Tag: wiring

Des Moines Garage Wiring

Mar 24, 2021

Des Moines Garage Wiring

  • Electrical
Des Moines Garage Wiring

Looking for Des Moines garage wiring services? If you’re living in an older home or have rental properties that are more than ten years old, you may be faced with aging electrical wiring and services. Determining how and what to upgrade can be challenging at best, especially if you’re not familiar with rewiring options and requirements. In general, electrical work should only be performed by licensed contractors, but it’s important to have a solid baseline understanding of the options available for rewiring your home, or, in the case of our most recent rewiring job in Des Moines, your garage.

Why Rewire Your Garage?

Many years ago, having around 60 amps of electricity was considered to be plenty for a “modern” home. Today’s energy demands are much greater, and can put a significant strain on an aging electrical system. According to experts, anything less than 100 amps is unlikely to provide the electrical service needed by today’s standards, but most homes today are outfitted with up to 200 amps to allow room for growth. Bottom line: don’t wait for electrical outages or flying sparks from your Des Moines garage wiring to decide to have a professional review your system. Instead, be proactive about electrical maintenance and save yourself time and money.

If you are looking to modernize your garage and upgrade it to a more usable space, rewiring may be the first necessary step. Many old homes were built using knob and tube wiring, which is no longer up to building safety codes. So even if the electrical wiring inside your home has been updated recently, your garage power system may still be outdated. Integra Electrical provides outstanding rewiring services including Des Moines garage wiring so you can make the most of your garage space.

This Des Moines garage wiring project required the installation of seven new circuits in order to accommodate the homeowner’s updates. With the new circuits installed by the team here at Integra, they were able to safely install several new lighting fixtures to make the garage a usable workspace, even at night. They will also now be able to safely install an electric vehicle home charging station in the future without the need for any additional upgrades.

To even further optimize this Des Moines garage’s functionality, we wired and installed a double switch to operate their new lighting. No more fumbling around in the dark looking for lamps, tripping over extension cords or trying to track down a pull string for this family.

Rewiring Options

Rewiring a building carries a lot of challenges: ensuring that you have the correct electrical services to the building without ripping up walls, floors or installed decorations being the first big hurdle. That said, there are still big benefits to be found by rewiring your home, such as lowered reliance on dangerous electrical practices such as multiple power strips and extension cords or damage to sensitive electronics due to power surges or drop-offs. There are a few options when you’re considering a major electrical service upgrade: rewiring your entire home and/or garage (big dollars!) or upgrading specific parts such as your electrical service panel — a much more cost-effective option if it will work for your home.

  • Updating your electrical panel is another option that may help get your system back up to standards. While this is the first step in any rewiring project, it’s possible that this step may be enough to keep your home safe and effectively utilize the power you have available for quite some time. This is a good option when funds or time are limited, or when you don’t feel you’re quite up to the major project of rewiring your garage. Replacing circuit breakers and electrical panels may not completely solve your electrical challenges, but they could potentially reduce them. It’s important to note that this step doesn’t fix faulty wiring, it simply provides your home with more power to be distributed throughout the current electrical structure that you have in place.
  • Rewiring your home is the best option to consider if your home or garage is greater than 40 years old. Wiring was significantly different around that time, and not only are you dealing with standards that may not quite be up to snuff, but the general decay of the wiring itself over time increasingly becomes a factor. The unfortunate fact is that electrical wiring is inside your walls, and getting to it is not easy at all. Switches often have to be replaced, you’ll need new wires, outlets, fixtures — and then the cost of any repair and repainting that’s required — altogether can cost from $5,000 to $8,000 for homes of an average size. That number shoots up significantly if you’re dealing with a larger home that has any type of restricted access to the Des Moines garage wiring, or special wiring requirements such as for an indoor swimming pool or theater setup.

Standard Requirements For Des Moines Garage Wiring & Rewiring

Staying within recommended specs can be complicated, but there are certain simple items to keep in mind when you’re considering a rewiring project.

  • Circuits in the kitchen and dining room should be a higher output 20 amp circuit, because they are more likely to draw additional current
  • When they’re not present, add a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) to any outlets that are near a water source
  • Match your numbers: a 15 amp fuse should only be used with a 15 amp cable. A mismatch between wiring and circuit breakers is a recipe for disaster

Garages, especially unfinished ones, can be susceptible to damage from the harsh weather elements. Although this homeowner will be insulating and finishing their garage in the near future, the expert electricians on site from Integra still went ahead and installed electrical metallic tubing (EMT) to protect this Des Moines garage wiring to ensure the safety of not just the garage, but the people inside of it. EMTĀ  is made from heavy-duty galvanized steel to protect the wires threaded through it from magnetic fields, weather damage and contortion.

