Minor Electrical Repairs in Lexington, KY

Do you have intermittent or faulty light switches, electrical outlets, plugs, circuit breakers, or frayed electrical cords in your house? Do you want to replace a light or old ceiling fan with a new model ceiling fan/light with remote control? Are you wanting to replace your old light switches with decorative switches, dimmer switches, or lighted switches? Do you think that you need to hire an electrician to do these things? Fortunately, these electrical issues and more are relatively straightforward to fix, and do not require hiring an electrician. You’ve come to the right place! You can do them yourself (I can teach you how to do them!), or I can do them for you! If you have any of these electrical issues, or others, that have been concerning you, bothering you, or are just on your growing to-do list, look no further. I have been troubleshooting and fixing electrical and electromechanical items since I was 12 years old (remember vacuum tube TVs? Car engine electronics that you could actually work on?) and I bring over 50 years of troubleshooting experience to the table. Whatever your electrical or electromechanical problems, I’d love to troubleshoot and fix them for you!

Common Household Electrical Issues & Repairs

1. Switches & Outlets - Light switches and electrical outlets can deteriorate and wear out over time. They are not hard to replace, but you do need to make sure that the power to the outlet is turned off and that you reconnect the wires correctly - but you do not need to hire an electrician to do this. Additionally, you will want to make sure that the power wires are properly stripped and firmly wrapped (clockwise) around the proper screw terminals before tightening the screws. Do not use the push the wires into the “easy attach” holes in the back of electrical outlets and light switches; they can permit an intermittent connection over time which can be extremely difficult to trace down. Sometimes you may want to upgrade your switches with decorative or backlit switches, or you may want to add a dimmer switch. I would be glad to replace, upgrade, and install your light switches or electrical outlets for you.

2. Frayed wires/plugs - Over time, wires can become frayed, especially with a lot of use. In our house, our vacuum cleaner power cord became frayed (more than once) over time, creating a safety hazard at the plug. The fix for these issues is usually simple: cut off the frayed wiring and replace the plug. You do not need to hire an electrician to do this. Be sure to obtain a replacement plug that is sturdier than the original plug and not as susceptible to fraying. In extreme cases, the entire cord may need to be replaced, and this takes more time. If needed, good replacement power cords are available from Lowes, Home Depot, and Amazon. I would be glad to fix any frayed power cords or plugs for you!

3. Circuit breakers - Circuit breakers are located in the electrical panel to your house. It is rare that a circuit breaker fails, but sometimes they do. You need to use extra care when opening a circuit breaker panel and accessing breakers as there are a lot of exposed high voltage contacts in the panel which can easily kill you if you touch the wrong contact. You can replace circuit breakers yourself, you can hire an electrician to do it for you, or I can help you switch out a circuit breaker if needed, or help troubleshoot why a circuit breaker may be tripping.

4. Ceiling fan / light installation - Ceiling fans are great additions to rooms. They help make the rooms more comfortable, and can help in saving money on your electric bill. Many newer ceiling fans are very quiet, and have energy efficient dimmable lighting attached. In addition, many of these ceiling fans are equipped with remote controls, making it much easier to control the fan speeds and light. If there is already a junction box in your ceiling, it is a relatively straightforward process to install a ceiling fan; however, it does require disconnecting the electricity. If you don’t have a ceiling fan, or are dissatisfied with your current ceiling fan, or would like to add a remote control to your ceiling fan, I would be glad to install a newer model name brand ceiling fan for you. For more information about ceiling fan installation, please check out this link.

5. Some electrical work requires permits - When doing renovations or other work where new circuits are being added, the homeowner will need to get a permit, and hire a licensed electrician to do the work. I don’t do this type of electrical work. Examples include:

   o Adding a new circuit and/or wiring for appliances such as an air conditioner or sump pump

   o Installing and/or adding receptacles or light fixtures where one did not exist before

   o Installing and/or adding a new electrical panel and breakers

ELECTRICAL REPAIR CLASSES AND TRAINING

If you are tired of putting off electrical repair issues, but are rightly concerned about the safety hazards associated with working on 120 VAC circuits, I’d be glad to teach you how to make these kinds of repairs yourself. If this interests you, please check out this page for more information about my classes, and contact me for details!

CONTACT ME TODAY!

No matter what the problem is that you’re experiencing with your electrical power distribution system, or what electrical improvements you’d like to make, contact me today or call 859-227-8314 and I’ll happily help, or advise if you need more professional help.

Install Ceiling Fan