Custom Electrical Services was recently voted for first place for the best Urbandale electrician!  The pole was taken by USA Today Best, and was presented by the Des Moines Register.  The voting is segmented into different areas by city.  Not all areas have the polls closed as of date.  The Urbandale closed on September 27th, 2016.  The Des Moines metro voting closes on October 11th, 2016.  Custom Electrical Services would like to thank all the Urbandale and residence who took the time to vote.  We are proud to serve the Urbandale area 24 / 7 as well as all of central Iowa!  Custom Electrical Services is a member of the Urbandale Chamber Of Commerce.

We take pride in our work.  Our track record supports this.  Our electricians are not only licensed.  They receive special training that gives them superior customer service skills compared to other electricians.  We work hard to provide the best customer service experience possible.  Our electricians understand that your home is your castle.  They show respect for you and your property.  We are not your typical electrician that comes out and says your project is going to cost X.  We take the time to evaluate your entire electrical system as well as perform our full page safety inspection.  This provides a TON of added value to our service.  When is the last time someone took your panel cover off and inspected all your connections?  Most customers say not since I have lived here!  Electrical connections can loosen over time.  Wiring can expand and retract as loads fluctuate on the circuits, this expansion and loosen the connections inside your panel or breaker box.  Loose connections can leave to excessive arching and can cause fires.

Who are you letting into your home?  Our electricians receive an extensive background check.  We are not going to send a criminal into your home.  We realize the delicate nature of having strangers come into your home.  While you may not personally know the electrician you can rest assured we do!  Our background checked electricians are team members, not sub contractors.  We employee them full time and work one on one with them on a daily basis.  We work with them to develop the best customer experience possible.  We want you to feel comfortable with having our trained service technician in your home so you can be just as comfortable as we are with them.

In addition to a 3rd party background check our electricians receive drug testing.  You would not a person on drugs drive your kids to school!  So you defiantly don’t want an electrician on drugs performing wiring in your home!  Are drug tested and background checked electricians were the seal of safety.  This seal is worn with pride and taken very seriously.  When you see the seal of safety on our electricians uniform you know that you are working with a safe professional.

We proudly serve Urbandale and all Des Moines metro customers 24/7.  We understand that your electrical emergency may not take place during regular business hours.  That is why we have a never close policy. Our phone is always answered by a live person regardless of the time or day.  You can also contact us online by clicking here.

Custom Electrical Services is your first choice for an electrician serving Urbandale Iowa.  We perform countless service calls and wire new homes in Urbandale Iowa.  Our projects in Urbandale are some of our favorites.  We loving helping people such as your self with all there electrical needs.

We offer all electrical services for Urbandale.  Our electricians in Urbandale carry many of the parts necessary on their service trucks for that emergency repair.  Have an electrical problem in the middle of the night?  We our electricians in Urbandale offer 24 hour service for those unexpected emergencies.  We realize that your electrical emergency is unexpected.  Our electricians are trained to help you get your home or business back up and running safely!  Our electricians love to help!

Our Urbandale Electricians can handle any task.  From changing that high light bulb to totally rewiring and updating your electrical in your entire Urbandale home.  Many of our customers have simple jobs, while others need an complete electrical update!  Need an new electrical panel or breaker panel?  Our electricians can replace that old electrical panel correctly and to code.  Many Urbandale customers who replace there panel ask us to install a whole home surge protector.  This device when installed properly in your home can protect your entire electrical system and electrical appliances.

Have some smoke alarms not working properly?  Our Urbandale electricians carry top of the line smoke alarm units as well as carbon moxide units on there service vans.  We can handle any smoke alarm call.  From changing a smoke alarm battery to updating and replacing all the smoke alarms in your entire Urbandale home.  Don’t have any smoke alarms?  Our Urbandale electrician can fish in the necessary wiring in order to add high quality smoke alarm units in your Urbandale home to offer you the earliest detection possible in the event of a fire.

Have worn out and failing plugs and switches in your home?  Our Urbandale electrician can replace some or all of your plugs and switches in your home.  We carry the latest styles and colors of electrical devices to complement the style and colors of your décor.  We install the most reliable child resistant / tamper resistant plugs.  These plugs help to reduce the chance of electrical shock by preventing a foreign object from being inserted in the electrical receptacle.  Have plugs by water or in your kitchen, bathroom, or garage?  We can install GFCI receptacles in the proper areas to offer you and your family the best electrical protection possible.