Electrical Hazard Warning Signs

Keep your home safe and worry-free by knowing the warning signs that can occur when your Des Moines garage wiring is no longer safe. Trained electricians can spot subtle signs, but diligent homeowners can be on the lookout for these potential problems.

  • Circuit breakers that trip unexpectedly and often
  • Lights that flicker or dim
  • Buzzing sound from lamps, or a slight shock when you’re turning on appliances
  • Char marks on electrical outlets, or outlets that are warm to the touch
  • Lack of ground fault indicators where needed (kitchens, bathrooms — anywhere you find water)
  • Frayed wires or damaged and visible insulation
  • The smell of burning vinyl or plastic in various places throughout your home

Of course, it’s important to know that the most common cause of faulty Des Moines garage wiring is when homeowners attempt to make changes themselves instead of working with qualified and trained professionals. It’s critical to ensure that any individual that you hire to work on your home and garage’s electrical systems is fully licensed.

Lifespan of Electrical Systems

The good news is that even though it can be challenging to get through a rewiring project, once you do complete it you should be set literally for life. The rating for most copper wiring is around 100 years with the proper installation. Environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity may also play a part in determining the usable life of your electrical system. In unusually warm areas, it’s not unusual for wiring to fail early simply due to the failure of the insulation protecting the wires themselves. Service panels generally have a 10-year to lifetime warranty, but should be reviewed more often for overall fitness.

Keeping your electrical systems up to date is an important part of home ownership. Waiting for your Des Moines garage wiring to go bad or have problems before you take action can cause some serious damage — not only to your home and property, but also potentially to your life. When it comes to electrical systems, it is always safest to have a licensed professional electrician on call for answers. That’s why Integra Electrical is available to help you at all hours of the day and night in the event that you ever need 24/7 emergency service.

Call Integra Today For Des Moines Garage Wiring

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Our team of expert electricians are standing by now for help with all your Des Moines garage wiring needs! Older homes and their garages may not have enough circuits to accommodate the modern lifestyle and all the electronics that come along with it. If you are looking to utilize your garage with lighting and other electronics, you may require rewiring in order to guarantee its safety. Knob and tube wiring no longer complies with modern building safety codes, and may jeopardize the safety of not only your electronic system, but also your family if you overload it. When in doubt, call a licensed, professional electrician to upgrade or review your electrical wires. Ā Call our office today and see why local homeowners trust their electrical systems to Integra!

Electrical Outlet Upgrades In Des Moines

By zach@admachines.com

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The Dangers of Knob-and-Tube Wiring

Dec 15, 2019

The Dangers of Knob-and-Tube Wiring

  • Electrical
knob-and-tube wiring removal at Integra in Iowa

Used in America from 1880 to the late 1940ā€™s, knob-and-tube wiring is an early style of electrical wiring identifiable by its white, ceramic, spool-like knobs. It still exists in some old homes, and it presents several dangers to modern-day tenants. If you happen to have some in your home, be sure to let us know so we can help you replace it with modern wiring. We have the know-how to replace that archaic wiring with something much safer.

 

Here are five of the dangers knob-and-tube wiring presents to homeowners:

 

  1. Age. On average, knob-and-tube wiring ranges from 70 to 130 years old. Even if it has been working for a while, this old wiring doesn’t have the capacity needed for modern homes. This means it can overload easily and start a fire. In addition, the wiring is less resistant to damage than normal wiring. This represents another fire risk to homeowners.
  2. No ground wire. Knob-and-tube wiring is incompatible with modern 3-plug appliances. Because of this, anything plugged in is more liable for damage due to voltage fluctuations and surges. This is yet another fire hazard and can also cause electrical shocks.
  3. Bad against moisture. In addition to being ungrounded, knob-and-tube wiring is not rated for moisture. This makes it especially dangerous in wetter areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, and outside.
  4. Easily overlooked. Knob-and-tube wiring often gets buried in insulation and pushed into contact with building materials and other clutter. Since knob-and-tube wiring is designed to release heat freely into the air, this presents yet another fire hazard. Insurance companies often wonā€™t insure buildings with knob-and-tube wiring because the National Electric Code (NEC) states that knob-and-tube wiring has to stay away from insulation.
  5. Improper DIY modifications. Out of all the kinds of wiring, unsafe DIY modifications are most often seen with knob-and-tube wiring. Part of this is from how easy it is to access for splicing. Itā€™s not uncommon to see someone use masking or Scotch tape (instead of electrical tape) in their DIY connections. Even worse, DIY rookies often install fuses with an amperage too high for the wiring, overloading the wires and making another major fire risk.

