Electrical Services St. George, utah

Electrical Troubleshooting

What is electrical troubleshooting? 

Electrical troubleshooting is the process of logically figuring out what is wrong with any electrical issues in your home. When your home is experiencing electrical problems, troubleshooting can help determine exactly what the problem is and help your electrician know how to quickly and efficiently fix it. 

Is electrical troubleshooting effective?

Yes, electrical troubleshooting is effective. Rather than guessing what the problem with your electricity is and trying to fix something that may or may not be broken, you can take the time to troubleshoot your system and learn the exact problem and source of the problem. This will save you time and even money should you decide to replace the wrong part. 

You can try to tackle electrical troubleshooting by yourself, or you can hire a licensed electrician to troubleshoot your home’s electricity and then quickly and accurately fix the problem. High Output Electric can troubleshoot any part of your home’s electric system and fix the problem. 

When do you need electrical troubleshooting?

There are many reasons your home may be in need of some electrical troubleshooting. Some of these reasons are obvious, such as a damaged circuit, damaged outlet, or lights that won’t turn on. Some signs, however, aren’t so obvious. 

If your home is experiencing any of the following problems, it’s time to hire High Output Electric for some electrical troubleshooting:

• Your home is more than 40 years old
• Lights often flicker or won’t turn on
• Your energy bill is higher than it should be
• The breakers are humming or making noise
• Your home recently flooded or had water issues
• There is a burning smell
• 
  

Your home is more than 40 years old

Older homes often aren’t able to handle the power of today’s appliances and energy demands. If your home has older wiring that hasn’t been updated, it’s a good idea to have that wiring looked at and updated. You’ll be amazed at how much more efficient updated wires can be. 

Even if the wires in your older home are fine and are able to handle your daily energy demands, that doesn’t mean your home’s electricity can’t be improved. You should still get electrical troubleshooting to determine if there is anything you can do to make things more efficient. 

Lights often flicker or won’t turn on

When the lights in your home flicker or won’t turn on, there’s obviously a problem. Sometimes the fix is as simple as switching the light bulb or adjusting a screw, but sometimes there is more to the problem. If light bulbs keep going out soon after you change them, or they often flicker or turn off for no reason, it’s time to do some electrical troubleshooting. 

Your energy bill is higher than it should be

When the electrical system in your home isn’t as efficient as it could be, power will be wasted and your energy bill will go up. If you’re sick of paying high energy bills, get some electrical troubleshooting to determine if something can be done to lower the amount of power you use. Chances are that there’s a way to bring your bill down to a manageable amount. 

The breakers are humming or making noise

Your breakers shouldn’t hum or make noise. If they are, there’s a problem with your system. To prevent an electrical fire, get a licensed electrician like High Output Electric to your home to determine what’s causing the problem. 

Your home recently flooded or had water issues

When a home floods or has other water issues, there’s a possibility that the electrical system was damaged. Problems with your electricity may not be immediate or super noticeable, so it’s a good idea to get some troubleshooting to avoid serious problems in the future. 

There is a burning smell

There should never be an unidentified burning smell in your home. If you smell something burning and it isn’t a failed attempt at cooking, you should have the electrical system examined. Once your electrical system reaches the point of burning, a serious electrical fire may start, so you need to have the burning smell found and dealt with as soon as possible. 

No matter what’s wrong with your electrical system, High Output Electric can help. Our first step will be to do some electrical troubleshooting so that you don’t end up paying any more than you need to fix something that isn’t broken. Once we’ve determined the problem, we will expertly and quickly determine the solution and make the fix. You’ll have nothing to worry about when you hire High Output Electric. 

Electrical Repairs

When something goes wrong with the electrical system in your home, chances are you’re going to need some repairs. Sometimes a repair is as easy as changing a light bulb or tightening a screw, but often an electrical repair is more difficult than that. Whether you need a small electrical repair or a large one, High Output Electric can help. 

What qualifies as small electrical repairs?

Electrical repairs don’t have to be large and difficult. A small electrical repair is one that doesn’t necessarily need to be done by a licensed electrician but can be done by any homeowner. These types of repairs include changing light bulbs, loose outlet connections, and faulty switches. 

If a light in your home goes out, the first thing you should do is change the light bulb. Chances are that the light bulb has simply gone out. If this still doesn’t fix the problem you may need to contact High Output Electric to figure out what’s going on. If you need to replace a light bulb more often than you should, then you may be using the wrong wattage. Try lowering the watts and see if that fixes the problem. If the lights in your home are flickering or more than one won’t turn on and it isn’t a dead bulb, contact High Output Electric. 

As your home ages, the power sockets and outlet connections tend to loosen. This is often caused by gravity and can be fixed simply by tightening some screws and possibly adding a shim or two. Before doing anything with your outlets or other electrical sources, make sure to turn the breaker off and check that no power is coming through the outlet.

