Having your home’s entire electrical system rewiring is a large task, albeit sometimes a necessary one in order to improve your daily electrical use and increase home safety. A job of this caliber requires a team of professional electricians and should never be attempted by an enthusiastic “do-it-yourselfer” without training or experience. That’s what we’re here for.

If you are concerned that your home does in fact need rewiring, call for one of our professional electricians right away. We take pride the skills and training we have to ensure that a whole-house rewiring job is done correctly. Keep reading to learn more about this service and why you may need it.

The amount of electricity that you use in your home on a daily basis may surprise you—but with the addition of appliances and devices such as computers and smart phones, our electrical use has increased significantly since the 1980s. Think about how many devices you need to have hooked up every day just for recharging, and you’ll understand a bit more how big our electrical demands are today.

All this increased demand for power can easily overwhelm older, outdated wiring systems—even as young as two or three decades. If you think that whole-home rewiring is only necessary in homes that are 50 years old or older, you may be surprised to find out that your newer home needs it.

No matter the age of your home, there are a few signs in particular for you to be aware of which indicate you may need whole home rewiring:

The refrigerator may arguably be the most critical appliance in your home. We rely on them all day, every day to preserve foods and keep them fresh. And they aren’t exactly the quietest appliances out there, either, usually emitting a tonal drone when in operation. But occasionally that standard hum may become a rattle, or worse. Having trouble with a noisy fridge? If so, our electricians in Upper Marlboro might be able to help.

First thing first: is your refrigerator on a dedicated circuit? If not, noises are the least of your problems. Need help installing and wiring a new appliance for your home? Contact the team at Kolb Electric! We can bring you the service and quality care you deserve, and our electricians in Upper Marlboro are unmatched in skill and knowledge!

There are scant few things that can actually contribute to an unusually noisy refrigerator, which is technically a good thing, since troubleshooting the problem doesn’t tend to take too long. You could be dealing with:

Fun (Not Actually Fun) With Refrigerator Fans

The majority of undue fridge noise comes as a result of a dirty or damaged fan. There are a few fans that could be at fault here, somewhat depending on the type of refrigerator you have. If your issue is indeed a fan, it could be the:

Strange Sounds at the Base of Your Refrigerator

A consistent rattling noise coming from somewhere near the bottom outside of your refrigerator is almost certainly a loose drain pan. This is a really obnoxious noise, but actually a very simple fix, since it usually only needs a quick tightening using the appropriate tool (screwdriver, hex key).

A Troublesome Refrigerator Compressor

Your compressor can be found on the back of your refrigerator. It is almost always a big black metal fixture; looks sort of like a funky space helmet. But if the sound is your compressor, you’re in for some fairly bad news, since it’ll need to be replaced. In some situations, it’s a better idea to just replace the refrigerator in total.

Looking for an electrician in Upper Marlboro that can bring you superior service to meet your electrical appliance installation needs? If so, you can count on our electricians in Upper Marlboro! Our team has been proudly serving up the best in service for decades, and we’re just a quick click away!

By: Sarah Trocolli

Father of electricity Nikola Tesla was known for being brilliant, quirky and driven in his pursuits to understand electricity, and after many experiments, Tesla eventually laid the ground work for the modern day Alternating Current electric supply system. As a tribute to Tesla and all the dads around the world, Mr. Electric® presents a few kid-friendly experiments exploring the basics of electricity for a fun Father’s Day activity. The kids can explore electrons, static electricity, voltaic batteries and other simple components of electricity – all under the safe supervision of their dads.

Level of difficulty: Easy

What you need: A dark room, fluorescent light bulb and a comb or woolen scarf.

What to do: Run the comb through your hair or through the wool scarf at least 20 times to let the electrons build on the comb. Then turn out the lights and hold the comb to the bottom of your florescent light bulb and watch the electrons charge the bulb. This is great for learning about electrons, and it can be a fun magic trick! For further explanation, click here.

Level of difficulty: Easy

What you need: Cornstarch, vegetable oil, mixing bowl, large spoon, balloon, and a measuring cup.

What to do: Blow up the balloon, tie it and then rub it on your hair. Mix a fourth cup of cornstarch and a fourth cup of vegetable oil into a mixing bowl, and then put the mixture on a spoon. Hold the spoon with the mixture on it near the balloon and watch the mixture gravitate towards the balloon. This experiment looks like a gooey monster stretching to touch the balloon, and it is a fun way to learn about static electricity! For further explanation, click here.  

Level of difficulty: Moderate

What you need: Distilled white vinegar, five pieces of copper wire, five galvanized nails, ice tray and one LED light

What to do: Wrap five nails with five pieces of copper wire and place them separately in the ice cube tray filled with vinegar. Create a circuit by placing the end of the copper wire not wrapped around the nail into the ice cube tray next to it until each section has one nail and one copper wire in it, and then place the LED light in the tray. You have just created a Voltaic battery! For further explanation, click here.

Level of difficulty: Challenging

What you need: Eight D-sized batteries, mason jar or other clear glass, electrical tape, pie pan, scissors, toilet paper tube, mechanical pencil refills and two sets of small alligator clips.

What to do: Connect the batteries positive to negative to create train of batteries. Place the toilet paper tube in the center of the pie pan and using electrical tape, attach the alligator clips and mechanical pencil refills to the tube. Place the mason jar/glass over the tube and connect the other end of the clips to the batteries. After the batteries have a few minutes to charge the circuit the mechanical refills will begin to glow and you will have a DIY light bulb. This is a great way to show that household items can be used in an innovative way. Exercise caution, as this experiment exerts heat and can cause the glass to become very warm. For further instruction, click here.

We hope these electrical experiments provide an enjoyable experience for dads and kids to spend quality time together while learning lots and having fun. Thank you to all the fathers who enlighten children and empower the thinkers of tomorrow. Happy Father’s Day from everyone at Mr. Electric!