Des Moines has a wide mix of housing, from century-old bungalows in older neighborhoods to apartment buildings, commercial strips, and newer construction pushing out toward the edges of the city. A lot of that older stock is still running on wiring that was installed when the loads were simpler and the code was different. When a homeowner starts adding circuits, or a property manager inherits a building that has not been touched electrically in decades, the gaps show up fast. Summit Electric handles that work across Des Moines, from straightforward repairs to full panel replacements, with licensed electricians who know what they are getting into before they open the panel door.
The work spans residential and commercial properties alike. Rental buildings, office suites, retail spaces, and single-family homes all land on our schedule regularly. Whatever the property type, the process is the same: we go over the job on the phone, confirm the price before anything is scheduled, and send someone who can handle what they find.
In a city with housing stock this varied, panels turn up in basements, in attached garages, in utility closets on the main floor, and occasionally in spots that were never ideal to begin with. Older properties sometimes have subpanels added over the years without a clear record of what feeds what. Before we do panel work, we trace the circuits, confirm what is there, and run a load calculation so the replacement or upgrade is sized correctly for what the property actually needs.
Access matters for how quickly a visit goes. A clear path to the panel, breakers that are labeled, and a rough sense of which circuits serve which areas of the building all help. We ask about this on the call so the electrician arrives ready rather than spending the first part of the visit figuring out the layout.
Grounding and bonding are part of every panel assessment. An older Des Moines home may have a panel that is functional on the surface but missing a proper ground or bonding connection at the service entrance. Those corrections matter for safety and for code compliance, and they come up regularly in properties that have not had a full electrical review in many years. We identify them as part of the visit and explain what they involve before any work begins.
Good electrical work isn't complicated, it's just done right, and that includes getting to the job when it actually needs to happen. Same-day service is often available for repairs and installations in Des Moines. When you call during our hours, 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM every day, we work through what is happening and find the earliest available time.
For situations that are genuinely urgent, sparking outlets, a burning smell near a panel or switch plate, partial power loss across multiple rooms, we treat those as priority calls. Do not reset a breaker that is hot or making noise. Call us and we will work out the fastest path to getting someone there.
We also work around tenants and businesses that cannot shut down for the day. If a commercial property needs electrical work and staying operational matters, we talk through the scope on the call and figure out what can be done in phases or during off-hours. The goal is to handle the electrical side without making the rest of the operation grind to a halt. With a local company, your questions go straight to the people doing the work. One call, and an electrician is on the way.
Pricing is confirmed before anything is scheduled. When you call, we go over the job with you and give you the rate for what is described. For straightforward work like outlet replacement, a ceiling fan installation, or a dedicated circuit, the price is usually settled in that first conversation. For larger projects, a panel upgrade or a rewiring job, we confirm the scope and what it includes before the electrician comes out.
What can change a quote is what the job turns out to involve once we are on-site. An older property sometimes reveals wiring conditions that were not visible from the description: aluminum branch wiring, knob-and-tube sections behind walls, or a panel that is more complicated than expected. When that happens, we explain what we found and what it means before doing anything additional. No-pressure estimates, priced up front, so you are not agreeing to work you did not know about.
Call (515) 395-4989 and we will walk through what the job involves and what it costs.
Before booking anything, our electrical page is worth a read.
Multi-location switching covers situations where a light or a set of lights needs to be controlled from more than one point, a staircase, a hallway, a large room with entries at both ends. Three-way and four-way switch wiring is straightforward for a licensed electrician but genuinely confusing to troubleshoot when it was wired incorrectly the first time, which happens in older properties where the original work was done without a permit. We diagnose what is there and wire it correctly so every switch does what it is supposed to.
Grounding and bonding problems are common in older Des Moines housing, and they are not always visible from the outside. An outlet may test as live and functional while still lacking a proper ground. A panel may be connected to the service but missing the bonding jumper that ties the neutral and the ground together at the right point. These are not cosmetic issues. They affect how safely the system handles a fault, and they come up regularly during inspections and pre-purchase assessments. We identify them, explain what is involved in correcting them, and handle the work to current code.
Knob-and-tube wiring was standard construction for a long time, and portions of it are still present in older homes across Des Moines. It lacks a ground wire, it was not designed for modern electrical loads, and it creates complications when insulation has been added around it over the years. Replacing it involves running new wiring through finished walls, which takes planning and care. We assess what is there, explain the scope honestly, and work through the replacement in a way that minimizes disruption to the rest of the house.
