There are plenty of reasons to install new indoor light fixtures in your home. Perhaps you want to update your interior aesthetic, or save energy by upgrading to efficient LED bulbs. Maybe you even want to bring your lighting into a smart home control system. Although wiring a new fixture is usually a simple job, complications can crop up if your home still uses an outdated wiring system. In order to comply with your local building code, you may have to perform some extra electrical work to ensure the safety of your new fixture. Read on to learn more.

Bringing Older Electrical Work Up to Code

If your home still uses knob-and-tube wiring, the law prohibits connecting new light fixtures to the old wiring. You don't have to replace the entire wiring system itself, although that’s not a bad idea, because it can reduce your risk of an electrical fire and lower your insurance rates. Even if you don't have the time or money for such extensive electrical work, though, you can remain in compliance with your local code by installing an electrical box between your wiring and the light fixture.

You can purchase an appropriate electrical box at most local hardware stores – but make sure you verify that it is designed to meet local code guidelines for installing new light fixtures. From there, after you turn off the power to the room, you have to cut a hole in the wall where you want the fixture to go, large enough for the box to fit. If you're lucky, the fixture will be near a stud or part of the frame so you can mount the box easily. Otherwise, you have to cut the wall extremely carefully to ensure you leave enough lath and plaster keys to support the box.

Wiring the New Light into Place

Next, once the box is ready to be installed, follow the manufacturer instructions to clamp in the home wiring to the back of the unit. You may have to add a ground wire as well, depending on the specific scenario. Anchor the box using metal supports, and when it's all in place, connect the light fixture. When everything is securely connected, you can turn the power back on and give your new light a trial run.

Remember, knob-and-tube wiring can be a fire hazard, and performing electrical work in general can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. If you have any doubts or questions about installing your new light fixture, the best route is to have a professional electrician give you a hand.

Expert Assistance with Your Electrical Work

For assistance with all your electrical work, including installing new light fixtures, contact a qualified residential electrician today.

Are you in need of an electrician serving the Pleasant Hill Iowa area?  Look no further.  Custom Electrical Services, central Iowa’s residential and light commercial experts has electricians in Pleasant Hill.  There electricians are available for all your Pleasant Hill electrical emergencies no matter the time of day or night.

From the simplest of electrical projects to the most lavish.  Custom Electrical Services will provide top notch electrical service for your next Pleasant Hill electrical project.  There electricians are serving Pleasant Hill around the clock.  From replacing a light bulb to rewiring your entire home there electricians in Pleasant Hill can handle the task!

Have a older breaker box, fuse box, or electrical panel in your home?  Have one of the electricians in Pleasant Hill come out to inspect it to insure everything is in working order.  Brands like FPE or Federal Pacific Electric have been know to cause fires.  Custom Electrical Services replaces dozens of FPE breaker boxes each year in Pleasant Hill, Des Moines, and surrounding communities.  If you have an FPE panel we recommend you call an licensed and insured electrician to have it replaced.  Not sure what brand your electrical panel is?  Call us today to set up a time to have your electrical panel inspected by a trusted professional.

With residential homes and commercial buildings demanding more and more electrical power to run todays electronics its no wonder your tired, overloaded, or weak circuit breakers trip.  Have an electrician come out to your Pleasant Hill home to run new circuits and dedicated circuits to your heavier appliance loads.  We can even install a whole house surge arrestor or surge protector in your electrical box to help protect your entire home or business from electrical surges.

Homes built prior to 2008 did not come with tamper resistant or child proof outlets installed.  Today current code requires that all outlets or receptacles in a dwelling come with tamper resistant plugs installed.  Some other businesses such as child care facilities, and some health care facilities require these life saving child proof outlets installed as well.  If you do not have these new style receptacles installed in your Pleasant Hill home please call today to have an electrician in Pleasant Hill provide you with an upfront cost to replace them.

For you to be able to ensure that you get the best possible job done in your home, you should limit your options among contractors that will be able to take the best possible care of your home systems. Even if highly skilled professionals tend to ask for higher fees than their other counterparts, there is no doubt that spending your money on their services will be worth it. Here are some points that you should keep in mind as you go about looking for the contractor who you will hire, to ensure that you will receive high quality services in your home.

The first thing that you have to check out when you hire contractors to carry out electrical repairs in your home is the amount of experience the employees of the company can boast about. Obviously, you need to find a contractor company that hires mechanics that can carry out the repairs that you need. There are a lot of resources that you may use to find the best mechanics in your area, so you need to make sure that you go through as many of them as possible.

It will do you well to do a run over on the variety of electrical repairs that a certain contractor company offers as well, before you go on to negotiating their working terms. Obviously, you want to find a company that will be able to implement every single repair that you need in your home. Hiring contractors that can boast of a wide range of skills will be best for you, because there will be no doubt that they will know everything that is important in their field. Yes, they will tend to have higher professional fees, but rest assured that you will receive high quality services as well.

Finally, make sure that you hire contractors who will be willing to work within the kind of budget that you have set for the electrical repairs that you need for your home. While it may be a fact that high quality services tend to go for higher rates, this does not mean that you have to shell out an arm and a leg for them as well. Look for a company that will be willing to give you discounts, in exchange for you having all the services that you need carried out by its employees. This way, you will get your house in tip-top shape without breaking the bank.

This episode of Operation Build aired nationally on the History Channel Saturday morning, April 18th at 8 am and on H2 April 25th at 7:30 am.  In case you missed it, here is the link…

See a home transformed as good lighting turns into great lighting with the latest innovation and exquisite lighting design. 

Architect/Lighting Designer Joseph A.  Rey-Barreau and Capitol Lighting President Eric Lebersfeld meet Operation Build.

Lebersfeld of Capitol Lighting and Rey-Barreau of the American Lighting Association (ALA) invite us in for an exclusive tour of one of South Florida’s luxurious estates as secrets of turning good lighting into great lighting are revealed.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get the latest lighting information and see for yourself how great lighting makes a world of difference in the look and feel of your environment.

With so many options in LED (light emitting diode) and CFL (compact fluorescent) lamps, the creative design capabilities are vast and lighting designers are implementing decorative schemes that are truly amazing.  Rey-Barreau offers the latest lighting techniques and an insider’s view of the incredible changes taking place in the lighting industry.

See more with Rey-Barreau at 1800lighting.com:

By: Jason Lee

Halloween is over which means the holidays are officially here. That means the relatives are on their way and you’ll be using your large appliances more often causing your electric bill to look scary long after Halloween has ended. Don’t let the increase in relative visits and vampire electric devices drive up the electric bill.

To keep the electric bill down, remember to only use the dishwasher when it is full. Running the dishwasher when it is only half full will amount to a lot more energy consumption.

Items like washers and dryers are guilty of consuming more energy during the holidays too. Washing clothes in cold water and setting the dryer on low heat will help in reducing the electric bill.

Knowing when to say goodbye to your old system is another way to save on energy. Older appliances run up the electric bill. If you have an appliance that is over 10 years old, consider replacing it with a newer, energy efficient model.      

It is also a good idea to have all large household appliances connected to their own dedicated circuit. To many of these large appliances operating at the same time on the same circuit can cause a blown fuse or a tripped breaker. A dedicated circuit for each large electrical household appliance will keep this from happening.

Lastly, don’t let your everyday electrical devices like laptops, cell phones or tablets get greedy and hog the power outlets. Only charge these items when they need it.                                                     

You’ll have enough to worry about as the holidays set in. Take the electric bill off the list by doing these simple energy savings tips from Mr. Electric.