Many of the electrical issues you face in your home today are the same that plague many other homeowners. Here's a quick guide on troubleshooting what may cause some of these electrical problems and what you can do to fix them. Lights Problems Flickering or Dimming Lights- While flickering lights could be a simply loos bulb, it could also be a much more serious issue like a poor connection along the circuit or faulty wiring. Both will need the inspection...

So you're thinking of replacing your old lighting systems to a new recessed lighting solution. It may seem like it will be a simple replacement of light fixtures, but there are so many more risks associated with using recessed lighting without proper installation. We've mapped out three major reasons why you shouldn't be doing this type of install without a certified electrician at the helm. Reason #1: We Have the Skills To Prevent Home Damage Ever hung up a picture and...

There are several common electrical wiring problems that plague many homes. Some may go unnoticed for years without a proper electrical inspection, but there are some issues you can tackle head-on to prevent a possible catastrophe. Pay close attention to five of the most dangerous electrical wiring problems below. Bulb Wattage Too High Overlamping is a term used to refer to the scenario when a light fixture contains a bulb with a higher wattage than the fixture is designed to support. This is a...

Roughly 200 people in the United States die from ground faults each year. That accounts for two-thirds of all home electrocutions. So what's a ground fault? When electricity from a wire escapes and passes through something, or someone, it heads straight for the ground. This chain of events is oftentimes fatal, but completely preventable thanks to a single invention. What is a GFCI outlet? Created in 1961 by a professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Charles Dalziel, the...

Circuit breakers and fuses are at the apex of your home’s electrical system. Though they essentially do the same job - protecting your home from electrical overloads - it’s done in completely different ways. Your air conditioner is on full blast, every ceiling fan is spinning, the television is blaring, the oven is heating up for dinner, a power tool is making noise in the garage, and someone’s taking a hot shower. Then, without warning, it all stops: power overload. In this...

Around 18,200 home fires each year are caused by electrical wiring, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, causing 120 deaths and 530 injuries, and not to mention $450 million in property damages. Keeping your home and family from becoming a part of this statistic is our main goal at Mister Sparky with consistent electrical wire inspections every time you move into a new home or once every 5-10 years, especially for older homes. If you're not completely sold on getting an...

You're planning on getting rid of your cold floors forever. Great, because in Houston, no matter the temperature outside, our floors are still cold in the mornings! Now you may be looking into different options, supplies, etc. but your biggest question is how many technicians will I need to have involved: a plumber, electrician, an HVAC technician? Well we can't answer for the other two, but we can give you a better idea on whether or not you'll need an electrician...

Our homes, whose sole purpose at one time was to simply protect us from the elements, are well on their way to becoming "living," smart devices that learn our habits and adjust the environment around us accordingly. Home automation is the now, and there are an unbelievable amount of ways to tap into this technology and lead your home into the future. Smart Lighting A smart lighting system gives a homeowner the ability to experience their home "in a different light." WiFi-enabled, LED...

It’s obviously no coincidence that more electrical problems, especially electrical fires, occur during the colder, winter months. In fact, it’s estimated that over 28,000 house fires ignite in the U.S. each year because of electrical issues – with most of these occurring in December, January, and February. A majority of these sometimes-fatal catastrophes can be attributed to faulty electrical systems, as well as common unawareness about the dangers of using space heaters and other heating devices improperly. It really comes...

So we all know what smoke alarms are and that they are supposed to be inspected fairly often, but how many times have you tested your detector this year? It's quite common to skip the monthly testing because we simply forget or some may even consider it to be a waste of time however, Mister Sparky wants you to know that examining your detector once a month is not only safe for you and your family, but it's also easy...