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

4 Signs That You Need an Electrical Panel Replacement

Monday, March 29th, 2021

hand-holding-sparking-plugThe electrical panel of your home, also known as the circuit breaker panel, is tasked with keeping your household’s entire electrical system running as safely and smoothly as possible. Chances are, you don’t think about your electrical panel that much, unless you have a serious electrical problem like a blackout or electrical fire—we sincerely hope this isn’t the case for you.

The fact of the matter is, however, is that today’s homes have far more electrical demands made of them than homes of the past, and yesterday’s electrical panels aren’t cut out for that much demand. Aging panels require care and attention to ensure that they’re operating as they should, but also so they aren’t threatening home safety. How do you know if your electrical panel is ready to call it quits and your home is asking for an upgrade? Here are 4 signs!

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How to Install Great Outdoor Lighting

Monday, March 30th, 2020

outdoor-light-among-flowersAs the snow melts and springtime temperatures start warming up, many homeowners start thinking about the outdoors—including projects they want to complete outdoors. Oftentimes this includes upgrading their outdoor landscaping and lighting. Whether you’d like more lighting in order to entertain or even just to enjoy eating dinner outside with your family, there’s never a bad reason to desire great outdoor lighting.

But to truly get great outdoor lighting, you want to make sure you work with professional Waterloo electricians, which will help you avoid a number of potential problems, such as what we’ve outlined below.

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Why Whole-House Surge Protection Matters

Monday, August 5th, 2019

power-strip-serving-as-surge-protectionHomes today have more precision electrical equipment in them than ever before. In fact, you probably have multiple devices connected to your home’s power supply at any time, right? And there are likely many power charging stations handling your portable devices. Are you adequately protecting them?

This is important for you to know. A voltage spike can cause irreparable damage to electrical equipment, devices, and appliances, and power strips strategically placed around your home are not enough protection. Keep reading to learn more, and when you’re looking for electricians in Waterloo, IA, look no further than our team!

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Signs You Need Electrical Repairs

Monday, April 15th, 2019

electrical-outletsOf all the problems that might impact you as a homeowner, electrical issues are arguably the most dangerous. Sure, a plumbing problem can cause a lot of water damage and an air conditioner on the fritz can leave you uncomfortable. But an electrical issue can cause electrocution and house fires. For this reason alone, we highly recommend having your home inspected by professional Waterloo electricians once every few years. Otherwise, you are at a higher risk of an electrical emergency happening.

Even with routine maintenance sessions, however, there’s always a chance that an electrical problem can occur. We recommend knowing the telltale signs of an electrical issue, so you can contact an electrician as soon as possible.

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Avoid Overloading Your Electrical Panel with Holiday Lights

Monday, November 26th, 2018

Family Celebrating Christmas At Home Viewed From OutsideThe holiday season is upon us. If you’re like many homeowners in the area, you may be decorating your home, inside and out. Quite often, this includes putting holiday lights up and around your home.

One of the most common calls received by our professional electricians in Cedar Falls, IA this time of year is in regards to certain outlets throughout the home not working—this may include your bathroom outlets, garage, or outdoor outlets. And the most common reason for this problem is that outdoor holiday lights have tripped a GFCI outlet or circuit breaker within your home.

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Is Your Home Protected from Power Surges?

Monday, September 17th, 2018

beautiful home with mountain view in backgroundMany, if not most, homeowners assume that power surges come from stormy weather, and that alone. But this is not actually the case. Power surges come from the appliances in your home, and in recent years, as we have become increasingly reliant on electronic devices and high efficiency appliances, we’ve increased our own risk of power surges. And they post a more serious threat than many realize, to appliances, electronics, and homes in general.

You probably think you’re just fine depending on the small, portable surge protectors you can et at any hardware or office supply store (these are referred to as power strips). Hey, you can plug your stereo, television, lighting, and more into it—convenient, right? Well unfortunately, power strips are not enough to provide the level of protection needed for you home. Rather, you need a whole house surge protection system installed by a professional electrician in Cedar Falls, IA.

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How to Make Your Life Easier with Smart Home Additions

Monday, June 11th, 2018

Do you want to know the quickest way to make your life a little easier? Installing smart home technology! In the past few years, smart home upgrades have become more accessible and more affordable. Here are few upgrades that the Dalton team recommends to make your home in the Cedar Falls and Waterloo area more comfortable.

Save Your Air Conditioning

Smart thermostats aren’t new to the market, but changes in their technology have made them more convenient and easier to use. New smart thermostats take the guesswork out of maintaining your home comfort. They can sense when you’re at home or away and adjust the temperature accordingly. Additionally, you can control them remotely, so no more returning home to an overheated house. Instead, you can lower the temperature while you are in commute and enjoy the cooled air when you arrive.

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Improve Your Home’s Landscaping with This Electrical Addition

Monday, May 28th, 2018

outdoor lighting for homeWhen you think about the landscaping of your home, what comes to mind? If you’re like the average homeowner, the types of flowers and trees you’ll plant, and whether you’ll go with grass, or some type of wood chip or rock ground foundation is probably also a consideration.

But, what about your lighting?

Outdoor lighting is not something many people think about too much when moving into a new home or planning to redo their landscaping in an existing home, but it should be! There are a number of ways in which outdoor lighting, professionally installed by a Waterloo, IA electrician, can improve your home’s landscaping, making it both visually appealing and functional.

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Are You Making Any of These Home Security Mistakes?

Monday, April 30th, 2018

exterior of a homeIs your home as safe and secure as possible? Sure, you keep the front door locked, you have a basic security system, and maybe you even have a dog whose bark you hope will scare burglars away quick enough that they discover the dog really just wants to lick them to death.

These are all great first steps (though we really don’t recommend relying on the family dog), however to truly protect your home, it’s vital that you have an effective whole-home security system professionally installed by trained and experienced Cedar Falls, IA electricians. This will give you protection as well as a peace of mind whether you are away from home or your family is soundly sleeping.

In addition to this installation, there are a number of things you can do around the house to limit your risks of being burglarized even more. We’ve shared some of the biggest home security mistakes below, to help provide some guidance on how to do just that.

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Surge Protection Is Not Just Storm Protection!

Monday, January 8th, 2018

icon of a home designed to look like a computer chipThere are a good deal of homeowners who believe they can go without whole-house surge protection, or don’t even think about it at all. If you’re one of those homeowners, we urge you to read on and learn about why this is so important. Within the last couple of decades, we have all become more and more dependent on electronic devices and high efficiency appliances. When you couple this with inclement weather—particularly thunderstorms—the risk of power surges increase.

But surge protection is not just storm protection! Surges pose a serious threat to your appliances, electronics, and your home in general, even when it’s not storming outside. And you might think that you can just get by with a small, portable surge protector you can buy at the hardware store (a power strip), but this doesn’t give you comprehensive protection—not the kind of protection that a professional Waterloo, IA electrician can give.

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