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Crawford Electric
Common Questions
My Downtown Mountain View home was built in 1984 and still has its original wiring. Why do my lights dim when I run the microwave and air conditioner together?
Your 42-year-old electrical system, likely wired with NM-B Romex, was designed for a different era. Modern 2026 appliance loads, especially in kitchens and with multiple electronics charging, easily exceed the capacity of those original circuits. This voltage drop, causing dimming lights, is a clear signal your panel's 100-amp service is struggling to distribute power efficiently to today's simultaneous demands.
My power comes from an overhead line on a mast. What specific issues should I watch for with this setup?
Overhead service masts are vulnerable to weather and tree contact. Regularly inspect where the mast meets the roof for rust or separation, and ensure the service drop wires have clear clearance from any branches. Ice accumulation can add dangerous weight. This point of entry is also the first line of defense for lightning; a proper mast ground and whole-house surge arrester are non-negotiable for an overhead service in a high-lightning region.
How should I prepare my home's electrical system for an ice storm or a summer brownout?
For winter ice storms, ensure your heating system's circuit is dedicated and in good repair, and consider a hardwired backup generator with a proper transfer switch. Summer brownouts, caused by peak AC demand, stress aging components. Having an electrician evaluate your service connections and panel health before peak season can prevent failures. Point-of-use surge protection is also wise for valuable electronics year-round.
I live in a 1984 home and want to add a Level 2 EV charger and a heat pump. Can my current 100-amp Federal Pacific panel handle it?
No, it cannot safely handle those additions. A Level 2 charger alone often requires a dedicated 50-amp circuit, and a heat pump adds significant load. More critically, a Federal Pacific panel is a known fire hazard with breakers that can fail to trip. You need a full service upgrade to at least 200 amps with a modern, code-compliant panel before adding such large appliances.
We live on a rocky hillside near the courthouse. Could that affect our home's electrical grounding?
Yes, significantly. Rocky, shallow soil presents a high-resistance path for your grounding electrode system, which is essential for safety and surge dissipation. A proper ground requires deep-driven rods or a concrete-encased electrode (Ufer ground) to reach stable, conductive earth. An inadequate ground on this terrain can lead to erratic voltage, damaged equipment, and reduced protection from lightning strikes common to the area.
Why do my lights flicker and my smart devices reboot during storms with Entergy Arkansas?
Entergy's grid in our area is prone to voltage sags and lightning-induced surges. These fluctuations are hard on modern electronics with sensitive microprocessors. Flickering lights often point to a loose connection, either at your service entrance or within the home, which the unstable grid conditions expose. Installing a whole-house surge protector at the main panel is a critical first defense for your smart home systems.
I've lost all power and smell something burning. How fast can an electrician get to my house near the Stone County Courthouse?
For a no-power, burning smell emergency, we dispatch immediately. From the Stone County Courthouse, we take Arkansas Highway 5 for direct access to Downtown Mountain View, typically arriving within 5-8 minutes. Your first action should be to shut off the main breaker at the service panel if it's safe to do so, as this could indicate a serious fault in the wiring or panel itself.
I need a panel replacement. What permits are required from the Stone County Building Department, and does the work have to meet new code?
All panel replacements require a permit and inspection from the Stone County Building Department. As a Master Electrician licensed by the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, I handle that process. The work must comply with the currently adopted NEC 2020, which mandates AFCI protection for most living area circuits and specific grounding upgrades. This isn't red tape; it's the framework that ensures your family's safety and your home's insurability.