Electrical Outlets

Tired of those old, faded, and out of date outlets that won’t hold a plug? Let us update them for you! Outlets and their adjoining plates come in many different colors/styles to fit the motif and decoration of your home or office. From visual to functional cues, the following signs indicate it’s time to replace the outlets in your home:

Your outlets only have two-prongs.

All outlets that do not have three-prongs should immediately be replaced. Besides preventing you from plugging-in three-prong appliances, two-prong outlets are ungrounded. This presents a substantial shock risk and puts your expensive electronics at risk of permanent damage. (Surge protection will not offer protection when paired with an ungrounded electrical system.) Simply swapping out your old two-prong outlets for their three-pronged counterparts is not enough. Your electrical panel must be rewired to provide the necessary ground to make older two-prong outlets safe.
You insert a plug in an outlet and it falls out.

If the slots of an outlet are loose, and plugs fall out no matter what appliance is connected, the contacts within the outlet are worn. This may not seem like a big deal, but the missed/loose connections created by worn outlets can cause electrical arcing and put you at major risk of house fires. If you notice plugs falling out of problem outlets, it’s definitely time for a replacement.
Outlets feel hot to the touch.

Outlets that feel hot to the touch are a sure sign of electrical trouble, indicating loose, damaged, or worn wires hidden behind the walls that pose a huge fire hazard.
Your outlets are discolored from heat.

If an outlet or the surrounding wall are discolored, this is a giant flashing warning sign your outlet may be burned, damaged, or improperly installed. Short circuits commonly leave scorch marks and melt plastics surrounding the receptacle and can quickly result in fire. Never attempt to use a discolored outlet. Cut power to the outlet at the panel and contact an electrician to have it inspected and addressed immediately.
You plug in an appliance and see a spark, smoke, or smell something burning.

Any of the above signs are a clear indicator your outlets should be immediately inspected and replaced due to short circuit or water exposure. Sizzling or popping sounds are especially worrisome, indicating a fire waiting to happen. Turn off power to the outlet at the panel, and have your outlets inspected as soon as possible
Your GFCI outlets don’t trip when tested.

If you press the TEST button and GFCI outlets don’t trip (and you’re sure they have power or that the breaker hasn’t tripped), they’re no longer protecting you, and should be immediately replaced. Same is true if you hit the TEST button, the outlet is tripped, but the RESET button won’t restore power. GFCIs only last about 10 years – five in areas prone to storms and power surges. Replace effected outlets with a new GFCI as soon as possible, as these specialty outlets are essential to safeguarding lives in areas of your home exposed to water. Once your outlets are replaced, test them monthly – quarterly at a minimum.

Installing new outlets

Adding new outlets is a must as our office and home furnishing evolves in our everyday lives. Outlets may need to be added in new locations to plug in computers, lamps or any other general-purpose need. They can be added in walls, floors, ceiling, inside and outside to meet any attended need. Outlets can be added off an existing circuit in the home or office as well as dedicated circuits power by a dedicated breaker.

Dedicated electrical outlets are needed to run most appliances and can operate on 120 volts to 240 volts in residential to 120/208 volts to 480 volts in commercial. The electrical outlet comes in many orientations from standard outlets, dryer, range, and equipment installation specifications.

USB outlets

What is a USB outlet? A USB outlet is a handy way to recharge your mobile devices and gadgets without an adapter. It also leaves the electrical outlets free for regular use. A wall outlet with USB comes with a powered USB port or two - built in alongside the usual two electrical outlets.

One of the advantages of using the duplex outlet with USB ports is that it can replace most outlets in your home and most of them are tamper proof. Tamper proof means that they are designed to make it difficult for a child to put a metal object in one of the power slots of the outlet. You should not have these installed in an outlet that is only a 2 prong. The 2 prong outlets are generally found in older homes. These outlets do not have the ground prong in them which means there is no ground wire connected to the outlet. A wall outlet with USB port should not be used to replace GFCI outlets.

GFCI electrical outlets

Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) outlets should be installed in all kitchens, wet bars, butler stations and bathrooms. Appliances that are used around water such as sump pumps, condensation pumps, jacuzzi tubs, water heaters (tankless or power vent) also need to have a GFCI protection. Any outside outlets on or around a structure, crawl spaces, garages, and unfinished basement require GFCI outlets.

Z wave receptacles

What is Z-Wave? It is a wireless technology that will not interfere with your Wi-Fi signal and operates on low power. When Z wave technology is utilized inside everyday products such as locks and lights – these products become “smart” – giving them the ability to talk to each other and enabling you to control the devices from anywhere. Z-wave receptacles allow you to turn on/off lights & small appliances. Smart lighting can be any lighting product – bulbs, switches, dimmers, plugs – that have Z-Wave inside. This allows you to do things like remotely control your lights, turn them on/off, dim them – or brighten them from anywhere while using your smart phone. You can also create schedules for your smart lights to turn on/off at certain times, or even turn on when your smart door lock is unlocked as you arrive home. A Z-Wave smart home can save you money with energy savings.

Servicewise Electric strives to be the best in the industry by offering the highest level of professional service every time. We are a family owned and operated company with over 25 years of experience. It would be our pleasure to service your electric needs.