 

Why trust Integra Electrical with my electricity?

 

Integra takes the complexity out of your electrical systems with our knowledgeable professionals. We believe in giving the customer superior service at a price they can feel good about. People come first, and we devote ourselves to providing to you, our customers, our employees, and our community. We’re available to talk 24/7, so call us if you need help with your wiring!

By zach@admachines.com

7 Signs Your Home Needs Rewiring in Iowa

Aug 16, 2019

7 Signs Your Home Needs Rewiring in Iowa

  • Electrical
rewiring in Iowa by Integra

In a study by the Electrical Safety Foundation, it’s reported that about 51,000 fires are caused by faulty wiring every year. As wires get older, they fray and become more likely to suffer faults that can cause severe damage. In fact, it’s likely that faulty wires can cause major fires. The best way to avoid this issue is by rewiring your Iowa home. Rewiring replaces all of the old, at-risk wires with fresh wiring. The big question, however, is when you should call for a rewiring. Integra Electrical can tell you when you should be calling us to protect your home.

Here are seven signs that your Iowa home should get rewiring:

 

Persistent burning smells

If you’re smelling a constant burning and can’t find a reason for it, you might want to check your wires. Burning smells are a common sign of wiring in dire need of replacement. If you smell the burning, turn off the power at the circuit and call us immediately. Failure to do so can result in an electrical fire.

 

Aluminum wiring

About two million homes between 1965 and 1973 used aluminum for their electrical wiring instead of the standard copper. This short usage window is due to aluminum being a bad material for electrical wiring. Aluminum wiring is known to be more prone to failure and damage than copper wiring, all issues that can cause electrical fires. If you live in an older home, check your wires to see if they’re aluminum. You can tell if you have aluminum wires because they have ‘AL’ written on the wire jacket.

 

Frequent circuit breaker trips

Circuit breakers and fuses both protect your home from power surges. When they detect more energy than your system can handle, they trip or burn out to protect your system. This helps prevent electrical fires and damage to your electronics. If your system is frequently tripping the circuit breaker, then your wiring might be too worn to handle the load. Of course, there are other reasons your circuit breaker is tripping too much. Maybe an appliance is faulty or you’ve added something new that adds too much to the system. You can figure out what the problem is by using a circuit breaker tester.

 

Electrical shocks from your cords

Sometimes you may get an electrical shock when plugging or unplugging an appliance from an outlet. When that happens, you should call us immediately. That’s a sign of faulty wiring and the shocks they give can be very dangerous to you and your family.

 

Lighting issues

Flickering lights are a common sign of faulty wiring. Oftentimes you’ll only see one or a few lights flickering. In those cases, you likely just have a bulb that’s bad or needs tightening. However, if every light is flickering, then your wiring is the problem. Another problem wiring can cause with your lighting is bulbs burning in their socket despite being the right model. This is usually when the fixture can’t handle the bulb’s wattage due to wire wear. Like the flickering lights, this problem can be solved by rewiring your home.

 

Charred and discolored outlets and switches

Switches and outlets that look like they’ve been burnt are a bad sign. Loose connections behind your outlets and switches can arc and spark. These can cause tiny fires or electrical burns that can show up on the outlet and switch covers. However, sometimes the problem can be deeper in the walls, preventing you from seeing the burn marks the sparks make.

 

Two-prong outlets

In more modern buildings, you’ll likely notice that outlets and the electronics they use have three prongs. The third prong that forms the “mouth” of the outlet has a grounding wire. When the load gets too much for the first two prongs, the grounding wire takes the load and grounds it safely into the earth. Older homes often have outlets with only two prongs. Not only is this dangerous, but more modern electronics may not be able to plug into them.

 

Why choose Integra for their rewiring services?

Our master electricians have been providing home rewiring services in Iowa and the Indianola community for over 10 years.Ā  Our superhero team of master electricians is committed to top-quality residential rewiring service. We cover the breadth of home rewiring projects, from adding switches and outlets to surge protection and power-enhancing. Call Integra today to get your wiring updated!

By zach@admachines.com