If you have exhausted all these options and your outlet still isn’t working, call an electrician. A professional can solve the problem and have your outlet working in now time.