It’s important for your daily convenience and safety that your home’s wiring remain in excellent condition. At the first signs of trouble in the wires, you need to call for trained electricians to come to your home, track down the source of the problem, and safely repair it. Do not attempt to troubleshoot the electrical issues yourself, since you will risk a high voltage shock. (In some areas, it’s illegal for anyone who doesn’t have proper certification to work on high-voltage wiring.)

We need to emphasize once again that you should leave the electrical repairs to electricians. You not only risk injuring yourself with amateur repair work, you could start a fire in your house. Play it safe and cautious, and call for experts to handle the task.

When problems like this occur in an older home, you should consider upgrading your wiring or upgrading your circuit panel. This will make your house safer and make it easier to add more powerful modern appliances without causing shorts.

Sometimes replacing a light switch or an outlet can be a quick job done in an afternoon. You may think looking up a ‘how to’ video on YouTube is all you need. But remember, electricity is dangerous and if you are not sure about what you are doing, it is better left to a professional. Here are a few troubleshooting tips to review before calling a professional electrician.

A common problem that can occur is circuit breaker tripping. If you find that power to certain parts of your home is constantly being shut off and requires you to use the circuit breaker to turn it back on, the line could be overloaded. Having to many appliances or electrical devices on one circuit can be too much for the line to handle and will cause the breaker to trip. To avoid this, try placing devices on a different circuit or unplugging appliances before you begin using another. If you continue to have problems you may have an issue with the circuit or one of your electrical devices. It may be best to call an electrician to diagnose the problem further.

Light bulbs must be replaced from time to time; it’s unavoidable. A common problem you could experience is dim or flickering bulbs. Turn off the power to the bulb and replace it with one you know is working properly. If the problem persists, there may be an issue with the socket or the wiring and it is best that an electrician takes a look at the problem.

While there are countless problems you can experience in your home, a good rule of thumb is to stay within your comfort zone. Everyone has a different level of knowledge about electrical systems but if a problem exceeds your understanding, it is best left to a professional. If you are unfamiliar with rewiring new sockets and switches, leave them alone and call an electrician. Tampering and altering wire connections can result in serious injury if not done properly. Be very cautious if you come across an exposed wire or are constantly being shocked, you could have a major safety issue on your hands. Make sure you shut off all power to the area or appliance you are unsure about and contact a professional.

If your family is like most around Des Moines, somewhere on the refrigerator is a list of emergency phone contacts for any number of scenarios ranging from calling poison control because Carson got into one of the bottles under the sink to calling the orthodontist because Julie had a mishap with her braces. However, when you have an electrical problem at your home, do you have someone you know you can trust to call? Instead of browsing the internet in hopes of finding an electrician with some free time, wouldn’t it be better to have an electrician that you can trust 24 hours a day? At Electrical Gurus, we want to be the electricians on your emergency contact sheet that you hopefully never have to call.

Power outages and electrical issues can happen at any hour of the day, and that’s why we provide service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Electrical emergencies that result in fire or injury should be reported to your local emergency service department immediately, but our electricians can handle everything from live wires to panel replacements. Whether your electrical issue was caused by an act of God or an honest mistake, we are here to keep you and your family safe from electrical problems.

Do not let the stress of an electrical emergency send you looking for help in the wrong places. If your home has issue that needs to be fixed right away, Electrical Gurus are the emergency electrician you can trust. We are a licensed, bonded, and insured 24 hour electrician, and we would be happy to help.