As we've discussed in the past on this blog, spring is National Electrical Safety Month, and now is the perfect time to brush up on the best practices and preventative measures that homeowners should take to avoid an electrical disaster. Some of these tips and tricks are generally common sense - like keeping water away from any open current, or replacing a frayed wire to avoid any sparks or arcing - while others may not be so obvious.

For example, you may not realize it, but there could be underground wires surrounding your house that could easily be compromised when you are gardening. If you have a light post in your front yard, there is likely a wire that connects it to your home's main electrical hook up, or if you have a detached garage with power in your back yard, that connection too probably runs beneath your lawn. Even some pool owners power their filters through underground wiring set ups.

Whether you are simply laying down new sod or intend to plant some shrubbery along your driveway, before taking a shovel to dirt, you want to be sure you aren't severing a wire that could make you vulnerable to potential electrocution.

If you cannot answer this question with confidence please ask yourself…  WHO DID I JUST LET INTO MY FAMILIES HOME?  Many people have made this mistake and some paid the ultimate sacrifice.  Some just fell victim to theft, such as the scam where a handyman would offer services to gain access into someone’s home and then steal from them.  You can read more about this crime here.  Unfortunately, there have been more victims experiencing much worse crime.  We do not need to get into the details for the purpose of this blog but we have all heard about them on the news, social media and the stories are very easy to find and numerous.

An electrician on drugs is a recipe for disaster.  Yes an electrician on drugs may not intentionally try to harm you, but how many traffic deaths happen every single hour in the US from people under the influence of drugs or alcohol?  You wouldn’t let a person under the influence of drugs or alcohol drive your children to school, so why would you let them perform electrical work in your home?  Our service electrician’s undergo a drug screen and are also subject to random checks throughout the year.

Our service professionals undergo a thorough background check before being hired.  We won’t just send anyone into your home.  We are going to send a true professional that meets our stringent guidelines.  He is not going to steal from you.  He is not going to harm you.  He is there to help you.  Our electricians truly care about you and the work they are performing for you.

We are here to serve YOU, our customer!  We want a customer for life.  We are not here to steal from you or take advantage of anyone!  We are here to provide a VALUABLE service to you.  We will stand behind our work and make sure you are 100% satisfied.  We guarantee it with the way we act in our organizations culture, and also in writing.  If for some reason you are not 100% satisfied please let us know.  We will not leave until we get it right.  It’s our guarantee to you, our valued customer.

Many contractors say that.  You win some you lose some.  Not with us!  No we do not get every job we bid on, but we realize there may be other factors at play.  What we care about is you truly understand the price presented to you.  You know what options and solutions you have.  You know what will be done, how it will be done, and that we will stand behind our work.  You know the value you are getting when you choose Custom Electrical Services.

It’s common to be nervous when a service person shows up to your home.  Your thinking how much is this going to cost me?  Am I getting the best bang for my buck?  Do I have other options?  At Custom Electrical Services, our technicians are trained for this.  We will work to put you at ease and make sure you fully understand everything presented to you.  We will take the time to fully evaluate your situation and present it to you in a professional manner that you can understand.  Price is not everything.  We will not change the price of the work performed.  The straightforward price you receive will not change if it takes our electrician longer than expected.  You won’t be left thinking, “I hope he can work faster so my bill will be less”.  Lets think about this common statement for just a second.  Would you really want a mechanic hurrying up to put new brakes on your families car?  Of course you wouldn’t!  You would want the mechanic to perform the job as best as possible.  And that is our promise to you.  Give you the best possible job and the most reasonable rate possible.  We are professionals.  We are Custom Electrical Services.

But wait!  A Custom Electrical Services technician is not just there to give you an estimate or fix that minor problem you called about.  We are here to truly help you.  When is the last time someone checked the connections in your electrical panel?  1 year, 10, or never?  Electrical connections can loosen over time.  Electricians are trained to look for this.  As part of our service fee we will inspect your breaker box or electrical panel.  Identify any problems such as loose connections, non code compliant breakers, under sized wire, corrosion, heat, and more!  What if you have an old Federal Pacific Panel and you didn’t even release the dangers they present.  Our technician will identify and let you know of any potential safety problems.

Are all of your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms functioning properly?  For no additional charge we will test all your smoke alarm units and identify any that are not functioning properly.  We will also replace all your batteries at the same time.  It is all part of the service designed to keep you, your family, and your home safe.  Our commitment to you!

When I was a kid growing up in Los Angeles, I never saw a ceiling fan in my friends’ homes. We called them “swamp coolers,” and they appeared as props in movies that were set in the deep South or in Casablanca.

While I never saw a real one as a kid, ceiling fans date back to the late 1800’s, when they were originally powered by water. In 1882, Philip Diehl, the German-American inventor of the motor for Singer sewing machines, adapted his sewing machine motor for the ceiling fan. Electric ceiling fans grew in popularity and were quite commonplace in both America and abroad by the 1920’s. Movies from the 20’s often feature them in restaurants and hotel lobbies.

Between the 1930’s and 1950’s in the U.S., however, the fans went out of vogue. Thus, my lack of experience with them as a child (which dates me as a Baby Boomer!) However, with the oil shortages of the 1970s, we started to wake up to the cost of electricity, and the fans experienced a revival. Since the 1970’s their popularity has gone up and down, but has been in uptrend since about 2000, when energy conservation again became a priority. If you would like to save energy and money, check out how ceiling fans can save energy and money in both summer and winter.

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