August 31, 2021
How do you know you need an electrician?
Sometimes it appears there’s a thin line on what kinds of things we can take care of, but here are a few pointers to keep in mind while you determine if you need an electrician.
You’ll need us for these types of projects:
- Lights or sockets are not working (or you need new ones installed/upgraded)
- Circuit breakers continually trip, even after resetting them
- You’re buying or selling a home and need inspection items fixed
- You are remodeling/renovating and want to update the outlets, switches and fixtures
- A light bulb blows out right after being replaced. This one is a half-and-half – we can determine if the cause is due to something like a short, but if the short is occurring inside the fixture itself, that will probably need to be replaced, or repaired by the manufacturer.
- The ceiling fan or light will not come on (same point as above)
- Power to run your pool pumps
- You want to run new wires/circuits, or add additional plugs and switches
- You want to replace light fixtures or ceiling fans
- Install a surge protector for your home
- You want to upgrade your circuit panel to a newer model
- Install landscape, garden, or artistic lighting
- Replace, install, or upgrade smoke detectors
- Power and an outlet for an electric car charger
- Transfer switches installed for a generator (installing generators is usually a joint project between an electrician and a generator specialist. Some electricians do it all, but we prefer to let the experts do the generator work.)
- Dimmer switches are running way too hot – usually they are a little warm, which is normal, but if it’s hot to the touch, call us.
These are just examples, and not an all-inclusive list.
The following items are not in the realm of the electrician, but here are a few tips on what you can do.
- Appliances are broken/faulty – you will need to contact the manufacturer of the appliance, or an appliance repair shop. If the problem continues, it could possibly be electrical, but call the manufacturer first. This includes electric/gas stoves, microwaves, freezers, refrigerators, etc.
- Your A/C, central heating units and/or thermostats don’t work – this is the responsibility of an HVAC contractor. Very often it’s a mechanical issue, but if they can’t solve the problem, we can double-check the electrical.
- The power cuts out and resetting the breakers doesn’t work – First, contact your utility company to see if there isn’t a general outage in the area. If you are in Austin, you can reach out to 3-1-1 as well. If there are no issues, then we can step in.
- Stereo Systems, Home Theaters, Security Systems – this is for an A/V technician to handle. We can run wire for the electrical power, but we do not do the unit installation.
- Repairing Pool Electrical, or replacing pool lights – this is the realm of the pool contractor; they are better equipped to handle things like pool drainage and cleanup.