Are you licensed to work in Utah State?
Yes. Leading Electric is a fully licensed and insured S-200 General Electrical Contractor, and Robert de Rosier, the owner of Leading Electric, is a Master Electrician with over 17 years of Electrical experience.
Can you provide proof of Licensure & Liability insurance?
Yes. Our license can be verified at the Utah Department of Occupational & Professional Licensing Website, and of course we are happy to provide a copy of it upon request.
Do I need to get an Electrical permit?
It depends on the scope of your project; however, you will almost always need a permit. Local city & county inspectors must perform inspections on construction projects throughout the state. Please be aware that electrical contractors must purchase their own electrical permits for work they do on your property.
Only an electrical contractor whose license is in good standing with the State of Utah can be issued an electrical permit by your city or county office. If you’re dealing with a “contractor” who is unable or unwilling to get the proper approval, this should be a red flag to you. If you have questions about required permits you can ask us, or contact your local building inspector. Leading Electric will always get the proper permits for any project requiring a city or county inspection.
I have reset the breaker but my power is still out, what do I do?
To reset a breaker in your electrical panel, you must push the breaker handle firmly to the off position, and then push it back to the on position. Most people fail to push the circuit breaker handle firmly past the (tripped) position to the off position and assume it is reset.
If you perform the correct reset procedure and still have no power, call us today. Circuit breakers can wear out over time if they are tripped too frequently.
The outlets in my kitchen, bathroom, garage, or outside are not working, what is the problem?
The most likely scenario is that the GFCI outlet has tripped. To fix this, you should locate the GFCI outlet that controls the receptacles on that circuit and press the “Reset” button. Keep in mind that the GFCI outlet may be located in a cabinet. Also check the circuit breaker in the electrical panel to ensure it is not tripped.
My lights dim every time an appliance or other things are turned on, what’s going on?
A slight dimming of the lights is common and can be very costly to eliminate from an existing home. For example, you may have noticed that your lights dim for a second when your air conditioner kicks on, or you turn on a large appliance like your vacuum cleaner. This is normal, and is simply a result of the inrush current required upon startup of some appliances – inrush current of a motor is typically about five to six times its steady-state current.
I have a breaker that keeps tripping; can I replace it with a bigger breaker?
No. The circuit breaker is designed to trip when it senses an overload or is beginning to wear out. This breaker needs to be replaced with the exact same size and type breaker as the existing one. Replacing the breaker with a larger breaker defeats this purpose and will greatly increase the chance of overheating and an electrical fire. The best fix is to limit the number of electrical appliances you use on that circuit, or have an additional circuit installed by a licensed electrician.
If a breaker continuously trips and you feel you’re not overloading the circuit, contact us today to further assess the condition of the breaker and circuit.
What is an Arc-fault breaker?
The arc-fault circuit breaker or “AFCI” is a newly developed electrical device designed to protect against fires caused by arcing faults in your home’s electrical wiring. Annually, over 40,000 fires are attributed to faulty electrical wiring. These fires result in over 350 deaths and over 1,400 injuries each year. Arcing faults are one of the major causes of these fires. When unwanted arcing occurs, it generates high temperatures that can ignite nearby combustibles such as wood, paper, and carpets. Arcing faults often occur in damaged or deteriorated wires and cords. Some causes of damaged and deteriorated wiring include puncturing of wire insulation from picture hanging or cable staples, poorly installed outlets or switches, cords caught in doors or under furniture, furniture pushed against plugs in an outlet, natural aging, and cord exposure to heat vents and sunlight.
The AFCI circuit breaker serves a dual purpose – not only will it shut off electricity in the event of an “arcing fault”, but it will also trip when a short circuit or an overload occurs. The AFCI circuit breaker provides protection for the branch circuit wiring and limited protection for power cords and extension cords. Single-pole, 15- and 20- ampere AFCI circuit breakers are currently available for residential installations.
Should I upgrade to LED lighting?
Every electrical installation is unique, so it depends on what your personal or business’s situation is. The simple answer is yes, upgrading to LED lighting is a good idea. As LED’s become more readily available and pricing becomes more competitive, it’s only a matter of time before LED will be the standard. In fact, for many commercial installations, it already is.
The bottom line:
- High quality LED lamps have 25 times the life expectancy of a standard household incandescent light bulb.
- LED lamps run at much cooler temperatures so are much more efficient than incandescent lightbulbs.
- A typical LED replacement will consume 10-20% of what a comparable incandescent light bulb will consume.