Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc. Blog: Archive for the ‘Electrical Services’ Category

The Benefits of Whole-House Generator Installation

Monday, April 25th, 2022
whole-home-generator

Many homeowners are familiar with portable generators–and at their core, there is nothing wrong with these systems, when used as they should be. Portable generator systems are a great solution for many scenarios. For example, if your family is going on a campout and you want to power up an electric grill, or hey let’s say you’re “glamping” and you want to hook up a TV… whatever the case, a portable generator is a great system.

However, the thing you need to know about portable generators is while they’re good in many cases, the one scenario where a portable system is not a good option is to power your entire home during a widespread power outage. For this, you’ll definitely want a whole-house automatic standby generator.

A whole-home system enables you to power up all the important components of your home, from the water heater and refrigerator to the air conditioner, and even your electronic devices and, if you need it, medical equipment. Read on as we uncover some of the leading benefits of having a whole-home generator installed.

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Signs that You Need Rewiring in Your Home

Monday, March 28th, 2022
hands-working-on-electrical-wiring

At Dalton, we’re more than simply an HVAC company. We have licensed and experienced plumbers, electricians, and fireplace experts on staff as well, to ensure that we are able to serve your whole home. That said, one of the most important jobs we perform for our customers is ensuring their homes are safe as possible, and a big part of this is checking their electrical loads.

This is especially important if you have an older home, which can have outdated wiring and problems that can lead to not only power outages, but safety hazards too. But, how do you know if your home, or rather your electrical system, is at risk of problems? Age alone isn’t always the best indicator, particularly if the previous homeowner made electrical upgrades. Read on as we uncover some of the top warning signs that your home might indeed need electrical rewiring, and give us a call if you notice any of these indicators!

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“How Can I Lower My Electricity Bill?”

Monday, March 21st, 2022

One of the most common questions our professional electricians get is, “How can I pay less for electricity?” Let’s face it, powering our homes is one of the expensive parts of homeownership. This is especially true in the last decade or so, with the addition of devices and entertainment systems. If your home is anything like the average American home, this is true for you too.

The good news is, there are many ways to improve energy efficiency in your home, and therefore lower your electricity bills.

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This Season, Don’t Overload Your Electrical System with Holiday Lights!

Monday, December 6th, 2021
holiday-lights-on-gutter

Tis’ the season for festive holiday decorations! Perhaps you’ve already noticed that some homes in your area have adorned their houses with a few strings of lights, or maybe even really complex, professional holiday light displays aimed to win home decorating contests.

Putting up holiday lights outside your home is a really fun way to make your household and even your street look super festive. Colorful and playful lighting is also fun to see on snowy evenings. But, it’s important that you keep in mind, no matter how many or how few holiday lights you plan to put up around your home to brighten the season, you want to take proper safety precautions to prevent issues like shorting out your electrical system, accidentally triggering an electrical fire, or perhaps even causing a tripping hazard with loose wires around.

Read on for some tips on holiday light safety, and why you shouldn’t overload your electrical system with these lights.

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5 Signs Your Electrical Panel is Ready to Be Replaced

Monday, October 11th, 2021
hand-holding-sparking-plug

Imagine if all the electricity in your home went directly to your refrigerator. You probably wouldn’t have a refrigerator for very long. Thankfully, modern homes have electrical panels to manage and distribute our supply of electricity. 

As you can guess, the electrical panel is a highly important system–it helps us run our homes and protects our appliances’ well-being. This makes it even more important to be on the alert for when your electrical panel is on its last leg.

Having an electrical panel that needs to be replaced can sometimes be tricky to diagnose. We are here to help. Let’s look at some of the warning signs you might be seeing so you can figure out if they are alerting you to an electric panel that needs to be upgraded. 

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Does Your Generator Need Service?

Monday, September 27th, 2021
technicians-installing-whole-house-generator

When a storm rolls through town or high winds take out a power line, it can be a stressful situation. After all, you don’t want to be without power for an extended period of time. However, if you are the proud owner of a whole-home generator though you won’t have to worry about being without power anytime soon.

These systems are able to provide several hours and even days-worth of power for your home should something cut off the energy provided by the city.

With all that said, a generator in need of repairs won’t be able to provide the quality of service that you’d usually expect. It is vital to get generator repair in Cedar Rapids as soon as you notice a problem. The team at Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc. is here to help ensure your generator is as reliable as it is meant to be. We can start by letting you know what the warning signs are of a problem with your generator.

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Do You Need to Upgrade Your Electrical Panel Before the Holiday Season?

Monday, October 12th, 2020

outdoor-string-lightsToday’s homes have increasingly more electrical demands than those of the past. With more devices, appliances, and smart home components coming onto the market, homeowners are finding themselves purchasing extension cords and power strips to accommodate. The problem is, this isn’t necessarily safe, nor is it very healthy for an electrical system, which can become overwhelmed.

An overwhelmed electrical system means an increased risk for electrical fires, damaging power surges, failed appliances, and even electrocution. This is something to think about, especially as we progress into this time of the year. What are we referring to? The holiday season, which is really just around the corner. The holidays will look different this year, but if lighting up your home with decorations is in your plan, then you may need an electrical panel upgrade! Read on to learn the signs that this is the case.

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Signs It’s Time for an Electrical Upgrade

Monday, September 14th, 2020

technicians-hands-working-on-electrical-panelOf all the things you think about when it comes to homeownership, the state of your electrical system is probably pretty low on the priority list. That is, until you have an issue with an appliance or outlet, or experience a blackout. The thing is though, you don’t want to wait until something goes wrong to actually address the issue. This can leave you in a worse position than preventing it to begin with.

And electrical problems can be prevented. It just takes you knowing the signs that your electrical panel needs an upgrade. With the addition of so many electrical devices, components, and chargeable devices, this is important information to have on hand. Read on as we uncover some of the problems that are clear indicators it’s time to pay attention to your electrical panel!

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Signs That It’s Time for an Electrical Panel Upgrade

Monday, July 20th, 2020

technician-hands-working-on-wiresIs your home operating as safe as it should be? What we mean is, what kind of shape is your electrical system in? If your home is a few decades old and you’ve never had an electrical inspection, there’s a good chance you could be operating on an outdated panel. This is a problem for a number of reasons.

First off, an old electrical panel can cause power surges. When a powerful appliance such as your HVAC system cycles on, it can cause a surge through the panel, and this can damage other, smaller appliances and electrical equipment throughout your home–think, your refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven, etc.

Secondly, outdated electrical panels pose a fire hazard, which, of course, is a serious problem. But you can avoid this! By knowing the signs that you need an electrical panel upgrade, you’ll know when it’s time to call us, and we can get your home back on track. Read on to learn what these indicators are. 

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The Truth about Power Surges

Monday, May 11th, 2020

power-strip-with-two-cords-plugged-inHomes today have more electrical equipment and appliances in them than ever before. In fact, if we had to guess we’d say that you likely have multiple devices connected to your power supply/electrical grid at any given time, right? What’s the best way to protect your appliances and power charging stations, though?

It’s important to know the answer to this since power surges—also known as voltage spikes—can do irreparable damage to electrical components. Think you can avoid worrying since you have power strips in all your outlets? We have some news…

You’re not really protected. It’s time to call your trusted Waterloo electricians and see what more you could be doing to protect your home’s electrical system and the appliances connected to it. Read on as we elaborate!

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