Hear from Our Customers
That burning smell from your electrical panel isn’t something you ignore until tomorrow. Neither is an outlet that shocked you this morning or breakers that keep tripping every time you run the dryer.
You’re dealing with real safety risks. The kind that cause 31,000+ house fires every year across the country, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Your family deserves better than crossing your fingers and hoping nothing goes wrong tonight.
When you call for electrical repairs in Steele, IL, you get someone who’s been solving these exact problems for 25 years. We diagnose what’s actually failing, explain it in plain terms, and fix it so it doesn’t come back next month. Your lights stop flickering. Your outlets work safely. Your panel handles the load without overheating. You stop worrying every time you plug something in.
Jimco Electric has been the local electrician Steele, IL homeowners call when electrical problems need solving, not just patching. We’re licensed, bonded, and insured because that’s the baseline for doing this work correctly.
Most of our calls come from homes built before 2000. Steele has plenty of those, and they weren’t wired for how you live now. You’ve added computers, charging stations, kitchen appliances, and maybe you’re thinking about an EV charger. Your electrical system is struggling to keep up, and that’s when the problems start showing up.
We focus on residential electrical work because that’s where safety matters most. You’re not just protecting property. You’re protecting the people who live there.
You call or contact us with the problem. We ask a few questions to understand what’s happening and whether it’s an emergency that needs immediate attention or something we can schedule for the next available opening.
We show up on time. Before we start any work, we run a full electrical inspection of the affected system to find the actual cause, not just the symptom. That flickering light might be a loose connection, but it could also be a failing circuit or an overloaded panel. We find out which one it is.
You get a clear explanation of what’s wrong and what it costs to fix it before we do anything. No surprises. No pressure. Just information so you can make the right call for your home and your budget. Once you approve the work, we fix it completely, test it, and clean up. You get documentation of what we did, and if anything needs follow-up, we tell you exactly what and when.
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You get a licensed electrician who knows residential electrical systems inside and out. That matters in Steele, IL, where older homes often have outdated wiring that can’t handle modern electrical loads. We handle everything from basic electrical repairs to complete panel upgrades that bring your system up to current code.
If you’re adding an EV charger, you probably need a service upgrade. Most older homes run on 100-amp or 150-amp panels, and adding a Level 2 charger pulls 40-50 amps on its own. We calculate your total load, determine what your home actually needs, and install it correctly so you’re not tripping breakers every time you charge your car and run the AC.
We also handle the emergency calls. Burning smells, sparking outlets, complete power loss to part of your home—these need attention now, not next week. We respond quickly because we know what’s at stake. Every service includes proper permits when required, code-compliant installation, and a final inspection to confirm everything works safely. You also get access to our discount programs for military, first responders, seniors, teachers, and students.
We prioritize emergency electrical repairs based on safety risk. If you’re smelling burning plastic, seeing sparks, or dealing with a complete power outage, that’s a same-day response situation. We treat those as urgent because they represent immediate fire or shock hazards.
For issues like flickering lights or a single outlet that stopped working, we typically schedule within 24-48 hours. Those still need professional attention, but they’re not putting your family in immediate danger.
When you call, describe exactly what’s happening. That helps us assess the risk level and get you on the schedule appropriately. If you’re unsure whether something is an emergency, err on the side of calling. We’d rather check it out and find it’s minor than have you wait on something that’s actually dangerous.
Panel upgrades in Steele, IL typically run between $1,500 and $3,500, depending on whether you’re upgrading from 100 to 200 amps, how far your panel is from the meter, and whether we need to update your service entrance wiring. Every home is different, so we give you an exact price after we assess your specific situation.
The work itself takes one full day in most cases. We shut off power to your home, remove the old panel, install the new one, reconnect all your circuits, and test everything before we leave. You’ll need to plan for being without power for several hours during the installation.
You’ll also need a permit and inspection, which we handle as part of the service. The inspector verifies that everything meets current electrical code before you start using the new panel. This isn’t optional, and it’s actually protecting you by ensuring the work was done correctly.
Electrical work isn’t like fixing a leaky faucet. You’re working with a system that can kill you if you make a mistake, and it can burn your house down weeks later even if you think you did it right.
Illinois requires permits for most electrical work, and those permits require a licensed electrician to pull them. If you do the work yourself and don’t get it inspected, you’re creating problems for yourself when you try to sell your home. Buyers’ inspectors find unpermitted electrical work, and it becomes a negotiation point that costs you more than just hiring a professional in the first place.
Beyond the legal and safety issues, there’s the practical reality that you probably don’t have the diagnostic tools or experience to identify what’s actually wrong. That flickering light might seem simple, but if it’s caused by a loose connection in your panel, you’re not going to find that without knowing what to look for. We see DIY electrical repairs regularly, and we’re usually fixing them after they’ve created bigger problems.
Breakers trip for three main reasons: you’re overloading the circuit, there’s a short circuit somewhere in the wiring, or the breaker itself is failing. Figuring out which one requires some investigation.
If the breaker trips when you run specific appliances together—like the microwave and toaster at the same time—you’re overloading that circuit. Older homes in Steele often have kitchen circuits that were designed for less demanding appliances. The solution is usually adding a dedicated circuit for high-draw appliances.
If the breaker trips randomly or immediately when you reset it, you likely have a short circuit. That’s damaged wiring, a failing outlet, or an appliance with internal problems. This needs professional diagnosis because the short could be anywhere along that circuit.
If the breaker is warm to the touch or trips with normal loads, the breaker itself might be worn out. Breakers do fail over time, especially if they’ve tripped frequently over the years. We test the breaker, check the connections, and replace it if needed.
Installing a Level 2 EV charger requires a dedicated 240-volt circuit, similar to what your electric dryer uses but usually at higher amperage. Most EV chargers pull 40-50 amps, which means you need 50-60 amp circuit capacity to handle the load safely.
First, we assess your current electrical panel to see if you have enough capacity. If you’re running a 100-amp or 150-amp panel and it’s already handling your home’s normal load, you’ll likely need a panel upgrade before we can add the charger circuit. If you have available capacity, we run a new circuit from your panel to wherever you’re parking the vehicle.
The charger itself mounts on the wall of your garage or on an outdoor post if you’re parking outside. We install a dedicated disconnect switch near the charger for safety, run the appropriate gauge wire, and connect everything according to manufacturer specifications and electrical code. The entire process typically takes a full day, and yes, you need a permit and inspection. Your electric vehicle is a significant investment, and you want it charging safely every night without overloading your electrical system.
Age is the first indicator. If your Steele home was built before 1970 and still has original wiring, you should have it inspected. Homes from that era often have aluminum wiring or old cloth-insulated wiring that deteriorates over time. Both create fire risks as they age.
Physical signs include frequently tripping breakers, flickering lights when you use certain appliances, outlets that are warm to the touch, discolored outlet covers, or a burning smell you can’t identify. These all suggest your wiring is struggling with the load or failing somewhere in the system.
You should also consider rewiring if you’re doing major renovations. If you’re opening up walls anyway, that’s the time to upgrade the electrical system. It’s much easier and less expensive than trying to rewire later when everything is closed up. During an electrical inspection, we check the condition of your wiring, test connections, measure loads, and tell you honestly whether you need a complete rewire or if targeted repairs will keep you safe. Not every old home needs rewiring, but many do, and it’s better to know before something fails.
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