There are some home repairs you don’t want to tackle. Here are several red flags to look for when you’re buying a home.

common plumbing problems. Water damage is the homeowner’s mortal enemy. Water causes foundation problems, rot and mold. Want to move into that mess? Probably not.

To see if your potential purchase has suffered the consequences of water damage, start outside and

When you see water damage near an electrical outlet or a light fixture, you may have stumbled onto a fire risk. But outlets aren’t the only place to look for potential electrical problems.

Look for flickering and blinking, which signals a poor connection somewhere along the circuit. Check to see if both halves of electrical outlets are functioning. Make sure bathrooms, kitchens, garages and outdoors have professional electrician should determine whether the home’s circuits or fuses provide adequate power and service. The electrician can look for burned wiring, improper connections, dead-end wiring or ungrounded switches and outlets.

Your home inspector is a font of knowledge! Have the inspector check the air quality of the home to see if any mold spores are present — if water leakage or other common plumbing problems have been an issue, mold may be, too.

The inspector can ensure that the heating and cooling systems are properly installed. The inspector can also determine how old the HVAC system is and ensure that its been maintained

Your inspector will also determine the type of pipe that supplies water to the house—old lead and galvanized steel pipes are going to need replacing.

If the house you’re considering fails these tests, it may be best to move onto the next. If you still think it’s the right house for you, despite the presence of common plumbing problems or the need for an electrical overhaul, negotiate a lower price or ask the seller to pay for needed fixes.

Questions? Thoughts? Leave a note in the Comments section orschedule service today.

There’s been a lot of questions about Federal Pacific Electric Panels.  The Dallas Morning News ran an article on the potential of fire that these panels possess.  As an Electrical Contractor with 27 years experience, I can tell you first hand that these electrical panels are unpredictable and unsafe.  We had a customer who was renting a house and was having an electrical problem. We told her it was due to her electrical panel.  This Federal Pacific Panel was overheating and beginning to melt.  We informed her that she needed to change it.  She got back in touch with us Sunday night to schedule for Monday morning to have the panel replaced.  We told her we would be there at 9am and she said she had to drop her kids off at school and would prefer a 9:30am appointment.  When we showed up at 9:30, she showed up at the same time and we were both greeted by the Fire Department trying to put out the fire in her home due to the electrical panel.

Failure of these panels is not an “if,” but “when.”  A quick evaluation by a licensed and knowledgeable electrician can make a big difference.  Don’t gamble on your security, call and get the free evaluation today!

ElectricMan Inc. is one of Dallas’ most trusted electricians. Nick Schaeffer, Mr. ElectricMan himself, has quite the resume for a master electrician. He started the company by himself in 2004 and hasn’t looked back since! For more information about Electricman’s list of electrical repair services, please visit www.ElectricManInc.com

Your home is supposed to be your safe place, your sanctuary, but if you have an older home, it can quickly become a nightmare. Old home wiring, especially if the wiring is 50 years or older , can put your home and everyone it it at risk for an electrical fire. While wiring doesn’t quickly age, it does age, it does break down, and it does carry risks. Keeping an eye on your home’s wiring and the way that it behaves is one of the best ways to avoid an electrical fire and protect your home. Your home is trying to tell you exactly what it needs more often than not, so keep an eye out for some of the following signs that your home’s wiring is too old and needs to be replaced by a professional electrician.

While there could be a variety of reasons you might have dimming or flickering lights in your house, if it becomes a regular occurrence, it’s time to get an electrician out to your house. These kinds of symptoms are your house telling you that there is something going on in your electrical system. Whether it’s that there is too much power being drawn at one time or that the wiring is failing, a licensed electrician can help to diagnose and fix the issue.

If you’ve had a rodent problem in your home at any time, it’s exceptionally important to have your electrical system evaluated. While rodents would prefer to munch on the cereal in your cabinet, there is something about home wiring that is exceptionally appealing to them. While they’re burrowing around in your walls, there is a high chance that they either chomp through wiring or knick it enough to expose the wiring to the insulation in your walls. Both scenarios can put your home at risk for an electrical fire at any time.

If you’ve never had a circuit breaker trip on a regular basis, then you probably don’t know how absolutely frustrating it can be, especially when the problem is probably hidden somewhere behind the walls. A circuit breaker that continues to trip is a big indication that something is wrong with your wiring. Instead of trying to force it on, make sure to call your electrician to help root out the cause of the problem in order to fix it.

If you’ve ever gone to plug in an appliance and been shocked, that’s probably not a good sign. However, if this happens regularly where you get shocked or your switches and outlets start to look discolored from burns, you have a big problem on your hands. These signs are indicative of a wiring problem and wiring shorting from the energy heavy appliances that are more common today. Don’t just hide the problem with a new outlet cover, have the problem checked out and repaired.

Lastly, don’t dismiss random burning smells or the sharp smell of burning ozone. Both could be indicators that something is going on behind your home’s walls that you can’t see. When you flip a light switch, this connects a live electrical wire and allows power to continue into a light fixture or appliance. If there is burning when the switch is flipped on, the odds are the problem is in the wiring that connects the switch and the light fixture. However, a licensed electrician can determine the extent of the damage and what the problem is.

5-pin SPDT (single pole, double throw) automotive relay.

Relays are essentially two parts in one package. The first part is an inductive coil (pins 85 and 86). This coil is the “trigger” function of the relay. By applying both a positive (+) and ground (-) to the contacts, current passes through the coil. When current passes through the coil, a magnetic field is generated and moves the switch (the arrow in the diagram). This is where the second part of the relay comes into play.

The second part of the relay is the “switch.” The switch has three interface contacts—common, normally closed, and normally open. “Normally” refers to the state of the relay not being energized.

While relays can be used for virtually any task, there are some very useful, simple applications for adding LED lighting to a vehicle. Please note that this wiring only pertains to the relay—not the wires in the vehicle. Before interfacing with a wire in a vehicle, always ensure you test the wire with a digital multimeter first to confirm circuit function.

Positive Switching

Positive switching is used for applications where the “trigger” for your switch or circuit is positive. This could be an ignition, brake, or reverse light wire for example.  This could be used for applications such as off-road light bars, work lights, additional brake lights, and other exterior lighting.

Negative Switching

Negative switching is used for applications where the “trigger” for your switch or circuit is negative. Negative triggers are often found in door, hatch, and trunk triggers as well as many interior switches. This could be used for applications such as footwell lighting, truck bed lighting, under-hood lighting, and other interior lighting.

Switch Activated With Ignition Override

This is useful for applications where you want to turn your light on or off with a switch but only want the light to remain on when the car is running or key is in the “ignition” position. The main advantage to this is—even if the switch is left on—the light (or output circuit) will shut off when the key is turned off so that the battery will not be run down.

For technical questions, don’t hesitate to call us toll free at 866-590-3533. Our customer service and technical support teams are available from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT on Friday.

Winter is slowly taking over here in Maryland. And after the summer we had, no one’s complaining (just yet)! But while the holidays offer up lots of fun, and the cool of winter is currently quite welcome, the season has its fair share of electrical worries unique to itself. Want to be prepared for anything winter might toss your way? We can arm you with some common winter electrical problems in Baltimore. Read on with the electricians at Kolb Electric!

Need the services of a dependable Baltimore electrician? Contact Kolb today for any electrical repair, installation, or service you need!

Keep wary of these concerns, and you’ll find yourself comfortably enjoying the finer points of the season this year:

Is your home prepared and equipped for all of your burgeoning winter electrical needs? If not, contact a Baltimore electrician from Kolb Electric today to get the dependable services you need!