At this time of the year, the weather in most parts of Australia is perfect to spend time in the outdoor spaces of your home. You can spend leisurely hours lounging around by the pool, or have BBQ parties in your outdoor kitchen, on the patio or deck. In short, you can make good use of these areas in the daytime as well as after dark.

This also means you will end up using some or the other electrical equipment and appliances there and this brings with it a specific set of challenges. In some cases, the falling dry leaves can also prove to be an electrical hazard in the outdoor areas of your home. The best way to avoid problems is to follow these basic outdoor electrical safety tips:

Just as you get the indoor electrical equipment and installations audited regularly, you should also hire an electrician to conduct a semi-annual audit of your garden and yard’s outdoor electrical fixtures. It’s best to get these checks done some time between Winter & Spring.

The next audit should be conducted between Summer & Fall. This helps reduce the chances of electrical problems surfacing out of the blue due and to temperature and weather fluctuations. While it’s best to call in a licensed and experienced electrician to handle the job, it’s also a good idea to keep an eye out for signs of electrical problems including:

When the electrical audit is being conducted, ensure that all your outdoor electrical equipment is stored & functioning properly.

Damaged or loose electrical wiring can prove to be a major electrical hazard and can be the cause of an electrical fire in your home; this is especially true if the wiring comes in contact with dry leaves or firewood that’s been piled up in the yard. Once the electrician gives you a complete report of the condition of the wiring, you should also make it a point to replace any wiring that’s loose or damaged.

Any water pooling in the landscaped areas of your home can prove to be an electrical hazard and can put your home and other outdoor features on your property at risk. The best way to prevent this from happening is to ensure that all the electrical switches, cords and connections are stored away and that they are in weather-proof casing; this ensures they don’t come in contact with any water sources.

Every pool and spa tub installation has some electrical wiring and fixtures such as pumps, underwater lights and power points etc. Ensure your electrician checks all these fixtures and that the electrical safety requirements have been met.

It’s a good idea to opt for a preventive electrical maintenance contract. As part of this contract, your electrician will check all the electrical installations in your yard and garden spaces. These checks help ensure that all these systems are in a good condition and that if any potential problems are noticed, they can be nipped in the bud.

If you live in the Des Moines area and need an electrician please call!  We service all of Des Moines and surrounding communities.  We get calls everyday asking if we work on older homes and existing wiring.  The answer is always yes!  We constantly get repair calls for older homes and love helping customers!   From the 50317 Des Moines zip code to the 50312 zip code and all others.  We love older homes.  In face we love older homes so much we have electricians that specialize in existing wiring!

You know the saying they don’t make it like they used to?  Well its defiantly true when it comes to electrical wiring in new versus older homes.  New wiring methods, practices, and materials are safer than ever before.  Older home wiring may need updated depending on the condition.  Our electricians specialize in getting the proper circuits and wires to were they need to go without damage walls and ceilings.  They carry specialized tools, cameras, and fishing devices to get the wire were it needs to go without damage.

Our electricians are on call 24 hours per day.  No matter what time of night your emergency is we have electricians ready to help!  They have access to a large inventory of parts no matter what the time is.  They carry most items on there service vans and if the item is not on there service van we carry many parts in our very own warehouse.  Even if the first two locations don’t have what you need we have 24 hour access to all the major supply houses via our on call service program with various strategic partners.  Our crew even has access to Mid American Energy if you have a damaged service that needs shut off for life or safety reasons.  Your Des Moines repair is in good hands with Custom Electrical Services!

Our team of highly skilled licensed electricians has the ability to repair or replace your overhead service.  Many older neighborhoods have the main power lines coming into there home from the air.  Or an arial service drop or overhead service.  Our electricians have the ability to bring out a bucket truck to access those high overhead lines coming into your home.  Often times after your overhead service gets damage the utility company is unable to turn your power back on for safety reasons.  They may require you depending on the condition of your service to have it repaired prior to getting power restored.  That is when Custom Electrical Services comes to the rescue!  We can repair your overhead service with ladders or our bucket truck if needed.  Get everything safely repaired and ready to be re-energized.  We will then contact Mid American energy once repaired and have your power restored.

