Clearwater Electrician Explains What Residential Electrician Can Help With
When you’re considering hiring a Clearwater electrician, it’s hard to know where to begin. Asking someone to come into your home and fiddle with its innermost workings can be a stressful but necessary part of owning a home. You want to be sure you hire someone you can trust to get the job done completely and to get it done right the first time. Not only that but you want to feel safe and comfortable with the person you hire – no one wants to feel uncomfortable in their own home. This article aims to discuss what makes a residential electrician, what they do, and how to pick the right one.
What do Residential Electricians Do?
Residential electricians can help with the wiring and electrical component of building a home from scratch, installing upgrades, or making repairs. They commonly can assist in identifying problems within the home, such as a short circuit or circuit without power.
Residential Clearwater Electrician
Some of the more common tasks a residential Clearwater electrician can help you accomplish include the installation or repair of the following:
- Pool, spa, hot tub, jacuzzi wiring
- TV, phone, computer wiring
- Ceiling fans and lights
- Exhaust fans
- Kitchen lighting
- Appliance wiring
- Bath wiring
- Light fixtures and dimmers
- Outdoor lighting
- Audio and video systems, for example for security
- Wired and wireless networks
- Breaker panels
- Outlets
- Air conditioner lines
- Washer/dryer and other appliance lines
- Doorbell systems
- Pier or dock wiring
- Under cabinet lighting
- Microwave and other appliance circuits
Some of the larger and more complicated projects you may require a Clearwater electrician for include:
Electrical Service upgrades
Due to the increased popularity of energy expensive add-ons such as pool heaters and tankless water heaters, energy consumption continues to rise in the average home. Many homeowners are so focused on their fun new gadget that they don’t think about the stress it puts on their aging electrical system. Most homes have electrical wiring that is quite old and may even have issues keeping up with the normal energy use without these additional demands. While some additions save energy while in use, they require a large amount of power to operate. Service upgrades may be very costly and disruptive, but they are necessary for the natural progression of energy consumption. Most homes will need to undergo an electrical upgrade several times throughout its life. It’s important to choose an electrician with experience when undertaking such a large project.
Electric Panel Changes
If your home has a very old fuse panel, such as a Zinsco or Federal Pacific band circuit breaker panel, insurance companies may not cover them, as they are exceptionally hazardous and may cause fires. These types of panels haven’t been available for installation for over 40 years because they are faulty. These panels don’t always “trip” when they’re supposed to, meaning power may surge into the home unchecked, leading to melting electrical wires or even fires at the electrical panel. If your home has one of the above panels installed or an old (over 25 years old), damaged, rusty, or corroded panel, it may be time to get it replaced. This won’t affect the wiring inside your home, just how much energy that your home is able to distribute.
How do you know when your home is having electrical problems?
It’s important to look out for any signs that your home is having a hard time keeping up with electrical demands. If you allow your system to struggle for too long, you may end up in the dark! Here are some things to keep an eye out for:
Frequent electrical tripping
If electrical circuit-breakers are tripping often or fuses are blowing frequently, your circuits are pulling in more current than they are able to actually provide. This could indicate a dangerous fault on one or more circuits.
Flickering lights
When one electrically-powered item causes another to falter, such as the lights dimming when the air conditioning kicks on, you may need to rewire your appliances or increase the amps in your home.
Electrical Socket Overuse
You have an excessive amount of items plugged into each outlet – Increasing the number of outlets can make your home safer.
Three Pronged Plugs
You don’t have outlets that accept three-prong plugs – Three-prong plugs are grounded and therefore safer. If your outlets don’t have three holes, your electrical system is not fully grounded and you aren’t completely safe.
Unsafe Electrical Outlets
There is rubber or cloth in the outlet or switch box – Older homes insulated wires with rubber and cloth instead of plastic. This is a dangerous system and should be upgraded for your safety.
Overheating of Outlets
The outlets, switches, and other electrical-system surfaces are warm – Warmth, blackening, or mild shocks are indicative that there could be too much demand on the circuit or that there is a more dangerous underlying problem. If your home was wired between 1965 and 1975, it may even have aluminum wiring, which needs to be checked fairly often.
Contact a Clearwater Electrician for Any Electrical Needs You Have
East-West Electric Inc. specializes in commercial, industrial and petroleum related electrical installations. As a family-owned business, we dedicate in providing long-lasting relationships with our clients throughout Florida. Give us a call at (727) 771-9403 to speak to a Clearwater electrician.
