The Dangers of “Historic” Electrical Systems

Is flipping houses a newfound passion? Remember this: everybody loves a steal, but if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Lower price tags tend to pop up a lot on older homes. On the surface, everything can appear to be in good working order. But upon closer inspection, you may realize that in order to get your prized new profitmaker up to code, you’re going to have to factor the cost of electrical upgrades into the selling price.

Did you know that most circuit breakers only have about a 40-yr life? Circuit breakers are the safety nets of an older home’s electrical system. Many older homes still rely on the original electric panel and circuit breakers installed at the build of the home. If the circuit breaker has unknowingly ceased to function, it could spell serious trouble - trouble that is seldom discovered at a home inspection prior to purchase. There are many other culprits that often go unnoticed when inspecting an older home. Badly-done homeowner electrical repairs tend to top the list, and are not only expensive to correct, but often dangerous.

At Electric Bill’s, we love helping our customers with all their projects, from ”historic” fixer-uppers to new construction. There are a number of things you can do to make the electrical system of your older house safer. For the rest of the list, we’re here for you!

Our top 5 recommendations:

1. DITCH THE EXTENSION CORDS Extension cords are meant for temporary use only. Ditch them anywhere they are permanently installed, and have a licensed electrician run wiring to additional new receptacles.
2. REPLACE ALL DAMAGED SWITCHES AND RECEPTACLES  Also, change out any receptacles that can no longer securely grab the prongs of an appliance cord. This is most likely to occur at  locations where cords are repeatedly plugged in and out, like at the kitchen counter. A loose connection between receptacle and cord can cause arcing. Any receptacle where an electric cord can be pulled out with no resistance should be replaced.
3. REPLACE THE 100 AMP PANEL WITH A 200 AMP PANEL The change-out will require an electrician to run new service wires to the home. Because new panels are required to have special AFCI breakers for most circuits, you gain an added level of protection for the aging wires still in the wall. Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter breakers sense when any wiring in the circuits they protect is frayed or otherwise damaged  and arcing/sparking is occurring between two disconnected pieces of the same wire or two adjacent wires in a cable—and they cut off the power to the circuit.
4. or REPLACE THE BREAKERS IN THE PANEL If replacing the electric panel is more than you can afford, think about having an electrician replace the breakers in the panel. The panel box typically has a longer life than breakers anyway, and you will get AFCI-breaker protection for the 120-volt general purpose circuits. The only problem with this strategy is that it’s hard to find replacement breakers for some old panels.
5. LOOK FOR EVIDENCE OF BAD DIY REPAIRS  and have a professional electrician fix them.

At the first sign of trouble, such as lights that blink, appliances that work intermittently, breakers that keep tripping, or the acrid, burning smell of a short circuit, always shut off the circuit at the panel and immediately seek the assistance of an experienced, licensed professional electrician, like Electric Bill’s. We specialize in electrical repairs of all types.  

There are many other jobs for which you will want to contact a licensed electrician like Electric Bill’s in addition to the five items listed above. We have the tools, training, and experience to get the job done quickly, safely, and correctly. Electric Bill’s will provide you with the excellent electrical work your Greater Nashville home deserves! Call Electric Bill’s today at (615) 871-4164.

To learn more about special offers from Electric Bill’s click the link below:

http://www.nashvilleelectricalrepair.com     

5 Electrical Wiring Jobs That Should Be Left to the Pros

D-I-Y is all the rage these days. And why not? Considering the inexhaustible number of how-to resources available everywhere, D-I-Y-ing is often a terrific option for motivated homeowners. Often. However, while we all like to save money, some jobs just need to be left to the experts. It is crucial for every homeowner to be able to recognize the times when it is necessary to contact a licensed professional electrician. Underestimating the difficulty level of a task can be costly, frustrating, and dangerous - both to your health, and to the health of your greatest investment: your home. Before you dive into any potentially dangerous DIY home repairs, here is a quick list of recommendations as a general guideline.

5 Jobs That Should Be Left to a Professional Electrician   

1. Permit-only works

In some instances you won’t have any other options than hiring somebody to perform the work for you. Check with your local municipality to find out what you are and are not allowed to do yourself.

2. Faulty wiring

When an issue in the wiring of your home gets involved it’s definitely tricky and potentially hazardous to deal with.

3. Circuit expansion or replacement

The large majority of homeowners aren’t familiar with how circuits work, so it’s best to leave this job to a licensed electrician instead of risking personal injury or house fire.

4. Installing new fixtures or light switches

Whether you’re adding a light switch, a fixture or a ceiling fan, you might be getting yourself into something a lot more complicated than you would have expected. A professional electrician will save you lots of time and frustration.

5. Adding cable and data lines

Older, historic homes have a particular charm but they also come without the cabling necessary for your TV or internet connections.

There are many other jobs for which you will want to contact a licensed electrician like Electric Bill’s in addition to the five items listed above. We have the tools, training, and experience to get the job done quickly, safely, and correctly. Electric Bill’s will provide you with the excellent electrical work your Greater Nashville home deserves! Call Electric Bill’s today at (615) 871-4164.

