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

Stay Powered Through the Storm: Why Your Home Needs a Whole House Generator

Monday, May 26th, 2025
sky-full-of-lightning

When the lights go out, how long can your household stay safe and comfortable without power? If you rely on your refrigerator, medical equipment, sump pump, or air conditioning system, the answer is—not long. That’s why more homeowners are turning to whole house generators as a dependable solution for storm-related outages and power interruptions.

With summer storms on the horizon, there’s no better time to make sure your home is protected with backup power you can count on, thanks to your whole house generator in Des Moines, IA.

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Don’t Let a Power Outage Catch You Off Guard: Get Storm-Ready

Monday, May 26th, 2025
lightning-above-a-house

Summer storms are as unpredictable as they are powerful—and when they hit, they can take down power lines and leave entire neighborhoods in the dark. For homeowners, a power outage isn’t just a minor inconvenience. It can disrupt your comfort, damage property, spoil food, and compromise safety. That’s why having a whole house generator in Cedar Rapids, IA isn’t just a luxury—it’s a smart, practical way to protect your home and family.

If you already have one of these systems, now is the time to make sure it’s in working order before the peak of storm season arrives.

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Protect Your Home’s Access to Energy

Monday, May 26th, 2025
sky-full-of-lightning

When summer storms strike, they can bring more than just heavy rain and wind—they can knock out power for hours or even days. For homeowners, this disruption can mean more than mere inconvenience. Food spoils, medical equipment can’t operate, sump pumps fail, and comfort vanishes quickly without air conditioning.

That’s why a professionally-installed whole house generator in Cedar Falls, IA—with the maintenance to keep it in prime working order—is one of the smartest investments you can make to protect your home’s access to energy.

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Generator Repair: Something to Detect Early

Monday, December 9th, 2024

Generators are there for us when other people or systems might not be. On a dark and windy night, full of storms (rain or snow), your generator is going to keep you safe and secure throughout the night. That is–as long as it’s working properly.

A generator that’s in disrepair is going to be the same as not having one at all. If it can’t turn on at the right time, keep your systems running during an outage, or work safely, then you’re back to square one.

So, what can we do? Our team can provide generator repair in Iowa City, IA that diagnoses problems and fixes them in record time. Rain or snow, we’ll be there to fix your generator and keep you comfortable. But you’ll need to detect that there’s a problem first, and we can help you with that if you read below!

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Silent Signs Your Generator Needs Repair

Monday, October 7th, 2024

Generators play a big role in keeping our homes powered during outages. When storms hit or the power goes out, you want your generator to work seamlessly. But what happens when it starts to show signs of trouble? This blog will highlight some silent signs your generator needs repair. If you’re looking for generator repair in Waverly, IA, we’re here to help.

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A Reminder: Remove That Knob and Tube Wiring!

Monday, July 22nd, 2024

Knob and tube wiring is a serious concern that we’ve discussed on our blog before. Many homes in our area are older (which is one good reason why we love them so much) and older homes can be the victims of subpar wiring and fire hazards.

Luckily, our team has an electrician in Cedar Rapids on standby to help homeowners address their knob and tube wiring issues, as well as to support them upgrading their home electric grids into the 21st century.

Today, we’d like to focus on the issue of knob and tube wiring specifically. We want to talk about what it is, why we advise customers to get it removed, and what can be so dangerous about it. Then, when you’ve got an idea that your knob and tube wiring needs to be replaced, you can call us!

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Panel Vs. Fuse Box: What’s the Difference?

Monday, February 26th, 2024

An electrician would easily know the answer (or answers) to this question, but it’s not exactly obvious to every homeowner. Some homes have fuse boxes, and others have electrical panels, and understanding the differences between these two systems can seem like a nightmare without a trustworthy source of information.

Well, we’re happy to be your electrical authority for questions like these, and we’ll simply answer your questions down below or over the phone if you’d prefer. Yes, there are some significant differences between a fuse box and an electrical panel, and your home is more likely to function better if you have one of these systems over the other.

Which system is better? Why are we even comparing these types of systems? The answers will be clear down below. Just make sure you call our electricians in Cedar Falls for help with your electrical panel or fuse box.