If a switch in your home isn’t working, you can replace that switch. This is a simple procedure. Again, make sure to turn off the breaker and check that no electricity is coming through before working on your switches or outlets.

These are examples of common small electrical repairs. Anything that you can do yourself without advanced knowledge or many tools can be classified as a small electrical repair.  

What qualifies as large electrical repairs?

A large electrical repair is when you need a licensed electrician to fix the problem for you, you need advanced knowledge or previous experience to fix the problem, or you need harder-to-come-by tools to properly do the repair. Often it takes all three of these to correctly diagnose and fix electrical problems. 

Here are some examples of large electrical repairs:

• Something needs to be rewired
• Wires need to be stripped or replaced
• Breaker keeps tripping for no apparent reason
• Outlets or appliances shock you
• Frequent electrical surges
• Outlets won’t work even after a replacement
• Lots more!

As you can see, there are plenty of things that can go wrong with your electrical system. If your home is experiencing electrical problems, it’s usually best to call an electrician and get a professional’s help. Electrical systems are dangerous, and fixing something when you have no previous experience can result in a bad shock or permanent damage to you or your electrical system. It’s always best to be careful and safe, so call High Output Electric today. 

When should you call an electrician for electrical repairs? 

There are countless things that can go wrong with your electrical system. You can fix some of these things yourself, but many of them require the help of an electrician. Most homeowners don’t know much about electricity or how their home uses electricity, so most can’t be asked to fix anything that comes along. That’s what electricians are for. 

If you find yourself stumped by what to do or unable to get the proper tools needed, call High Output Electric. We would love to help you with all your household electrical repairs, and we promise that by the time we’re done, all your electrical problems will be gone. 

Electrical Replacements

Your home is made up of hundreds of electrical components. Sometimes, these components break and need to be repaired or entirely replaced.

Should something be repaired or replaced?

Sometimes it can be difficult to judge whether you should keep repairing a faulty electrical part or finally replace it. 

Here are some questions to ask to help you determine whether a repair or a replacement will be better:

• Have you repaired this part before?
• How expensive is a repair?
• How expensive is a replacement?
• Is the cost of a repair more than 50% the cost of a replacement?
• Can you do the repair or replacement yourself or do you need to hire an electrician?
• Is the part something you use often or not regularly?

If you’ve repaired the part before and it keeps breaking, you should probably get it replaced. This will save you the hassle of more repairs and will be cheaper in the long run because you’ll be paying one larger payment rather than multiple smaller ones that will eventually add up. 

If the cost of a repair is more than 50% the cost of getting a replacement, you should definitely consider replacing the part. It’s better to spend a little more money and get a brand new part than almost spend that much money and be left with a part that’s liable to break again sometime. 

Hiring an electrician to do a repair or an electrical replacement will add to the cost. Unless it’s a very simple fix, however, you’ll probably need to hire an electrician to ensure that the part is fixed correctly and safely. Electricity isn’t something to play around with, so you always need to be careful when handling any electrical parts. 

What electrical parts can be replaced?

Most of the electrical parts in your home can be replaced. The real question is how difficult and expensive the replacement will be. Wires, bulbs, plugs, outlets, breakers, and many other components can be easily replaced, but parts that are inside the wall or another difficult place will be more challenging to get to and work with. Anytime you’re working inside a wall you should definitely hire an experienced electrician. 

How to replace an electrical outlet?

Replacing an electrical outlet doesn’t have to be challenging. Before you do anything else, you need to turn the circuit breaker off and check that no power is getting through to the outlet you’re working with. 

You can replace an electrical outlet pretty easily if you’ve done it before or watched some videos or read a tutorial. Never start replacing an outlet without doing research or having previous experience. Even if your circuit breaker is off, you need to be careful and do all you can to not get electrocuted. 

If you want to turn an electrical outlet into a grounded outlet, you’ll need to hire an electrician. There are lots more steps to this process and you can’t do it alone. 

Cost to replace an electrical outlet?

The few minutes it takes to replace an electrical outlet can be more expensive than you’d think. The total price of this project will include the cost of the materials and the cost of labor if you hire an electrician. Most electricians charge a minimum fee for any work done, so it’s smart to have the electrician change multiple outlets at the same time or do other small electrical jobs to make the money worth it. 

Who can take care of my electrical replacements?

For all of your electrical replacements or other electrical needs, call High Output Electric. As one of the leading electrician companies in the area, we’ve got your back and know exactly how to help you in any electrical situation. Give us a call today and we’ll take care of all your electrical replacement needs. 

Electrical Upgrades

Are you getting ready to remodel your home? Are you sick and tired of an old electrical system that doesn’t perform as it should? 

