Generator & electrical questions from Mansfield-area homes.

A standby generator is permanently installed outside the house, runs on natural gas or propane, and starts by itself within seconds of an outage. A portable generator has to be rolled out, fueled, started and plugged in by hand.

A standby unit connects through an automatic transfer switch, so it powers the circuits you choose without cords and transfers back when the utility returns. It’s the hands-off option for homes with sump pumps, well pumps, medical equipment or people who work from home.

It depends on what you want running during an outage and how much those loads draw, especially motors like well pumps, sump pumps and air conditioners that surge when they start.

We size every unit to a load assessment of your house or building, then recommend either a unit that covers essential circuits or one large enough for the whole home. Guessing too small means the generator trips; guessing too big wastes money.

We sell, install and service Generac, Kohler and Cummins standby generators.

Each brand has its own range of sizes and controls. We’ll walk you through the options that fit your load, fuel and budget during the estimate.

If your property already has natural gas service, it’s usually the simplest fuel because there’s no tank to refill. Out in the country without gas service, propane is the common choice.

Either way, the gas supply must be sized for the generator. We coordinate the gas line as part of the installation.

A complete installation covers the site assessment and load sizing, the pad, gas line coordination, the automatic transfer switch and wiring, permits and inspection, and a final transfer test.

We don’t just drop off a unit. The job isn’t done until we’ve watched the system take the load and hand it back.

Follow the manufacturer’s schedule, which typically calls for routine service at least once a year and more often with heavy use.

Our maintenance covers oil and filters, battery health, the cooling system, voltage output and the transfer switch. Most generator failures during storms trace back to a weak battery or skipped service.

Yes. We diagnose and repair all major brands, whether or not we installed them.

Call (419) 528-5140 with the brand, the model if you have it, and what the unit is doing, such as not starting, not transferring or showing a fault.

No. Back-feeding a house through an outlet with a double-ended cord is dangerous and illegal. It can electrocute utility line workers and neighbors, damage the generator and start a fire.

The safe way to connect a portable generator to house circuits is a properly installed transfer switch or a listed interlock kit at your panel, installed by an electrician.

Outside only, well away from the house, with the exhaust pointed away from doors, windows and vents. Never run one in a garage, basement or on a porch, even with the door open.

Generator exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which you can’t see or smell. Keep working CO alarms in the house, and if one sounds, get everyone outside and call 911.

First check whether it’s just your house. If the neighbors are out too, report it to your electric utility using the number or website on your bill.

If only part of your house is out, or lights are flickering or dimming, it may be a problem inside your system. Turn off the affected breaker or the main if it’s safe, and call us.

Stay far away, assume it’s live, and call your electric utility or 911. Keep kids and pets away and don’t drive over it.

Never touch anything in contact with a downed line, including a fence, a vehicle or a tree limb.

Yes, if the sump pump is included in the generator’s circuits and the unit is sized for its starting load.

For basements that rely on a sump, we also recommend a sump pump alarm so you know right away if the pump fails or loses power.

For most homes, yes. A whole-house surge protector installed at the main panel helps protect the furnace, appliances and electronics from spikes caused by lightning and utility switching.

It works alongside, not instead of, point-of-use surge strips for sensitive electronics. Installation at the panel is a job for an electrician.

Summer thunderstorms, wind and winter ice storms all bring lightning, falling limbs and utility switching, and each can send a spike through the lines.

Many surges are small and repeated, quietly wearing out electronics over time. That’s why surge protection at the panel is a common add-on when we install a generator or upgrade a panel.

It’s an inexpensive alarm that sounds when water in the sump pit rises too high, usually because the pump has failed, jammed or lost power.

We install them as part of our whole-house asset protection, often alongside surge protection.

Brief flickers when the utility is switching lines in a storm are common. Flickering in clear weather, or in just one part of the house, is not normal and should be checked.

Loose connections in the panel, meter base or service drop can cause flickering and can overheat. If you smell burning or see sparks, turn off the main if it’s safe and call.

Common signs are a fuse box, a 60- or 100-amp service in a house with central air or electric appliances, a panel with no open spaces, breakers that trip often, or plans to add a generator, EV charger, heat pump or addition.

We do a load review and look at the panel, meter base and service entrance before recommending an upgrade, so you only pay for what the house actually needs.

Not automatically, but fuse boxes are usually decades old and small for modern use, and they’re easy to misuse by installing a larger fuse than the wire can handle.

