Category Archives: Maintenance

Electrical troubleshooting and maintenance are necessary to keep your home or business up and running. Something as routine as replacing a light fixture can be hazardous if done incorrectly. It\’s important to understand what elements you\’re responsible for and what an electrical contractor should handle.

Signs of Problems in Electrical Troubleshooting

Most people turn on the light switch every morning, expecting it to work. Electricity is one of those things that\’s easy to take for granted.

Imagine you notice a lamp flickering in an office during your morning inspection. At first, it might just seem like a minor annoyance. You may try unplugging the lamp and plugging it into a different outlet. Or, maybe you replace the bulb. After a few more attempts at DIY fixes and a few hours later, you might start to realize that the flickering light is a sign of a bigger problem lurking behind the wall. If electrical troubleshooting is leaving you unsure of what to do next, it\’s time to call an electrician.

Recognizing the signs of potential issues in your electrical system can help avoid unexpected outages or even fires. The following are a few of the common problems you may notice around your property.

Buzzing

If you hear buzzing coming from your fixtures, outlets, or walls, that\’s a sign that something is wrong. Some causes might be frayed wiring or lose prongs. It\’s best to leave the electrical troubleshooting to a professional to identify the source and fully resolve the problem.

Dimming and Flickering Lights

Lights draw electricity to run. If they\’re dimming and flickering like a 1970s disco, they\’re probably not getting a stable amount of energy. Sometimes high-energy users like AC units, laundry machines, and even vacuums can cause lights to dim or flicker. Although a brief dim may be normal, it\’s best to talk to an electrician to see if there\’s a bigger issue brewing within your wires.

Hot Outlets

If your wall outlet feels hot, it may be wired incorrectly. The first step to electrical troubleshooting is to carefully unplug anything from the outlet. Next, contact an electrician to explain the situation and see if it\’s an issue with the item you had plugged in or with the wiring.

Sparking

If you notice sparks coming from your wall socket, contact an electrician immediately. This is definitely a cause for concern and should be looked at with urgency.

Tripped Breakers and Blown Fuses

Tripped breakers and blown fuses are annoying. However, they\’re designed to protect your electrical system from overloading. If one particular item, such as a crockpot, is always resetting the outlet it could be an issue with the appliance. If using one particular outlet always trips the breaker, it could be an issue with the wiring. An electrician will be able to determine how to fix the overloaded circuit.

Find a Reliable Electrical Troubleshooting Partner

Each year hundreds of homes and commercial buildings experience fires due to electrical malfunction or failure. Watching for signs electrical problems, regular maintenance, and having a reliable electrician are the keys to keeping everyone safe.

For help with electrical troubleshooting and maintenance, contact the professionals at Turn It On Electric today.

Almost everyone admires do-it-yourselfers (DIYers). And, why not? The ability and willingness to change your car’s oil or even the air filters in your home are becoming obsolete.

Doing your own plumbing or electrical work can be tempting. You may be saving money now, but you may actually increase your expenses down the road. When it comes to house wiring basics, safety – not money – is important.

Selling Your House: House Wiring Basics

The 2017-2018 real estate market has been vibrant and fast-paced. Many homeowners joined the rush and listed their properties. Eager homebuyers brought money to the table and often compromised where they shouldn’t in order to avoid losing another house. Even when you feel pressure to purchase it’s never a good idea to ignore problems with plumbing, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), or house wiring.

Electrical updates require skill and training. It\’s important to leave the job to an experienced electrician. Arizona law states you can do your own basic house wiring; however, it also states if you intend to sell your home a licensed contractor should be used.  Although it may be legally acceptable to DIY some electrical projects,  you risk compromising your insurance coverage. You may open vulnerability to lawsuits from injured neighbors or visitors.

Illegal DIYs

When selling or renting your home, you are required to fully disclose all repairs and renovations. What if you want to do electrical rewiring on your home and plan never to sell or rent your property? According to the Arizona Building Officials, you do need a permit for some DIY house wiring basics:

• You do need a permit to install, upgrade, or change outlets for decorative purposes.
• If code requires a GFCI protected outlet you will need a permit.
• You don\’t need a permit to remove or replace broken electrical outlets, light fixtures, or light switches.

If you aren\’t sure what that means, it\’s time to reach out to your electrician. They\’re familiar with what work requires a permit. They can even guide you to the best type of outlet, fixture, and switch upgrades to suit your family\’s needs.

Experienced Phoenix Electricians

If you aren’t worried about your health and safety, consider the fact that you expose yourself to legal consequences if your DIY repairs put others at risk. That includes neighbors or guests at your property. Not only can you void warranties and jeopardize insurance coverage, but you can even risk lawsuits.

While it may be tempting to save a few bucks up front, electrical modification really is a job best left to those trained and licensed in it. At Turn It On Electric, we believe it’s important to learn about and understand house wiring basics. It’s not magic, but it’s certainly fascinating. From transformers to flipping a switch, your home electrical system is a miracle of science.

Every year, technological advances influence how we operate and manage our homes. That’s why our team stays on top of the latest electrical trends and technology. Like you, we live in Phoenix and the surrounding communities. We care about our neighbors.

If you’re buying, selling, or building a home this year, let’s discuss your options and explore the possibilities. We’ll work with you to deliver what you want on time and within budget. Contact Turn It On Electric today.

What is Electrical Maintenance?

We rely on electricity all day everyday. Whether it’s at home or in the office, electricity powers our every move. Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how much we rely on this technology, especially when we don’t see its power everyday. Although we are using electrical components in most things that we do, it isn’t often that we think about what’s going on to make it all possible.

Electrical maintenance is the upkeep of all things electric. From generators to breakers, making sure that your home or business’s electrical applications are in working order is important for more than one reason.

Prevent at Home Hazards

No matter how you spin it, electricity is dangerous. The misuse of electrical applications, incorrect wiring, or out of date components can result in serious consequences. Some of these consequences include life threatening mishaps, like shocks, burns, and fires.

Most of these, however, are preventable. Regular electrical maintenance is one of the ways in which electrical hazards can be stopped ahead of time. When trained electricians check up on the electrical components that power your home, they can detect if there are any minor problems before they become major issues. By replacing and servicing any applications that may not be suitable for a home or business owners’ electrical needs, dangerous situations can be avoided.

Turn It On Electric, Arizona’s leading electrical service and repair company, believes that electrical maintenance is necessary to stop potential hazards in their tracks. With decades of experience in all things electric, Turn It On’s expert electricians explain that there is nothing worse than arriving at a jobsite with an emergency situation that could have been prevented. They say this happens often, but is unfortunate because of the electrical maintenance services that are readily available at all times.

Reduce Costly Expenses Down the Road

When people do not have regular electrical maintenance on their applications, they are at risk for even higher costs in the future. Though maintenance takes some out of pocket expense, when problems arise that could have been stopped ahead of time, emergency repairs are much, much more costly.

A few maintenance fees are seemingly nothing compared to what homeowners pay when more serious damages occur due to run down, old component errors. There is no doubt that you will save money in the long run with regular electrical maintenance. For business owners, whose damages can often be more detrimental because of the size and amount of electricity running through office buildings, maintenance is key.

Get Ahead of the Problem, Today!

Do not hesitate to have your electrical components inspected as soon as possible. Whether or not it has been months or years since your last check up, be sure to call a professional to take a look at your electrical applications soon. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially with something as important as electricity!

For more information on all electrical services and repairs, call Turn It On Electric today!.