A Level 2 home EV charger needs a dedicated 240-volt circuit sized for the charger's draw. The installation involves running that circuit from the panel to the charger location, which is often a garage wall. Older panels sometimes do not have the capacity to add the circuit without an upgrade first. We assess that on the call so the full scope is clear before anyone comes out. The circuit is installed and tested before we leave, and the charger location is confirmed in advance so the run is as clean as possible.
Not every electrical call looks the same, and the situation that leads to it matters as much as the type of work involved. The service page carries the full breakdown of what we handle, but here is how the work divides in practice across properties like these.
A repair call usually starts with something that stopped working or started behaving strangely. Flickering lights, a dead outlet, a breaker that will not stay on, a switch that controls nothing. Troubleshooting and diagnostics are the first step, because the symptom and the cause are not always in the same place. We trace the problem before touching anything, which means the fix addresses what is actually wrong rather than what looks wrong from the surface.
Panel work in Des Moines comes up for a few reasons. A home that has added square footage, an EV charger, or major appliances may have outgrown its existing service. A panel with an older breaker brand may present safety concerns beyond just capacity. A load calculation tells us what the property needs, and the upgrade is sized for current use and reasonable future demand. Surge protection is often added at the same time, because a panel replacement is the logical moment to install a whole-home device that covers every circuit.
Installation work covers a wide range: recessed and LED lighting, ceiling fans, exterior lighting, dedicated circuits for appliances and equipment, and EV charger circuits. Each of these starts with confirming the panel has capacity for what is being added. We handle the wiring, the circuit, and the fixture or outlet, and we test everything before we leave. For commercial properties, installation work often involves coordinating around business hours so the space stays functional during the job.
We serve Des Moines as a primary area and cover the surrounding communities throughout Polk County on a regular basis. That includes Pleasant Hill, Windsor Heights, Carlisle, Saylorsburg, and Norwalk. If you are just outside Des Moines and not sure whether we cover your address, call and ask. We keep our schedule open across the county, not just the city limits.
We serve Des Moines and the surrounding communities throughout Polk County, including Pleasant Hill, Windsor Heights, Carlisle, and Norwalk. If you are outside the city limits and not sure whether your address is covered, call us at (515) 395-4989 and we will confirm it on the spot.
We assess the damage, determine the extent of it, and repair it correctly. How the damage gets attributed between trades is a matter between you and the other contractor. Our job is to make the wiring right again. We explain what we found and what the repair involves before we start.
Yes. If a generator was connected without a proper transfer switch, or if the wiring was done in a way that creates a back-feed risk, we can assess the setup and bring it up to a safe standard. This is work worth addressing before the next power outage, not after. Call us at (515) 395-4989 and we will go over what is involved.
It genuinely does. Noting the time of day, which appliances were running, whether the weather was a factor, and how often the problem occurs gives us a much clearer starting point than a general description. Patterns that seem unrelated to you can point directly to a specific circuit or connection issue for an electrician.
Running power to a shed involves a circuit from the main panel, a trench for the underground cable run, and a subpanel or outlet configuration inside the structure depending on what the space needs. The panel capacity, the distance from the house, and the intended use of the shed all factor into how the circuit is sized and run. We scope the full job on the call so you know what it involves before we schedule anything.
We confirm the scope of any shutdown before work starts so you can save your work, shut down equipment properly, and plan around the interruption. For jobs that require extended shutdowns, we talk through the timing on the call so you are not caught off guard. The goal is to minimize disruption to the parts of the home that are still in use.
Intermittent faults are common, and an electrician not being able to trigger one on the spot does not mean nothing is wrong. We check the panel, the relevant circuits, and the connections at the device or fixture involved, and we look for the conditions that are most likely to cause the symptom you described. If we find a likely cause, we address it. If the fault is genuinely elusive, we explain what to watch for and how to reach us when it happens again.
Older properties in Des Moines frequently show up with undersized panels, missing grounding, knob-and-tube sections in walls or attics, and outlets that have never been updated to GFCI protection where code now requires it. Aluminum branch wiring is also present in some homes built in the 1960s and 1970s. A licensed electrician can assess what is there and explain what, if anything, needs attention.
Yes. Moving an appliance to a different wall usually means adding an outlet in the new location and either capping the old one or removing it cleanly. If the appliance is 240-volt, such as a range or dryer, the new circuit needs to be run from the panel to the new location. We handle both standard and 240-volt relocations.
Discoloration or warmth at a faceplate is a sign that heat is building up behind it, which can come from a loose connection, an overloaded circuit, or wiring that has deteriorated over time. It is not something to leave and watch. Call us at (515) 395-4989 and we will get someone out to open it up and find the source before it becomes a more serious problem.