If you have a fuse box, it’s worth having it inspected. Replacing it with a modern breaker panel is one of the most common upgrades in older Mansfield-area homes.

Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels have long-standing reliability concerns, and many electricians and home inspectors recommend replacing them.

If your panel carries one of those names, have it evaluated by a licensed electrician. Don’t open the panel cover yourself.

We do. A service upgrade or meter base replacement means coordinating the meter disconnect and reconnect with your electric utility, and we arrange that directly.

We also handle the permit and inspection, and leave the new panel neatly organized and clearly labeled.

Two-prong outlets usually mean the circuit has no ground wire, which is common in houses built before the 1960s.

They work, but they give less protection, and swapping in a three-prong outlet without a ground is unsafe. Options include running new grounded circuits or adding GFCI protection where code allows. We’ll test the circuits and recommend the right fix.

Knob-and-tube is early electrical wiring, found in some homes built before about the 1940s, with single wires run on ceramic knobs and through ceramic tubes.

It has no ground and wasn’t designed for modern loads or for being buried in insulation. Many insurers ask about it. If you find it, have it evaluated; in most cases replacing it is the long-term answer.

A breaker trips to protect the wire, usually because the circuit is overloaded, there’s a short or ground fault, or the breaker itself is failing.

If resetting it once doesn’t hold, don’t keep resetting it. Unplug what’s on the circuit and call. A breaker that won’t stay on is telling you something.

Turn off the breaker for that circuit, or the main if you can’t tell which, if you can do it safely. Then call an electrician.

If there’s smoke or fire, get everyone out and call 911. Don’t use the outlet or switch again until it’s been checked.

Yes. We install dedicated circuits for home EV chargers, usually a 240-volt circuit sized for the charger you choose.

Before we add one, we check your panel and service capacity, because a charger is one of the biggest continuous loads in a house.

Usually, especially for parking lots, shops and spaces where lights run long hours. LEDs use less energy, last much longer and cut the cost of replacing hard-to-reach bulbs.

We retrofit old HID and halogen parking lot lights to LED using our own bucket truck.

Yes. We own and operate a commercial bucket truck, so we can safely service parking lot poles, barn fixtures and other high-mount lights.

That includes replacing bulbs and ballasts, retrofitting to LED and installing new lighting rated for dusty or damp agricultural spaces.

Yes. Mini-splits and high-efficiency HVAC equipment need a dedicated, correctly sized circuit and an outdoor disconnect.

We install both to the manufacturer’s amperage specifications and work with your HVAC installer so the system and its warranty are protected.

We handle the electrical side of solar: the wiring, inverter connections and grid-tie integration that tie an array into your service.

If you’re planning solar, talk to us early. The panel and service may need attention before the array goes in.

Yes. We install ceiling fans, recessed lighting, chandeliers and other fixtures, securely mounted, centered and wired to code.

Ceiling fans must hang from a box rated for fan support. Replacing a light with a fan often means changing the box, which is part of doing it right.

In Ohio, electrical contractors are licensed by the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), part of the Ohio Department of Commerce. You can look up a license on the state’s eLicense Ohio website.

Ask for the license number and proof of insurance before work starts. Pro One’s license number, #37142, is listed on our website and here.

Most work beyond simple like-for-like replacements, such as service upgrades, new circuits, generators and additions, needs a permit and inspection from the building department that covers your address.

Rules vary by city, village and county. We pull the permits our jobs require and schedule the inspections.

Yes. We offer complimentary estimates, with clear, upfront pricing and no hidden fees, before any work begins.

Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We’re closed Saturday and Sunday.

You can call or text (419) 528-5140, email pro1electricandgenerator@gmail.com, or send a request through this site at any time.

We’re based in Ontario, Ohio, next to Mansfield, and serve Mansfield, Ontario, Bellville, Butler, Ashland, Perrysville, Loudonville, Lexington, Wooster, Medina, Shreve, Mount Gilead, Mount Vernon and Delaware.

If you’re nearby but not on the list, call and ask.

Both. We do residential and commercial electrical work, commercial standby generators, and parking lot and agricultural lighting with our own bucket truck.

Look for a verifiable license, insurance, a clear written estimate, a willingness to pull permits, and someone who explains the work in plain words.

Be cautious of anyone who wants to skip the permit, can’t give a license number, or quotes a big job without looking at your panel.