To learn more about special offers from Electric Bill’s click the link below:

http://www.nashvilleelectricalrepair.com            

Home Electric Safety

You get out of work and jet home as quickly as possible, turn on the T.V., pop some leftovers in the microwave, and plot down on the couch when you notice something… the smell of burning plastic.  You wander around the house looking for the source of the smell until you arrive at a faulty sparking outlet in your bedroom.   Time to call Electric Bill’s.

Electric Bill’s of Donelson, TN specializes in all things electric.  That’s why we’ve compiled this list of five common causes of in-home and at work electrical fires.  While some fire prevention, such as faulty outlets, needs an electrician, in these instances, every homeowner can prevent electrical fires.

Common causes of Electrical Fires:

1.     Permanent extension.  Extension cords are temporary.  If you’re using an extension cord for an appliance that is never unplugged, it greatly increases the risk of electrical fire. 

2.     Increased bulb wattage.  Having a light bulb with a wattage that is too high for your lighting fixtures can lead to fires.  Also, sometimes people (especially in-home) will put different materials over lampshades to diffuse light, but doing so greatly increases the risk of an electrical fire. 

3.     Faulty electrical outlets and appliances.  We know, smartphones and computers, you use them all the time.  And it doesn’t take long for the cord on your device to fray!  However, using a frayed cord, running cords under carpeting, or removing a prong from your plug (i.e. making a three prong cord two prong) are all huge causes of electrical fires.

4.     Space heaters.  Leaving a coiled space heater too close to combustible materials can lead to electrical fires.

While electric Bill’s can’t help you with the above habits, we can help with this:

           

Outdated Wiring.  If your home is over twenty years old, chances are it does not have the wiring capability to handle the electrical appliances of the modern home.  When circuits get overloaded with too much electricity, an outdated breaker box with worn out systems can get overwhelmed and start a fire.

Electric Bill's specializes in in-home electrical repair including home wiring, electrical troubleshooting, electrical house wiring, electrical outlet wiring, electrical outlet repair, and electrical outlet installation.  Whether you need a repair on your generator, or something small and simple like outlet repair, light switch repair, or light switch replacement, we’ve got you covered.

If you’re looking for an electrician in the Nashville, Donelson, Mt. Juliet, Hermitage, Smyrna, Murfreesboro, or Brentwood Tennessee regions.

Tips for Finding a Great Electrician

Finding the a great electrician can be stressful.  That’s why Electric Bill’s of Nashville, TN compiled this list on how to find the right electrician in your area:

1.     Ask your friends.  Asking friends and neighbors insures firsthand experience with an electrician.  Also, doing a good job isn’t usually a one-time instance.

2.     Use the internet.  There are plenty of sites online to find reviews of electricians, plumbers, carpenters, etc.  And while sometimes the reviews can get skewed with one person who had a bad experience, it’s not usually too difficult to discern if the person writing the review just wanted to complain, or whether the grievance they had is a through line in all customer reviews.

3.     Get multiple quotes.  Asking for the full cost of the job and getting it in writing (or E-mail) before the job begins allows you to pick a price that works for you, and insures you won’t be upsold after the work is done.

4.     Local or National.  Find out if the electrician you’re hiring for a job is an independent, local contractor, or if they work for a larger, national corporation.

5.     Check for papers.  Valid electricians carry licenses.  If the electrician you hired for a job doesn’t have a license, don’t hire them.

6.     Check for insurance.  While all electricians must not have insurance, making sure the electrician working on your home has public liability insurance is a must, in case they have an accident while working on your property.

7.     References.  If you feel there isn’t enough information online and you decide to go with an electrician who did not come at the recommendation of a friend, ask the electrician themselves to provide their own refrences.

Electric Bill's specializes in home electrical repair including home wiring, electrical troubleshooting, electrical house wiring, electrical outlet wiring, electrical outlet repair, and electrical outlet installation.  Whether you need a repair on your generator, or something small and simple like outlet repair, lightswitch repair, or light switch replacement, we’ve got you covered.
If you’re looking for an electrician in the Nashville, Donelson,Mt. Juliet, Hermitage, Smyrna, Murfreesboro, or Brentwood Tennessee regions, contact Electric Bill’s Inc. today.
At Electric Bill’s we know electricians can be unnecessarily costly.  That’s why we offer $20 off your first service call and why we pride ourselves on only charging you for the electrician service and parts you need.

Speedy Quick Electrical Repairs with Electric Bill's

You get home from work and ZING, power up.  Your kids are upstairs; one is on the computer while the other is on the television set.  Downstairs, you’re microwaving dinner and cooking on your electric stove while your husband is running on a treadmill and watching Sports Center in the basement.

It’s hot today; and humid.  So you turn on the AC when ZAP.  Power’s out.  “Oh no!” You enter crisis aversion mode and rush downstairs to your generator, turn it off, then back on.  No power.  You try again.  Still no power!!

With dinner on the fritz, clothes to iron and hair to curl for a play your daughter’s putting on with her 4^th grade class, you enter full meltdown.  In a flurry, you scramble onto your cell phone to find a credible electrician with small town interpersonal values, not some conglomerate repair center that will just put a band aid on a bullet wound.  Your search ends here, at Electric Bill’s.