The Electrical Core of Your House

The fuse box or electrical circuit breaker of your house is the “core.” What we mean by that is every electrical appliance in your home must draw its power from this place which comes from outside of your home. Unless you have solar panels or some other kind of generator creating an inflow of electricity, the panel or fuse box likely receives electricity from your municipality or the power plant.

You just won’t find a home without this kind of thing. Even garages and sheds can have their own circuit breaker boxes or fuse boxes to direct the electrical flow somewhere in the building. They’re a requirement for modern-day living and you need to have one of these in your home. So what’s the difference?

The Invention of the Fuse Box

When electrical appliances were first invented, houses needed a way to limit the amount of electricity that came through the wires and into your devices. Too much electricity could start a fire or short circuit appliances, which was not a good idea. So, fuse boxes were invented to direct the flow of electricity from one central place in your home through a fuse.

If there was too much electricity going through the fuse, it would melt down or blow, which is where the term blown fuse comes from. This was a simple and smart way to monitor your home electricity. But these soon become outdated.

Electrical Panels

Electrical panels, or circuit breakers, do everything that a fuse box does without the need for a blown fuse to stop electricity from flowing. It has its own electrical switch which detects an overloaded circuit and automatically disconnects the power, stopping the chance of a broken device or fire hazard. These units can be easily reset without the need for additional fuses like an old fuse box would.

Additionally, you can just flip the circuit back manually on your panel to get power back on to wherever it was shut down. Electrical panels are just a safer, more modernized version of the fuse box which uses less materials and can monitor a much greater flow of electricity.

After this blog post, we hope we made it clear that your old fuse box could use a major upgrade to a circuit breaker panel.

At Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc., your comfort is our promise! To set up an appointment in the Cedar Falls area, give us a call at the number above, email customerservice@daltonphc.com or schedule an appointment online.

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3 Electrical Repairs to Leave to the Professionals

Monday, January 8th, 2024

Electrical repairs might seem like some of the easiest projects to DIY. Replacing a light bulb, for instance, only requires a quick online search. Most of us practically learned this kind of work from our parents when we were kids, so there have to be other electrical repairs in Cedar Rapids that you can do on your own, right?

Well, yes and no. Light bulbs, tripped circuits, and other small issues can usually be fixed on your own. But anything beyond this gets into some dangerous territory. We’re not just talking about dangerous for your personal health and safety, but the work you do could end up doing more harm than good and costing you more in the long run.

These are just a few examples of why calling for a professional could be the simplest and most cost-effective choice.

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Big Electrical Changes in 2023

Monday, August 14th, 2023

If it’s been a few years since you’ve hired an electrician in Waterloo, IA, then you might be surprised by some industry-wide changes that have been sweeping the country.

Most, if not all of them have been good changes, both for manufacturers and consumers, but they’re still a shock to many people who have been operating with the same technology for decades.

For instance, incandescent light bulbs have recently been banned, as shoppers try to figure out the specifics and information behind the new, longer-lasting LED light bulbs. Also, insurance rates have started to change as wildfires and heatwaves have become more common. An electrical problem could have serious ramifications on especially hot and dry days now.

So, let’s discuss some major electrical changes in 2023, and what you can expect on your end.

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Top 5 Tips for Indoor Lighting

Monday, July 3rd, 2023

Where would our homes be without lights? Seriously, since the stone age, we’ve been able to do more every single day thanks to the ability to use light and see during the night when the sun isn’t out anymore. Our homes are as cozy and comfortable because we can see them using lighting systems that are affordable, simple, and easy to operate.

Instead of approaching lighting like the miracle that it feels like, let’s talk about some of the nitty gritty. After all, some of our customers might have a broken light or some lighting fixtures that need to be upgraded. This can be frustrating, and you could have people telling you to avoid calling a professional for this kind of work.

Today, we’d like to give you some tips on lighting and general electrical repair in Cedar Falls, IA. We’d like to show you why we’re the qualified team of experts to call, and how our experience can lead you to having a more comfortable and safe home.

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