Find an Electrician

• Post your Electrical project in minutes


• Receive bids from local electricians


• Meet with prospective electrical contractors and make your decision


• Save time by not calling Electricians at random from your phone book!


• Save money by getting many bids from several Electricians - then go with the best bid!


• And it's absolutely free -- on ConstructionDeal.com.

Labels: Electrical Inspection, Electricians, Find an Electrician

Handling electricity can be a dangerous thing if you don't know what you're doing. Whenever you need installations or repairs to your electrical components, it's best to hire a professional and not your cousin Bob. However, some are really good at doing their own wiring projects - they manage to get the light or ceiling fan installed with no problems. But it can be a good idea to have a pro come in to at least inspect your work (especially if permits and official inspections are involved) or do some of the final stages of the project to make sure it all works well.

Another thing to keep in mind - someone may be handy with electricity but not be aware that they are overloading a circuit by adding new fixtures or outlets. When the electrical components are initially installed during construction, there could have been a faulty design to begin with and adding a new problem will only make things worse. It could be something as simple as making lights dim when an appliance starts or it could even damage an expensive fixture or appliance. Even worse, it could start a fire. Professional electricians are trained to be able to look at the whole picture of your electrical layout.

The purpose of our company, Construction Deal, is to help match you with a local electrician. It's a free service and it's very easy to use. Simply tell us about your requirements and we'll send out the request to electricians in your area. If they're interested, they'll contact you and bid on the job. And you can choose how many you want to call you.

If you do try to find an electrician on your own, make sure you contact several of them and have the electricians come out to review the project before they bid on it. Multiple bids means you have the best chance of getting the best rate to complete your project.

Labels: Electrical Inspection, Electricians, Find an Electrician

Here's some information from the Walters Forensic Engineering company on how electricity can cause fires, "The three main groups of fire causes are accidental, natural and incendiary. Of the accidental fire causes, electricity often plays a major part. Electricity can also be involved in incendiary and natural causes. Fire investigators are faced with difficulty in determining the cause of a fire, they have often relied on the phrase 'the fire was electrically caused' as a 'catch all' to avoid the more appropriate phrase 'the fire cause was undetermined'. In fact, it is actually quite difficult to start a fire with electricity.

Three elements must be present in order for a fire to initiate. These are oxygen, fuel and heat. Not only do these elements have to be present together at the same time, but the fuel must be conditioned in a way that the heat source can initiate an exothermic oxidation reaction. Electricity can play an important role in this process by providing the heat source.

Short Circuits

"One example of an electrical heat source is a short circuit. There exists two main types of short circuits; a dead short circuit and a limited short circuit."

If the circuit is not fused properly, the current can continue to pass through the wires causing them to overheat - which can ignite surrounding combustibles causing a fire.

In the case of the limited short circuit, "Wires come in contact such that the volume of material through which the current flows is smaller than the fusible link. This will create a spark or flash and result in melting of the copper of the wiring. This situation can also cause ignition of combustibles provided the mass of the combustibles contacting the heat source is small enough that the heat source can cause it to reach ignition temperatures and initiate a self-sustaining exothermic oxidation reaction or fire. Cotton products, sawdust, wood chips and combustible gases can be ignited."

Overloaded Circuits

"Over fusing of a circuit can result in high current flow through the wires overloading the circuit. Although electrical wiring is designed to carry current at much higher than its rated capacity, increasing current above this rated capacity causes the wire to generate excess heat. if the wire is enclosed within a small insulated space, such as the holes through which wires run through floor joists in a home, the heat in these areas may not be able to dissipate as quickly as it is being generated. As a result, the surrounding combustibles can pyrolize and eventually ignite, causing a fire."

Leakage Current

"Fires can also be caused electrically through what is called leakage current. Leakage current occurs when water is in the presence of electricity. Exposed wiring, which exists primarily at connectors and switches, can come in contact with water. Since water conducts electricity, a current will flow through the water between contacts or from the live to ground or common."

Electrical Contacts

"Electrical contacts can also fail resulting in uncontrolled heating. Each time a contact is opened or closed, a small spark is generated. This causes degradation of the surface of the contact."

Check out the rest of the article that discusses how the investigators must assess liability.

A great way to insure the protection of your home or business is to have regular inspections by an electrician. And, as a backup to regular inspections and maintenance, you might want to consider adding fire sprinklers - it can reduce damage and lower insurance costs, as well as protect your family or employees. If you need to find a local sprinkler company, check out our blog on Fire Sprinkler Installation for more details.

Labels: Electrical Inspection, Electricians, Fire Safety

Many people want to know how much it will cost to rewire their entire house. Like the answer to so many difficult questions... it depends.

Factors in the Rewiring Cost:

• Age of the Home - older homes can require more work - the electrical box might only be for 100 amps while homes today need 200 amps.
  
• Number of Rooms - you can rewire one room, three, just the main floor, or the entire house.
  
• The Level of Intrusiveness - will the electrician need to go behind the walls to remove and replace wiring? Or will they be able to run new wire in the baseboards and through the floorboards through an unfinished basement and attic?
  
• Area of the Country - like any labor intensive job, costs can vary from state to state and within urban versus rural communities.
  

Make sure that the electrician installs GFI outlets in all the wet rooms. GFI outlets are instantly turn off the electrical supply when the appliance, cord, or outlet comes in contact with water. A wet room is the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room and even the garage is now considered to be such.