Call in the morning. Powered by afternoon. Follow-up when you need it.
Summit Electric handles electrical work across Des Moines and Polk County, from a single outlet repair to a full panel replacement. Experienced electricians who respect your home show up ready to work, the price is confirmed before anything starts, and the job is explained at every step. Call (515) 395-4989 between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM, any day of the week. We keep your home powered and safe.
Check our list of local areas. We also work in: Pleasant Hill, Saylorville, Norwalk.
Below is a quick look at the electrical services we handle for homes, rentals, and businesses in Des Moines and across Polk County. Each row covers what the service includes, who it fits best, and a practical note to help you think through the job before you call. If a service is not listed or your situation does not fit neatly into one category, call us and we will walk you through it.
| Service Type | What's Included | When You Need It | Things to Know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlet & Switch Installation |
| Homeowners upgrading older outlets or adding new ones in kitchens, baths, garages, or outdoors | Current code requires GFCI protection in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and outdoor locations. Many older Des Moines homes are missing these entirely. |
| Basement & Sump-Pump Circuits |
| Homeowners finishing a basement or adding sump protection in an Iowa home | A sump pump on a shared circuit can lose power at the worst moment. A dedicated circuit with proper GFCI protection is the right setup for any basement in a region with spring thaw and heavy rain. |
| Wiring & Circuit Installation |
| Older homes with outdated wiring or any property adding circuits for new loads | Des Moines has a mix of housing ages. Knob-and-tube and aluminum wiring are both present in older neighborhoods and both present real concerns worth addressing. |
| EV Charger Installation |
| Homeowners adding a Level 2 charger in a garage or driveway | Older panels sometimes need an upgrade before a Level 2 charger circuit can be added. We check panel capacity first so any needed upgrade is identified and scheduled before installation day. |
| Electrical Panel UpgradesMost Popular |
| Homeowners with older panels, repeated tripping, or new loads like EV chargers that exceed current capacity | A 100-amp panel that was adequate in 1975 is often not adequate for a home that now has a home office, an EV charger, and a modern kitchen. We size the new service for what the home actually needs. |
| Electrical Safety Inspections |
| Home buyers, sellers, landlords, and owners of older homes with wiring that has not been reviewed in years | If the inspection turns up items that need attention, we explain what they are and what fixing them involves. You get the information before deciding on anything. |
| Dedicated Appliance Circuits |
| Anyone adding a high-draw appliance that needs its own breaker | High-draw appliances on shared circuits cause repeated tripping and can damage the appliance over time. A dedicated circuit is the correct fix. |
| Electrical Repairs & Troubleshooting |
| Any homeowner or renter with an unexplained electrical problem | We trace the problem to its source before recommending any work, so you know exactly what is wrong and what fixing it involves. |
| Lighting Installation |
| Homeowners, landlords, and commercial property managers updating or adding lighting | Exterior lighting for rental properties and commercial buildings often requires a new circuit rather than tapping an existing one. We confirm capacity before running wire. |
| Breaker & Fuse Repair |
| Homes with breakers that trip repeatedly or fuse boxes that need attention | A breaker that trips under normal load often points to an overloaded circuit or a failing breaker, not just a nuisance. We find out which before touching anything. |
| Whole-Home Surge Protection |
| Any Des Moines homeowner concerned about lightning strikes or utility voltage fluctuations | Central Iowa sees significant lightning activity in storm season. A panel-mounted surge protector covers every circuit in the house, not just what is plugged into a power strip. |
| Wiring for Additions & Remodels |
| Homeowners finishing a basement, adding a room, or remodeling a kitchen or bathroom | Electrical rough-in is one of the first trades on-site in a remodel and one of the last to finish. We coordinate around the project schedule so the work does not hold up other trades. |
| Ceiling Fan Installation |
| Homeowners replacing a fixture or adding a fan where no wiring currently exists | If there is no existing wiring, we install a proper brace box rated for the fan weight so the ceiling support is correct from the start. |
| Backup Generator Installation |
| Homeowners in Des Moines who want power protection during Iowa ice storms and severe weather | A properly wired transfer switch isolates the generator from the utility line, which protects both your equipment and line workers restoring power in the area. |
| Older-Home Rewiring |
| Owners of pre-1970s homes in Des Moines with wiring that has never been updated | Rewiring an older home is a significant project, but it is often the only way to make the electrical system safe and capable of carrying modern loads. We scope the work carefully before any walls are opened. |
Call (515) 395-4989 and we will walk you through what the job involves, what it costs, and when we can get someone out.
(515) 395-4989