This July, a sudden storm hit Middlesex County. It came fast, hard, and took out plenty of poles…read moreand utility lines to homes. We got hit and a neighbor helped us to limp along. We had enough time to research electricians and make an informed choice. First guy Facetimed from a ladder, so he was already in the thick of it. Came by a couple of days later with a big crew and a big price tag, like an ice cream truck on a hot day, there was no lack of customers, so it was take the price or we roll. We passed up.
Second guy did a walk-through and found a couple of things besides the mast that needed attention. But it didn't feel right,--if the breaker panel box had minuscule water intrusion, that doesn't call for changing the breaker panel...that's a SEALING and PITCH issue on the outside conduit. And...if you look into it, the last 90° bend before entering the siding needs a weep hole drilled into it.
Another electrician started talking about grounding rods sight-unseen. I get it, a lot of homes lose rod contact, say from loose fittings and/or lawnmowers, but that sounded like conjecture. Whereas Austin explained it, that when a circuit is changed from 100Amps to 200Amps, the requirement is two grounding rods, and a thicker gauge grounding wire. The NEC is there for a reason, so contractors have to explain it in terms of the codes. Do yourself a favor, read a little and ask your electricians what is needed or what you want in technical terms. Call up an online diagram and point at what you want.
That way, people like Austin will do a better job and provide you what you want. Austin's awesome repair fixed the problem, prepped us for an upgrade in the future, and we also plan to add a soft-start to the air condenser. Austin hustled to get us back up and running, with an improved mast, new meter panel, better wiring, and a weep hole before the siding. His price was amazing and no one else could have beaten it without skimping on supplies or attention to detail.
