If you’ve lived through winter in Minnesota, you already know that cold weather can hurt nearly everything. In fact, you’ve probably been spending the last several weeks preparing for that weather. Winter is just as hard on our utility infrastructures and homes as it can be on us. Unfortunately,
How to Fix a Broken Circuit Breaker
To start this blog about circuit breakers (and broken circuits), let's start in Borneo. Obviously. See, there's this ant in Borneo, the Colobopsis saundersi, that blows itself up whenever it’s seriously threatened. Seriously. Let's say there are a bunch of these ants, just hanging around the
The Most Common Electrical Problems
Just because these electrical problems are common doesn't mean you don't have to worry about them or get them fixed. Unfortunately, even common electrical problems can be expensive or even dangerous if they’re left alone. Here are some of the electrical problems pretty much everyone will have to
Solving Common Well Pump Problems, Part 2
This blog... is also about wells. Here's part 2 of our blogs about well pumps. In part one, we helped you figure out what’s going on when your well stops producing water. In this blog, we’re going to tackle two more of the most common well pump problems. Here’s how to deal with weird water
Solving Common Well Pump Problems, part 1
This Blog Is About Wells. And that is a deep subject. Sorry, old joke. Actually, it's about well pumps because they use electricity, and Early Bird covers all the bases when it comes to electricity. Now you're thinking, "No one has a well today. Come on, this isn't Lassie." (For you kids, Lassie
All About Your Home’s Sump Pump
“Sump” is a funny word. It literally means a reservoir designed to drain or hold liquids. A sump pump empties that reservoir when needed. They could’ve called it a “hole in the basement floor” pump or “reservoir” pump... but sump pump just sounds better, don't you think? No matter what you call
What’s Wrong With My Electric Water Heater?
Imagine: you’re in the middle of a nice, hot morning shower. Then, without any warning at all, your shower is neither hot nor nice. Your water is freezing. After leaping out of the shower, you’re probably only thinking one thing (well, one blog-appropriate thing): why did that just happen?! So:
My smoke alarm won’t stop beeping. Help!
Beeping smoke alarms are pretty common, and there's usually an easy fix for them. Before you shut up beeping smoke alarm for good, however, you should know why it’s beeping in the first place. It’s good to know stuff, and it turns out that beeping is happening for a reason. That’s why we’d like to
How Do I Fix a Broken Bathroom Fan?
I need to fix a broken bathroom fan It can be exhausting when your bathroom fan is not exhausting. You know your fan gets rid of bathroom smells, but its main job is to remove hot, moist air and keep the room dry to help prevent mold and mildew. Use your exhaust fan both to get rid of smells and
Why is My Bathroom Fan So Loud?
My bathroom fan is super noisy. Well, that's super annoying. Can I fix it? The bad news is your noisy bathroom fan is probably super noisy for one simple reason that cannot be fixed. The good news is, if that one simple reason is not the reason it's super noisy, it can be easy to fix. All About
The Outlet with the Buttons isn’t Working. Now What?
Good question, but hang on. Before we answer your "The outlet with the buttons isn't working, now what?" question, let's give you a little background. First of all, your "outlet with the buttons" is called a GFCI outlet. “A GF what now?" GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. You
What Should I Do When My Lights Flicker?
Most of the time, flickering lights are not a big deal. Sometimes, however, they could indicate a major electrical problem. Let's start with the easy stuff. You might have a loose or defective bulb This might seem obvious, but sometimes a problem is so easy to fix that you don't think about