In the United States, around 64% of families own their own home.
If you own a home, doing repairs and remodels can become a DIY project. If that project involves electrical work, however, you might want to reconsider. For many electrical projects, a professional electrician is the best solution.
Unlike building or repairing a wall or window, electrical work requires more extensive knowledge. The reason for this is that electricity can be dangerous. For those who don’t have training in the electrical field, injury and fire hazards are real probabilities.
Electrical Work
Anytime you move, replace, or change the wiring of a house, you are doing electrical work. Even when remodeling, you will often encounter times when wiring needs to be run or an electrical socket needs placed. For those types of jobs, it is always best to hire an electrician, and here is why.
- Fire Hazard to Your Home
Every year, over 50,000 fires and 500 deaths are caused by electrical faults. If you don’t have the knowledge and training to deal with the electrical grid of your home, it is best left to the professionals. A fire can damage a home beyond repair, cause loss of life and possessions.
You don’t want to mess with something that could endanger your family. The low cost of home electrical work is often alluring but resist the temptation. Your home could be at stake if you don’t. Electrical fires can be extremely dangerous because they can even start inside the walls.
- Personal Injury
Electrical services are often handled by well-trained individuals for an important reason. Electricity is inherently dangerous and often does things that most people wouldn’t expect. Even professional electricians can be hurt, or killed, by electrical mishaps.
Even worse, when you do it yourself, you might not be the one who gets hurt. Shorts, faults, and other problems can even put the health and safety of your family and friends at risk. This means taking on a DIY electrical project could create a ticking time bomb in your house even if you aren’t harmed.
Electrical shock is also extremely painful. Even a non-injury shock can cause problems that you might not expect. Our nervous system, brain, and heart all operate with electrical impulses. Not only does this make getting shocked painful, but health problems could manifest that were not there before.
- Home Insurance Issues
As with all skilled trades, electrical work is governed by building codes. These codes are important because they set safe parameters. When you do the work yourself, unless you are a licensed electrician, you probably won’t know those codes.
If an issue does occur, the insurance company might not pay for it, just because you did the work yourself. For many people, their homes are where most of their net worth is. You don’t want to risk financial ruin and even homelessness because you thought you could replace a power socket.
The best way to protect your investment and health is to never do electrical work on your own. There is a reason why the rules exist. Often that reason is that someone who tried to do it themselves was injured, killed, or lost their home as a result of their efforts.
- Selling Your Home
Selling your home can be a tremendous headache. There are a lot of steps you have to go through. In addition to the obvious mountains of paperwork, you will almost always have to have an inspection done. The home inspector will be looking for things like shoddy electrical work that could pose a danger.
When they find problems, they report them to the buyer. At this point, most buyers will not be interested in dealing with the problem. That means either you have to pay to have it fixed properly or forego selling your home. It is far better to have it done right the first time, instead of putting it off.
For many people, not selling your home when you want to can be a disaster. It doesn’t feel good to be the cause of a disaster that could set your family back financially. Don’t put yourself in that kind of position.
- Expensive and Complicated
Electrician services can often seem simple. This is an illusion and making a mistake can become very costly. Not only do you risk damage to your property or serious injury, but you may also find yourself with a large bill for tools and supplies.
Electricians come with what they need to get the job done because they are experienced at working on electrical systems. Doing proper electrical work takes years of experience and training, as well as having the right tools for the job.
Depending on the size of the job, you could also have to get a permit. There is a lot that goes into following the proper codes and being certified. Let the professionals take care of the electrical work, they know what is required where you live.
Find the Right Electrician for Your Project
When you are planning a remodel or want electrical work done, go to experienced and licensed electricians like Rockwall Electric. If you aren’t near the Rowlett, TX area, then you should search for “electricians near me”.
Read the reviews of the various electrical companies around your location. You want a highly rated, competent electrician working on your project. This is the best way to ensure that the work gets done right and won’t pose a threat to your family or your home when it is finished.
DIY Projects and Electrical Work
DIY projects can be a ton of fun, and they can add value to your home. For most things, you should explore the options for doing it yourself. In certain situations, you can save a lot of money when you do. The key to remember is that electrical work is not one of those situations.
Stay safe, no matter what kind of project you take on. Let a Qualified Electrical Contractor take care of their end, so you can get back to doing the rest of the project.
If you found this article helpful, please take a moment to browse our site for other great reads!
Related Posts