Electric Bills specializes in home electrical repair including home wiring, electrical troubleshooting, electrical house wiring, electrical outlet wiring, electrical outlet repair, and electrical outletinstallation.  Whether you need a repair on your generator, or something small and simple like outlet repair, lightswitch repair, or light switch replacement, we’ve got you covered.

If you’re looking for an electrician in the Nashville, Donelson,Mt. Juliet, Hermitage, Smyrna, Murfreesboro, or Brentwood Tennessee regions, contactElectric Bill’s Inc. today.

At Electric Bill’s we know electricians can be unnecessarily costly.  That’s why we offer $20 off your first service call and why we pride ourselves on only charging you for the electrician service and parts you need.

Outdoor Lighting from Electric Bills Inc. Donelson, TN

The, sun is out, the days are longer, and the weather’s getting warmer here in Middle Tennessee.  Now is the perfect time to have a new deck, swimming pool, or patio installed in your backyard.  But don’t get left in the dark when the sun goes down!  Electric Bills Inc. of Donelson, TN, an expert at repairing outdoor lighting fixtures has a few tips for keeping your great outdoors illuminated this Spring!

Tips for outdoor lighting installations:

1.)  Pick the lights that best serve your yard.  Whether you need lighting for utility or purely aesthetic reasons, choosing the right outdoor lighting fixtures to highlight or illuminate your landscaping, deck, or patio can make all the difference in having a pleasurable nighttime experience in your yard.  While we recommend spotlights for highlighting features such as trees and shrubs, floodlights can illuminate a wide area and make night time play in your yard safer for kids.

2.)  Choose your power source.  Most outdoor lights are powered by solar power or low voltage outdoor power and can be turned on by plugging into any outdoor outlet.

3.)  Place the lights.  a.) Check and make sure there aren’t any underground utilities where you plan on digging to install your lights.  b.) Assemble the lights.  c.) Lay the lights in their positions.  d.) Lay the cable (if using low voltage outdoor lights).

4.)  Install the lights. 

If you follow these steps and still are having problems with your outdoor lighting, contact ElectricBills Inc. today.  Electric Bills Inc. specializes in indoor and outdoor electrical repair.  We service Donelson, Hermitage, Smyrna, Murfreesboro, Mt. Juliet, and Brentwood.  In addition to outdoor lighting replacements, we do small electricalwelding jobs, residential electrical repair and commercial electrical repair, new electrical construction and electrical renovations!

If you need to find a middle Tennessee electrician to help with home wiring troubleshooting, electrical house wiring, or electrical outlet wiring, for outlet repair or outdoor electrical repairs, visit our Website or contact Electric Bills Inc. today!

Electrocuted Peanut Butter Dreams

It’s 10 p.m. 

You’re lying in bed, and something brutal and merciless is happening in your stomach: 

night hunger. 

It’s sending signals to the goblin in your brain that it’s going to die unless you get that spoon out of the drawer and dip it into the peanut butter jar for a little late night snack.

You wait until the right moment. That moment of no return where you stop fighting the urge to be disciplined, and you just go for it. Before you can think to change your mind, you make it to the hallway. Unfortunately, without the use of light bulbs, your hallway suddenly becomes a labyrinth - You must make your way over dangerous stair slope, and across the treacherous sea of baby toys in the living room before you can reach the beloved pantry.

Hand on the light switch, you make your first attempt to flick the hallway lights on.

Nothing.

You’re probably just having a bad dream. It’s fine. Try again. 

…Nothing.

At this point, violence is the answer, and you’re aggressively flicking the light switch up and down in the name of hunger. You realize from the extreme exhaustion in your arm that this is no dream, and you’re currently suffering an electrical issue.

In the middle of the night,

whilst having a hunger episode.

…too…tired…

You make your way back to the coziness of your bed, deciding against the journey through the hallway without the use of your beloved lighting. You’re feeling a bit defeated and very peanut-butter-less. 

You can’t sleep. On top of hunger, you now have constant questions popping up in your mind regarding this electrical outage. 

“How does electrical stuff even work? What makes a light blow out? How does a fuse work? What is a fuse?! Do I take a hammer to the wall, attach the fuse to the light (is that a thing?), do a rain dance, and call it a day? I could get shocked. Oh God, what if I die? Should I start writing my will? I don't have life insurance. Maybe I should buy my kids a puppy since life insurance is out of the question.”

Then it hits you. There’s a way out. You live on to cheat death yet another day.

What is this saver of life, you ask?

Electric Bill’s!

For over 20 years, Electric Bill’s has been providing quality electrical work in the Middle Tennessee Area. They specialize in small welding jobs, troublesome electrical repairs, residential and commercial repairs, new construction and renovations.

Serving Donelson, Hermitage, Smyrna, Murfreesboro, Mt Juliet, Brentwood, and the greater Nashville area. 

• State Licensed Electricians
•  Contractors License
• Bonded
• Insured

For more information, call at 615.871.4164 or check out our website now!