Out with the old and in with the new should never end with your used electronics in a landfill. A growing concern across the globe, electronic waste, or e-waste, is rapidly creating a crisis. Only 11-14 percent of electronic waste in the United States ready for disposal is actually recycled or reused, while the remainder is creating environmental and health issues worldwide.

Don’t have time to deal with your e-waste? Don’t dump it. Contact Mr. Electric today. Proper disposal and recycling is essential to preserving our environment and the health of future generations. With the help of HirePatriots and Mr. Electric, we can quickly and responsibly handle all of your electronic waste needs.

Power overloads are one of the many scenarios an emergency electrician can help a homeowner address and prevent. In the event of an electrical emergency like a power overload, which can be the result of faulty wiring, only a qualified emergency electrician will be thorough enough to find the problem, repair it and help you avoid it in the future.

Overloads, though seemingly minor issues, are, in fact,  one of the most overlooked and dangerous problems you can have with your electrical system. An overload can cause everything from electrical shorts to fires. What’s more, a power overload is one of the most avoidable electrical problems—you don’t have to let it get to the point of electrical emergency.

What is an Overload and What are the Causes?

During a power overload, the circuit gets overwhelmed and shuts itself off. It’s a common occurrence in many homes. For instance, you could have the microwave, a rice cooker and a stove running off the same circuit in your kitchen when you suddenly notice that your power goes out in the kitchen while it stays on in the rest of the house. Then you check the breakers and realize that the breaker wasn’t tripped.

Because they see things like this all the time, licensed electricians can easily identify the source of the trouble. There are generally three main causes of power overloads.

 Power overloads are preventable with a little thought and planning. When ignored, however, they can result in very costly repairs—or worse.

 Electric Man: Emergency Electrician to the Rescue

Are you experiencing a power overload or another issue that requires an electrical troubleshoot? Electric Man’s emergency electrician crew is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to your electrical emergency. Give us a call today at 972-792-7270 to learn more about our emergency electrician services. You can also connect with us on any of our social networks!

It’s incredible the way lighting can change outdoor spaces. As is the case with indoor spaces, spending comparatively little on lighting can produce dramatic results. A DIY outdoor lighting project might be just the thing to make you fall in love with your home all over again. But before you begin an outdoor lighting project, it’s important to think about your options. Here are 10 tips for 10 approaches to outdoor lighting.

1. Using Outdoor String Lights

Outdoor string lights are just great. But there are so many different kinds! Some have bare bulbs; some have lanterns. Some are LED; some incandescent. Some are white; some are colored. Make sure you research your options and choose the ones that are right for YOU!

2. Taking DIY Outdoor Lighting to the Next Level

Sure, you can install a standard low voltage lighting fixture and be justified when you say you Did It Yourself, but have you ever considered making your own DIY outdoor lighting fixtures? Mason jars seem to be the ingredient of choice when constructing your own outdoor lights. The internet is full of instructions for making DIY outdoor lighting fixtures, so do your homework and find the perfect project to make your outdoor area more luminous.

3 . Making it Modern

Let’s get weird! Isn’t that what modern outdoor lighting seems to say? I guess it depends on whom you ask. Modern outdoor lighting usually consists of interesting light fixtures with unusual, playful designs, and they can really make your outdoor vibe more interesting and thought-provoking.

4. Showing Off Textures

Sometimes you start with a particular light source in mind. These days, that light source is often LED. If you’re sure you want to use outdoor LED lights, you have a wide variety of outdoor LED light fixture types, from LED rope to LED tape to LED path lights, step lights, puck lights, recessed lights, and string lights. LED outdoor lights are highly efficient and look great. And some, like the one above, run on solar power! That means free!

8. Decking Out the Deck

If you are focused specifically on outdoor deck lighting, make sure you think about caution. Outdoor deck lighting should entail step lights if there are steps and should include lights around the perimeter of the deck. LED tape or rope, colored or white, are often great for running on the underside of deck railings.

9. Using Timers