In our new 5th Wheel RV, we received some ceiling mounted 12VDC florescent fixtures. They were equipped with 2 each 18”, 15W tubes and electronic ballasts. The fixtures are a “Low Voltage RV Luminaire” from “Direct Sourcing Alliance” identified as “Type RVL 18RNB-W”, “2 x 15W”, “Input Rating: 12V DC, 30W”. Their performance has been dismal with operation limited to, initially 30-45 minutes before shutting down due to overheating of the ballast. The “on” time got progressively shorter over the next few weeks. The overheating was certainly not due to ambient temperatures which have been in the low 70s or cooler. On disassembly for conversion to LED operation it was discovered the ballasts have discolored due to high heat (see closest end of ballast in Picture 2).

During review of options for LED conversion I was looking for a natural light color temperature with equivalent lumen output to the two 15W florescent tubes. I settled on the SuperBrightLEDs part number RLBN-NW30*3SMD which is a 19.5 inch rigid strip with 30 each 3SMD modules. The advertised light output was 603 lumin at a color temperature of 5600K. The two 18”, 15W tubes were stated to produce 825 lumins each so I was a little concerned about light loss especially since I was going to have to cut 6 LED modules off each of the two strips to fit inside the existing fixture. I bought a 3rd strip but in the end did not use it as the light was ample.

I first started by removing the “guts” of the florescent leaving some length of the switched power wires for future use. See pictures 1, 2, and 3.

After cleaning the interior of the fixture with alcohol for acrylic tape adhesion I fitted the rigid LED strips and cut 6 LED modules from the length, then mounted the strips using 3M double sided acrylic tape. Finally, completed power connections to existing fixture switch circuit. See pictures 4 through 10.

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Your electric bill may not be a problem for you, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a few more dollars in your pocket every month? Imagine if you could save even ten dollars every month. You could set it aside and put towards a fund to buy something that you have been wanting or buy an extra latte. No, it isn’t a lot, but you never know when a little extra cash will come in handy. And, it isn’t just ten bucks. It could end up being much more if you follow these tips presented by your Pasadena electrician. The team at The Electric Connection is here to help you find out how you can save.

*Your biggest energy hog is going to be your air conditioner or furnace in the winter. You don’t have to cook or freeze, but you can turn it up a bit in the summer and down a bit in the winter. Throw on a comfy sweater during the winter so you can keep your furnace setting lower. In the summer, keep the blinds closed and run a ceiling fan to help stay cool without cranking the AC up.

*Lighting is the second biggest use of electricity in your home explains an electrician. Pasadena homeowners can slash their electric bill by turning off lights when not in use. Switching to LEDs is another quick and easy way to save some cash.

*Turning down your water heater a few degrees will also save you a great deal of money. If you are not sure how to do this, call an electrician in Pasadena to take care of it for you. Most people are heating water to a temperature they can’t actually use and end up turning on the cold water to cool it down.

These three quick ways can save you money every month. You will see the savings on your next electric bill. Give The Electric Connection a call if you have any questions or need help taking care of any electrical issues.

Did you know the lighting in your office could be making you feel sick?

Feeling unmotivated and lethargic, suffering from headaches or eyestrain? There are some simple steps you can take to energize the work environment to combat stress and elevate mood by choosing the best lamp for your desk or task lighting needs. 

Healthful illumination is key to an environment partnered with increased productivity and job satisfaction.  The trend today is to improve upon what you already have rather than investing in new construction.  Upgrading your office with affordable and energy-efficient lighting is an investment that leads to outstanding visual improvements and a more healthful work environment.

Employ the Right Lamps for Greater Health Benefits:

Top Picks for Office Lighting:

-Quoizel’s “Zen” collection includes floor and table lamps with Mystic Black finishes and Rattan shades for corporate casual decor.

Competition is a wonderful thing. It makes us want to strive to be better, and keeps us working hard.  But competition isn’t perfect; there’s always another option, and you can’t always tell right away what option is the best deal or the highest quality. It is easy to determine the quality when it comes to something inexpensive; if you don’t like a brand of motor oil or breakfast cereal, you can always buy something different next time. But what happens if you pick a bad electrician?  Failing to spot bad electrical contractors, could mean you’ll wind up paying way too much for your service. Paying too much might actually be the best-case scenario; shoddy electrical work done by “electricians” is a safety hazard, and one you might not even know about until it’s too late.

So how do you find quality electricians? As a Dallas electrician myself, I’ve learned over the years how to make sure the electrician you use is knowledgeable and high-quality: