RESOURCES

Edison Electric Voted Best Of Morgantown

Edison Electric is honored to be voted as the 2021 Best Of Morgantown for Electrician by the readers of Morgantown Magazine. We take pride in providing North Central West Virginia with quality electrical services for your home or office, and are humbled by this recognition. Be sure to get a copy of the the Magazine, read the article here, or read our acknowledgement below:

Master electrician Abram Edison has only been contracting through Edison Electric since 2019, but word of mouth has made his business grow quickly. Why do customers recommend him to their friends” “We do anything – old work, service work, and we’ll come into someone’s house and change out a bad receptacle or put up a light fixture, where most contractors are looking for bigger jobs,” Edison says.

We have a 24-hour emergency service as well — we’ll show up for an emergency call, no matter what time it is.” Customers also appreciate the ability to communicate with Edison and his three technicians by text message. “It’s more convenient for a lot of people. It goes a long way.”

Ask Edison What’s fun about his work, and he laughs. “I actually really, really, really love what I do,” he says. “I love meeting new people, servicing North Central West Virginia, giving people a great professional experience, and eliminating hazards. That’s what I do all day — eliminate hazards. It feels good.”

RESOURCES

Edison Electric – Frequently Asked Questions

At Edison Electric, we take pride in being your local Morgantown Area Electrician and want to provide some answers to questions our team often receives from our customers. First and foremost, we want to stress the potential danger in dealing electricity, which is why we encourage our customers to play it safe and ask questions rather than experimenting or attempting to fix your home’s electrical system.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and answers our team often receives:

Do I need to hire an electrician?

This is perhaps the most common question our team receives. There is a common belief that you only need to hire an electrician when you are building a new home or addition, however, this is simply not the case.

Considering the potential dangers associated with electricity, we strongly encourage you to contact an electrician for anything needing updated or repaired that is powered by electricity. And while we can appreciate the advantages that doing it yourself can present, DIY mistakes can be costly and, in some cases, extremely dangerous. For those not properly trained to work with electricity, there is a risk of electrocution, as well as a risk that an improper repair may create fire hazard.

For this reason, here are a few situations that we highly recommend contacting a licensed electrician.

You have fuses that keep blowing or circuit breakers that are tripping
There is rust on or close to your electrical service panel. This indicates water damage
You do not have GFCI outlets are not installed in such areas as your kitchen, bathrooms, garage or exterior of your home.
You are utilizing extension cords because there are too few outlets in a room
Lights dim when appliances are turned on
Electrical switches or outlets feel warm, tingly, are showing discoloration, or do not function properly
A need to add more outlets, switches or light fixtures in a room
You have appliances with 3-prong plugs that cannot be used because outlets only accept 2-prong plugs

Does Edison Electric Offer Free Consultations?

Yes, we at Edison Electric offers free consultations to assess your home or business electrical needs. A proposal of work will be presented for your needed services. This does not include our after hour or emergency services.

What Areas Does Edison Electric Provide Service?

At Edison Electric, we proudly service throughout North Central West Virginia. Our office is based in Morgantown, and routinely service communities including Blacksville, Bridgeport, Bruceton Mills, Clarksburg, Kingwood, Grafton, Fairmont, and Shinnston areas. However, our team will provide service in additional areas, provided our team can properly and provide the best service possible. Contact us today if you are located just outside of North Central WV.

Is there a difference between a circuit breaker and a fuse?

When considering a panel system upgrade, we often get asked the difference. Overall, a fuse and a circuit breaker both function to disrupt the flow of electricity when an overload or fault is sensed. However, the main difference is that A fuse will have to be replaced once it has tripped; a circuit breaker will not need to be replaced. Because of this, we recommend the use of circuit breakers.

What does the term “short circuit” mean?

When a wire carrying an electrical current comes into contact with the grounded conductor wire, or the equipment ground wire, this creates excessive heat, or often a spark. PLEASE NOTE that If you see sparks in your electrical service panel, you likely have witnessed a short circuit and encourage you to have it checked by a licensed electrician.

What is a GFCI Outlet?

A GFCI outlet, or ground-fault circuit interrupter, is a type of electrical outlet designed to protect you from electrical shock where, and if, moisture is present. They are commonly found in kitchens, bathrooms, outdoor outlets and garages.

Your GFCI outlet will feature test/reset buttons. Simply press the “test” button to turn off the GFCI, or press the “reset” button to turn it back on after it has tripped. If you continue to experience issues with your GFCI outlet tripping, we suggest contacting a licensed electrician.

Why do my light bulbs blow out frequently?

There are several reasons that could be causing your light bulbs to blow out frequently. And while most issues indicate a problem, one particular reason that needs to be addressed is overheating, which would be an immediate fire safety risk. A light fixture that has poor airflow will result in excessive heat buildup around the bulb. Having to replace bulbs again and again is not just an inconvenience, it’s also a fire hazard.

Please do not hesitate to contact our team at Edison Electric if you have any questions or concerns regarding the electrical needs for your home or business in the greater Morgantown area!

RESOURCES

Avoiding Winter Electrical Issues

One of the biggest things that our team at Edison Electric tries to educate our customers is how to avoid winter electrical issues. Often, we find that our customers were never taught, or fully understood how their electrical system works, especially with the challenges that come with our beautiful West Virginia winters

Here is a look at some of the most common electrical issues we see during the winter months:

Extra Light Usage

In the greater Morgantown area, a number of people use extra lights during the winter months. Because it gets dark much earlier, you find yourself utilizing more lights in your home for longer periods of time.

And for those Clark Griswald types, many people add lights for the holidays. And why note – they make your house and community really stand out! (It’s a beauty, Clark) Unfortunately, most people do not have a complete understand of the limits of the circuit they are utilizing.

Also, there is a serious danger in combining various forms of extensions on top of each other. In addition to the concern about overloading your circuit, you also run the additional risk of shock from poor extension cords.

Space Heaters & Electric Blankets

We get it – It gets cold in West Virginia, which often has us looking for our space heaters and electric blankets. However, space heaters and electric blankets draw a lot of power when they are used. As such, it can overload some circuits, so you want to be careful of what else is on the same circuit.

You also want to be careful how long you run these devices, and how high you have it turned up. They can both pull too much power, especially with older electrical systems.

Too Many Extension Cords

As we mentioned above with extra light usage, you create a hazard by stacking extensions or power strips on top of each other. The more extension cords you add together, the more hazardous it becomes. This drastically increases the risk of fire and electrical shock.

We also understand the need for extension cords, so we suggest the best way to use them is to use a single extension cord or a single power strip. Also, never use more than one, or worse, both together.

Static Buildup

West Virginia winters come complete with cold temperatures and a drop in humidity, which causes everything to become drier. This will then increase the likelihood of static charge, which also increases your risk of sparking a fire just by getting an electric shock.

To help with this, we encourage you to run a humidifier in your home. This will help reduce the risk of static buildup and decrease your chance of having a shock.

If you have any questions about your home electricity, or if your home is equipped to handle your electrical needs this winter, contact our team at Edison Electric, and we will gladly help ensure you and your family are prepared for a safe winter season.

RESOURCES

Considering An Electrical Service Upgrade?

At Edison Electric, one of the most requested services we are contacted for is an electrical service upgrade. Living in North Central West Virginia, there are a number of existing homes that could benefit from having an electrical service upgrade, but often, we do not consider the upgrade until there is a problem. And while this is understandable, our job is to help educate our customers on the potential hazards, and benefits, of upgrading your electrical service panel sooner than later.

First, it helps to have a quick idea of how your electrical service works. Your electricity flows into your home directly through your breaker box. From there, it gets dispersed throughout your home by the various, assigned circuits. Each of these circuits having their own limit on how much electricity can flow at a given time. When you exceed a limit, you will trip one of these circuits, as a precaution for exceeding the amount of electricity assigned.

Signs You May Need a Service Upgrade

At Edison Electric, we wanted to help outline a few signs that you may need an electrical service upgrade for your home. These signs may indicate that there is a potential problem with your home electrical system, so if have some of these issues, we strongly suggest contacting a licensed electrician as your next course of action.

Burning Smell or Discolored Outlets

If you can sense or smell as if something is burning, you should not ignore it! You need to search your home until you find the source. Ignoring it may lead to something catching on fire, or even leading to a full house. That burning smell could actually be caused by extra heat from too much current flowing through your electrical wires. Another sign that this may be happening is that your outlet may turn a darker shade or even brown.

If the burning smell is coming from your breaker box, your entire system could be overloaded, or one particular circuit could be overloaded. Another potential issue is that one of the connections in your box is loose, which would then cause additional heat.

Flickering Lights

One of the most visible signs our team at Edison Electric experiences are flickering lights when one of your appliances turns on. This is a good indication that you may need a service upgrade. An example you may experience is when turning on a hairdryer or your vacuum cleaner, and your house lights flicker. Especially if the lights flickering are on a different circuit, it may be time to look at a service upgrade.

You Keep Tripping Your Breaker

If you find yourself continuously tripping a breaker every time you turn on an appliance, this is an indication that the circuit is overloaded and that it is time for an electrical service upgrade.
Please note – we have experienced where some have tried to tape or secure a breaker open and cannot stress enough about NOT DOING THIS. Your breakers are there to prevent too much current from flowing through a circuit. By not allowing the circuit to do its job, you drastically increase the potential for an electrical fire.

Extension Cords

At Edison Electric, we try to educate our clients on the potential hazards with the overuse of extension cords. When you use extension cords as a way to increase the number of outlets available, you may need to look at an upgrade. While It is possible to run additional outlets without overloading a circuit, you do not want to overload that circuit.

Depending on your existing service panel, you can look at adding additional circuits, which is part of upgrading your electrical service. This would allow you to add additional electrical receptacles without overloading the circuits.

If Your Current Electrical System Is Old

If your electrical system is old, that is a good indicator you should consider an upgrade. If your electrical system was installed or last upgraded more than 30 years ago, you are likely not running a 200 amp service. What this means is that your current electrical system may not be able to run the number of modern appliances you are accustomed.

Accessibility & Obstacles in Accessing Your Panel

Two of the biggest challenges we face when addressing and quoting your electrical service upgrade is the accessibility of your panel, as well as any obstacles that may be in the way. With the accessibility, we determine how easily we can get to your panel, as well as the ability to work on it. The same goes for the conduit we need to access.

In regard to obstacles, we have experienced things from additional walls or barriers accidentally built in front of the panel, or anything that prevents easy and convenient access to service the panel.

Next Steps to Upgrade Your Electrical System

If you are considering an electrical service upgrade, we strongly recommend contacting a licensed electrican, especially when dealing with the main electrical supply of your home. While we appreciate our DIY clients and homeowners, attempting to fix a problem on your own could worsen your i

RESOURCES

Avoiding Winter Electrical Issues

At Edison Electric, we appreciate and value our DIY customers, but when it comes to working on the electricity of your home, you want to ensure you are experienced and knowledgeable on what you are doing. This is for your own safety, and the safety of your home!

Because of this, we have put together a list of five things to look for when hiring a residential electrician in North Central West Virginia.

Experience

Your electrical needs should not be handled by someone with inexperience. An experienced electrician can identify your issue and fix it quickly, but also safely. We encourage you to ask how much experience the electrician has so you can determine if you feel comfortable that they are qualified to do the job right.

Fully Insured

One of the most important questions you need to ask is if the electrician you are hiring is fully licensed and insured. You do not, nor should not be held liable for anything that goes wrong in your home.

Provides Estimates

Before hiring an electrician, we recommend getting a project estimate or scope of work before the job begins. This is an agreement that is spelled out, so there is no question as to what the electrician is expected to complete or how much it will cost you.

References

Like any business operating in greater Morgantown area, a reputation for quality work will get around. We encourage to you do your research and review references before you make your decision. These references should be found on Facebook, Google, or other online sources, or simply ask the company. This will give you a better idea of their work ethic and how previous customers viewed their reliability, professionalism and quality of work.

Experience With Permitting

For some residential electrical jobs in North Central West Virginia, certain permits and inspections may be required. Before you hire your residential electrician, make sure they will handle getting the proper permits and will be responsible for any necessary inspections. This will help you from dealing with unnecessary issues during, and after, the project.

At Edison Electric, we are a fully licensed and experienced contractor proudly servicing North Central West Virginia for your residential and commercial electrical needs. If you have any questions, or are in need of a qualified electrician, contact us today!

RESOURCES

Newest Addition To Our Vehicle Fleet

Edison Electric recently added the newest addition to our vehicle fleet with our Ford Transit Connect. The additional vehicle allows us to better serve our customers throughout North Central West Virginia, ensuring our team is properly equipped and ready for each job.

Our vehicles are also wrapped with our company branding. The wrap, while helping to create top of mind awareness for the company, is also created to provide peace of mind for our customers when on jobs. This way, you can trust that it is our team that is performing your work and entering your home.

The safety of our customers is out top priority, and our vehicles not only help ensure we are providing quality services, but also creating trust and comfort with our homeowners.

The vehicles were also designed and wrapped locally by The Stick Company, based in Morgantown.

Edison Electric is your trusted choice for all of your electrical needs in North Central West Virginia. Whether you are needing an electrician for your home or business, our team can provide the quality services you need, from Kingwood and Grafton, as well as Bridgeport, Clarksburg and Fairmont, WV.