Having enough electrical outlets in any given room of your home is often a concern for Des Moines residents. Whether you are attempting to find the proper amount of outlets for your television and entertainment setup or trying to find room for your alarm clock, bedside lamp, and a place to charge your phone at night, almost every room in your Iowa home could benefit from electrical improvements such as upgrading the outlets in your home to include USB connections. While upgrading your outlets seems like a DIY project, your best bet for electrical installation is to call a residential electrician.

Almost every single modern gadget released on the market today uses a USB connection to charge its battery. One of the reasons for this is that while your smartphone or other device may have a special connection for charging the device, such as the 8-pin connection used by Apple for their newest iPhones referred to as the “lightning connector,” the part that plugs into the wall is universal. Having a residential electrician upgrade your outlets would allow you to plug the USB cable directly into the wall without taking up outlet space. This improves your ability to charge your devices without requiring electrical installation of additional outlets or rewiring your entire house.

Before you start pulling the covers off the outlets in your home, call a professional residential electrician. Installing USB outlets requires expert knowledge, and messing with your electrical services only increases your chances of damaging your electrical systems, your property, or even injuring yourself. Contact Electrical Gurus in Des Moines today, and let us handle the electrical installation of USB outlets for your home.

If your circuit breaker keeps tripping, it can be more than a little annoying. Not only do you have to deal with everything attached to that circuit going dead constantly, but you have to wonder what else that means for your electrical system. What causes a circuit breaker to trip, and is it dangerous? Will fixing it be expensive? There are a long line of questions to consider, but most of them can only be answered once you find the root of the problem. We’re here to help!

What causes a circuit breaker to trip? Typically, one of the following:

If your circuit breaker keeps tripping and you’re located in Maryland, Northern Virginia, or Washington, DC, Kolb Electric can help. We’ll send a licensed electrician to your home or building to perform a thorough electrical inspection and diagnose the issue. If we find that the issue can be resolved, either through tightening a loose connection, redistributing the electrical load in multiple outlets, or any other means, we will proceed with your electrical repair. However, a circuit breaker replacement may be necessary. Our licensed electricians can let you know if this is the best course of action for you and install your replacement for you.

Contact us today to find out what causes a circuit breaker to trip in your home or building and get a solution that works!

Rolling blackouts occur when delivery of electricity from a large power source is intermittently stopped in varying places across a wide area. Rolling blackouts usually occur in tandem with natural disasters or energy crises.

Rolling blackouts prevent large power sources from blacking out completely. They have been implemented in places with a high demand for electricity, such as Japan, the U.S., Pakistan, and Ukraine.

By limiting the amount of power that can be used at one time to only certain areas, power station operators can control the power output from their generators. Should a part of the generator be at risk for failure, operators can begin a rolling blackout to limit the amount of work the generators must do. From there, they can pinpoint the problem areas and find a useful fix without taking away power from an entire area.

Rolling blackouts can prevent power outages from:

In the case of power output problems like station faults, short circuits, and electrical overloads, a rolling blackout can mitigate the risk of explosion and prevent the acceleration of large scale disasters.

Since power can only be distributed over a limited area, 100% of the electricity supply to some places will be temporarily cut off. Household items such as lights, outlets, and appliances will cease operation for a predetermined amount of time. You can gather information about rolling blackouts from the radio or news before they occur.

You should have an emergency kit in your home or business that has the necessary supplies for survival without electricity. Items to include in an emergency kit are:

Be sure to lock all of your doors and windows if possible. In developed countries, law enforcement will bolster its forces to protect areas affected by a rolling blackout. You should still remain safe and prepared whenever possible.

Should a rolling blackout elevate to a blackout, don’t be afraid to use your supplies. Even if electrical generators are running at low capacity, they still have the potential to cause larger problems should they become overloaded. A rolling blackout can quickly become a city-wide blackout.

Rolling blackouts are relatively rare. Conditions must be extreme for a rolling blackout to take effect. While the climate in the U.S. varies widely across the country, devastating natural disasters don’t compromise the electric grid more than once every 20 years.

Having a detached garage or tool shed is a great asset for any Des Moines home. While many homeowners these days are accustomed to attached garages that make it easier to carry in groceries and for gathering the kids for soccer practice, detached garages provide a great deal of worth because they allow for storage of power tools, lawn chemicals, and other potentially dangerous materials that you wish to keep away from your pets and children. Additionally, a shed allows a place for messier projects to be completed as well as a spot for loud power tools to be used without disrupting the rest of your family. However, due to the complications of building and electrical codes, many homes with detached garages either do not have electricity running to the garage or have been wired in an improper way

At Electrical Gurus, we are experts in electrical installation. Whether you simply want to run enough electricity for one light or wish to have enough power to run a woodshop, a residential electrician can properly and safely get your detached garage or shed running with electricity. And in the event a previous owner took a shortcut to get power to the garage, we can properly manage your house wiring to make everything is up to code. When it comes to electrical installation, it is the best interest of you and your family’s safety to have it done the right way. Call Des Moines’ Top Rated Local ® electrician today at 515-446-7040 or contact Electrical Gurus online for service you can trust.