Electrical FAQ
Why is it so important to hire a licensed electrician in Georgetown?
“Anyone who performs electrical work in the state of Texas must be licensed.” – Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
Any electrical work as minor as changing switch, light fixture or ceiling fan must be done by a licensed electrican working under direct control of a licensed Electrical Contractor.
- Safety
With electrical work, safety should always be the first concern. Not just safety of the crew during the job, but the safety of your family for the many years you’ll live in the home. Did you know that one of the top causes of electrical fires is careless installation done by unqualified people? If you do have a fire in your home after having work performed by someone who is not a licensed electrical contractor, your insurance company could void your policy. All the expense of fixing that job would come right out of your pocket. - Quality
- You can trust Tom Norrell, Your Master Electrician to do the job right the first time, and we guarantee our work 100%. To become a Master Electrician in Texas, Tom Norrell received thousands of hours of on-the-job training, worked for years as a journeyman electrician, and passed a rigorous exam. To maintain his license, Tom and his team take regular continuing education courses so we’re up on all the latest codes and changes within the industry. We also maintain substantial liability insurance, which you certainly will not get from someone without a license.
Because we’ve worked for so long in Georgetown and Sun City, we’re very familiar with the Georgetown permitting process and the electrical codes by which every property owner must abide. When you hire a licensed electrician and have the job permitted properly, a city inspector will inspect the work, giving you an additional level of comfort.
- Value
It’s a lot cheaper to do the job the right way than to have to correct an unlicensed contractor’s mistakes. And when it comes time to sell your home, your resale value will be much higher when the work was done by a professional.
What is a service upgrade?
A service upgrade adds capacity to your home’s electrical service. Today’s homes requires much more electricity than homes did in the past because we rely on an increasing number of machines in our daily life. Televisions, computers, dishwashers, clothes dryers and hair dryers, microwaves… every one of these draws power. If your home’s electrical system doesn’t have the capacity to provide power to all of these devices, then you may experience problems such as outages, tripped breakers, and, in extreme cases, even fire.
Does my house need a service upgrade?
If you have a Federal Pacific panel the answer is definitely YES!
Otherwise there are simply too many variables for us to answer that here. Even if you haven’t been experiencing problems, it’s possible you’re overtaxing your system, particularly if you live in an older home. We’d be happy to come to your house to determine whether you need a service upgrade and to provide you with an estimate. We never recommend unnecessary electrical work. Call us at 512-863-0143 to set up a visit.
Do I need a permit?
In a word, yes. If you’re having any electrical work done on your house and you live within the Georgetown city limits (which includes Sun City), you need to pull a permit. If you don’t, you could be found guilty of a misdemeanor and face significant fines. When you hire Tom Norrell, Your Master Electrician, we’ll pull the permit and arrange for the city inspection when the work is complete, as part of our service to you. If you don’t live within the city limits, you may not need a permit, but you should still hire a licensed electrician to ensure the job is done right. Our service area includes all of Williamson County and northern Travis County.