Solving electrical problems and doing electrical repairs can be risky things to do if you don’t know exactly what you are doing.  Sometimes it is absolutely necessary to hire a certified electrician to do these things for you so that you don’t put yourself or your property at risk.  Here are some key things you should keep in mind when choosing an electrician.

Certifications: You should always feel free to ask an electrician about their certifications; if they aren’t willing to answer your questions about it, they probably aren’t the right electrician for you.  There are different levels of training that an electrician must go through before earning certifications.  Typically, they start out as an electrician apprentice working under the direct supervision of a journeyman and the general supervision of a master electrician.  A master electrician has the highest level of certification and more experience than an apprentice or a journeyman.

References: A good electrician should always be able to give you references if you ask for them.  Any hesitation in this area is not a good sign.  It is a good idea to check with the references that the electrician gives you before hiring them.

Insurance: It is very important to hire an electrician that carries the proper insurance.  Without proper insurance, you could be responsible for any damages they happen to cause, such as an electrical fire or other accidents. Did you know that electricians are only required to have $300,000 worth of coverage? Be sure to confirm that you are hiring an insured electrician.

Communication: It is also important for the electrician you hire to have great communication skills.  They should be friendly, courteous, interested in your problem, and listen to your concerns.  They should also be upfront about costs and give you an estimate of how long the project should take.

Keep all of these things in mind as you seek out someone for electrical consulting.  For Dallas electrical repairs, www.ElectricManInc.com offers 27 years of industry experience, and they are open 24 hours a day.  They have a master electrician on staff, they are properly insured, and they offer free estimates.

About ElectricMan Inc.

ElectricMan Inc. is one of Dallas’ most trusted electricians. Nick Schaeffer, Mr. ElectricMan himself, has quite the resume for a master electrician. He started the company by himself in 2004 and hasn’t looked back since! For more information about Electricman’s list of electrical repair services, please visit www.ElectricManInc.com

1.  Add an accent lamp to your dining room console.  Find an accent lamp that is slender enough for your console table.  Locate outlets behind consoles to keep cords hidden from view.  A single lamp works well for a smaller service area.   Consider a pair of accent lamps for an extra long dining buffet/console table.

“Brittany” from Chelsea House

2.  Dress up a vacant corner and extend your room’s design with an accent lamp on a pedestal.  An accent lamp atop a tall pedestal should stand between 5-6 feet above the floor.

To find the correct height for an accent table lamp by a reading chair:  While you are seated, estimate the height from tabletop to your eye-level.  Choose an accent lamp with a light source at that height.

“Masterpiece” from Butler Specialty

3.  Decorate your patio with a few accent lamps.  Be sure lamps are UL-listed for damp locations when looking for patio accent lamps.

“Brent” from Kenroy Home, suitable for damp locations

For more information on accent lamp applications or to see the latest lighting designs, visit 1800lighting.com.

If you are looking for a Garland electrician, be sure to find one who cares enough about safety to help determine if your home is up to par. Some older homes often lack basic precautionary features that are inexpensive, yet vital to the safety of the family. One of these features is the GFCI, and any Garland electrician should be able to determine if your home has one.

Recently in Texas, a family experienced a heartbreaking illustration of what can happen without a GFCI. The mother was bathing her two children, ages five and six, when a hairdryer that was plugged into a nearby outlet fell into the tub. Both children were killed by the electrical current passing into the bathwater.

One of the most horrifying things about this story is that this accident was preventable! Installing a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, or GFCI, could have saved these children’s lives, at a cost of less than $60. The circuit in their bathroom was not equipped with this simple piece of equipment, simply because their home was an older home.

When the electrical current is imbalanced, it indicates that the current is passing through something that it is not intended to pass through. A GFCI handles that situation by quickly interrupting the flow of current before it can do harm. Water is an especially dangerous conductor of current, so a GFCI should be installed everywhere that an electrical device might be plugged in near water. This means that GFCIs should be on outlets in not only kitchens and bathrooms, but also in garages, outside, near countertops, and near hot tubs and pools. While a layperson might not realize that, an electrician should. That is why, whether you are looking for a Dallas, Garland, or Rowlett electrician, you should make sure to find one with enough experience to spot potential hazards before they cause tragic results.

One of the best Garland electrical teams you will find is the crew at ElectricMan, Inc. Available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, ElectricMan’s team is made up of trained electricians who care about the safety of families. To learn more about finding an electrician Garland homeowners can trust, visit the website. For a deeper connection, join the online community on ElectricMan’s social sites, or call (972)792-7270.