Plan on spending about $1000 to $1500 to rewire a single major room, such as your kitchen which requires multiple outlets and usually has a lot of accent and task lighting. Smaller room could be in the $300 to $1000 range. To completely wire the average home in the U.S. it will cost anywhere from $8000 to $20,000

To find a local electrician for your rewiring project - post the request with us at Construction Deal. We'll match you to electrical experts in your area and it won't cost you anything. You'll be able to choose from a variety of companies and their various bids to make sure you get the best price!

Labels: Cost of Installation, Rewiring Costs

Everyone loves to save money when it comes to anything involving their house. Their home is usually their biggest expense. It costs money to heat it, cool it, light it up, and run all those appliances.

Sure, a lot of people have heard about Energy Star appliances but may not know what the real culprit is when it comes to large electricity bills. It's a good idea to take a look at some of the major energy users and abusers in the average household to see where you can save money. According to the Energy Star website, the average home spends $1900 a year on energy costs per year. Whenever you do anything that reduces the amount of energy you use, you can not only cut your electricity bill but you'll even be doing your part to help the environment.

The largest users of electricity in your home are the:

• Air Conditioner and/or Heater
• Hot Water Heater
• Clothes Dryer
• Refridgerator
• Lights

The smaller things in your house, like your stereo and computer and clock radio, do use electricity when they're on but they do not draw as much as these larger appliances. However, some of the smaller things do use electricity even when they're not on. Having a product on "standby" or any product that may have a clock on it will continue to pull power and cost you money.

How to Save Money on Electricty:

• Replace Older Appliances - if you can afford to swap out old fridges or dryers for an Energy Star appliance, it will definitely help lower your monthly bills.
• Replace Regular Light Bulbs - drop in halogen or fluorescent bulbs to cut down dramatically on the amount of wattage being used.
• Cut Down on Use - use light sensors to turn on when you enter a room and off when you leave, hang clothing out to dry instead of always using your dryer, do laundry on cold instead of hot, go with fans and open windows instead of air conditioning, turn off items instead of standing them by,
• Eliminate - get rid of the second refrigerator in the garage or any second appliance that you really don't need

If your city or state offers a decent rebate, you might even consider going solar. Solar is still very expensive to buy and install, which means your "payback" date would be years off, but if you're going to stay in your house a long time and want to "get off the grid", you'll really cut down on nearly all electric bills.

And don't forget about Construction Deal if you ever need to find a quality electrician. You can upgrade your house and save a lot of money by using a professional for any installations. It will be done right and will help make sure there is no potential fire hazard.

Labels: Electricians, Energy Costs, Saving Money

Labels: Electricians, Low Voltage Wiring, Technology Installations

If you've recently experienced any flooding conditions, you've probably already got a lot on your plate. But safety is always a major factor and water and electricity do not mix very well. If your home's electrical systems have gotten wet, due to a flood, it might be a good idea to find a local electrician to inspect your wiring and panel box.

Here's some information from the Toolbase Services:

"In the majority of cases, wiring will not need to be removed and replaced after a flood. However, before making that determination, a thorough inspection by a qualified electrician may be required. First, stand on a dry spot and use a dry wood stick to disconnect the main electrical switch and all circuits at the panel box. If there is no main switch, turn off all circuit breakers or remove all fuses. Unplug all appliances that have been flooded. As soon as possible, remove all standing water from the structure, and dry out the interior as much as possible. Also, remove interior wallboard 12 inches above the maximum flood water height, remove any water-soaked insulation, and dry out wall cavities to preclude any water in the walls from continuing to soak into wiring and receptacles.

Then, have a qualified electrician do the following:

• Remove cover plates from all electrical outlets, receptacles, wall switches, and breaker or fuse boxes to inspect wiring and terminal connections.
  

• If the main box got wet, clean and check it.
  

• Check switches and outlets and their boxes for mud and dirt, which can cause a short or overheating.
  

• If there is a lot of mud, dirt, or salt water corrosion in switches or outlets, replace them. Look for broken electrical fixtures or exposed wiring.
  

• Replace all dimmers and electronic implements such as ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI), and arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCI). Smoke detectors and thermostats that were immersed should also be replaced.
  

• Check the condition of wires that go to each switch and outlet. Replace any fabric-covered wire. Any aluminum wiring that has been flooded by salt water should be replaced.
  

• Have a qualified service technician inspect water heaters, furnaces, heat pumps, air handlers, water softeners, and all appliances and HVAC equipment. In many cases all such items should be replaced.
  

• Flush out boxes with clean water or air pressure; dry out and spray with cleaner/lubricant.
  

• Check continuity and grounding of all circuits, and check for electrical shorts. Check to ensure that all terminal connections are tight.
  

• Turn on each circuit, replace each fuse one at a time, and test each circuit. Make sure all ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) and arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) are functioning.
  

• Test the operation of all smoke detectors and of the heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems."
  

If you've had a flood problem in your area, you can find an electrician to inspect your home with Construction Deal. We've got a complete network of master electricians to review and catch any problems your home might have. It's the safest thing to do to protect yourself, your family, and your biggest investment. It's free to find a qualified pro on our site!

Labels: Electrical Inspection, Electricians