When many homeowners decide to remodel their home they don’t think about the electrical system. If you’re remodeling your home or upgrading other parts of your house, you should definitely consider making some electrical upgrades. This will make you happier with your home’s performance and will make it easier to sell for more money in the future. 

It’s an especially good idea to make some electrical upgrades if you aren’t happy with the way your electrical system has been performing. If your system has to be repaired often, or just doesn’t work quite as it should, then upgrading it will fix this problem. Then you can stop pulling your hair out in frustration. 

What kind of electrical upgrades are available?

Here are some of the things you can upgrade around your home:

Light switches

Old light switches can be upgraded so that they are more functional and easily customizable. Many newer homes incorporate light switches with dimmers that allow you to make the room as bright or as dark as you want. Upgrading your light switches is an especially good idea if you are tired of squinting in the morning as your eyes get used to the light. With dimming lights, you can add just a little bit of light and wake up naturally and not painfully. 

Panel box

The panel box in your home is an especially important piece of electrical equipment. Homes nowadays use more electricity than ever before. If you have an older home, your panel box probably isn’t able to efficiently handle this much electricity. An inefficient panel box can lead to high energy bills and electrical problems. Upgrade your panel box for better performance and better energy reliability. 

Smart home stuff

Many homeowners have been making the switch to smart home features and appliances. If you like the idea of being able to control everything remotely and not having to worry about leaving a system running, upgrading to smart home features would be perfect for you. Examples of smart home upgrades include upgrading your thermostat, alarms, sensors, lights, sprinklers, heating, cooling, video security, blinds, and more. 

New outlets 

While remodeling your house is the perfect time to think about whether the outlets in your home are in good places or if there are enough. If you often find yourself looking for extension cords because there isn’t an outlet within reach of an appliance, now is the perfect time to change that. You can hire an electrician to rewire your home and put outlets where you need them and where they will be the most useful. This also goes for light fixtures and other electrical systems. 

How much do electrical upgrades cost?

How much your electrical upgrades will cost depends on what is being upgraded and who you hire to do it. Everything you upgrade will cost money, and the cost will add up as you decide to upgrade more and more parts of your home. Chances are that you’ll end up spending a few thousand dollars making electrical upgrades. Keep in mind that you’ll be much happier in your home and will be able to sell your house for more in the future should you ever decide to move. This makes the cost of the project small insight into the long term benefits of having an upgraded electrical system. 

For all your electrical upgrades or other electrical needs, call High Output Electric. We have the experience and knowledge necessary to efficiently and quickly update your electrical system and make you happy with your home. 

Electrical Inspections

What is an electrical inspection?

An electrical inspection is when you hire an electrician to come to your home and inspect your electrical system. This typically includes all parts of your electrical system—the wiring, outlets, switches, panel, and more. A home electrical inspection helps to keep you, your home, and your family safe by preventing electrical mishaps and making sure that everything is working properly. 

When do you need an electrical inspection?

There are a few specific times it’s a good idea to get a home electrical inspection. You should have your electrical system inspected before buying a home, after any major renovations, if you live in an old home, or if you suspect that there may be something wrong with your electrical system. 

You should definitely have the electrical system inspected before you decide to buy a home. If the electrician finds any faulty or dangerous wiring or other electrical problems, that may be a sign that this isn’t the home for you. If you still want to buy the house, at least you’ll be aware that you’ll need to spend extra money fixing the electrical system so that you are safe. 

If you’ve had major renovations done on your home recently, you should have your electrical system inspected, even if the renovations didn’t directly involve the system. Another type of home renovation may be as small as replacing an old appliance or adding a new one, so be sure to have your electrical system inspected even if you don’t think it’s been affected.

If you’ve noticed your electrical system acting strange lately, such as if lights keep going out, switches don’t work, or you sometimes smell something burning, make sure to get it inspected. It’s always better to be safe rather than sorry when it comes to your electrical system. An unchecked and dangerous system can lead to a fire, which is something you definitely don’t want to happen. 

What to do if the electrical safety inspection comes back negative?

If the electrician does find something wrong with your electrical system, you should get it fixed right away. As mentioned before, a system that goes unfixed can start an electrical fire, ruin your home, and possibly take a life. This is the worst-case scenario, but it does happen. To keep everyone and everything in your home safe, quickly address all electrical problems. 

Hopefully, there will be nothing wrong with your electrical system. However, if you live in an older home or have had any problems recently, then chances are that there will be something that can be fixed and made safer. Don’t let a minor problem become a major one that could have been fixed by an early electrical safety inspection. Call an electrician and schedule a safety inspection today.

For an electrical inspection or to fix your electrical system, call High Output Electric. We want you and your family to be safe and we promise to do a thorough safety inspection and help you in any way that we can.