Why DIY Isn’t Always The Best Approach For Electrical Projects

Sure, it’s a good idea to try to tackle some home improvement projects around the house in order to save a few bucks. We agree that not every job requires the skill and expertise of a trained professional and that sometimes it can be more expensive for an expert to diagnose and solve a problem than it would be for homeowners to do it themselves. However, when it comes to electrical projects, the danger risks are extremely high. See below to find out why we suggest leaving electrical work to skilled electricians:

1 – Cutting Wires

The actual process of cutting a wire isn’t the problem here, although we always advocate using extreme caution when dealing with wires. If you have a basic wire cutter you can likely get the job done yourself, but you run the risk of major problems if you cut wires too short.

For example, wires that are cut too short will likely result in poor connections from electrical circuits which could lead to shocks, overheating and even fires.

2 – Circuit Testers

This is a tool used by just about every electrician on the planet and for good reason. It can quickly tell which wire is hot, whether or not the outlet is wired correctly and if there’s a reliable ground. We don’t recommend attempting any electrical project without having one of these tools on hand.

3 – Circuit Breakers

Did you know there are three main types of circuit breakers? If not, that’s a problem in itself when it comes to electrical projects. There are standard circuit breakers, ground fault circuit interrupters and arc fault circuit interrupters and if you don’t know what each one does, you could run into a number of problems.

4 – Wire Gauges

Put simply, if you use the wrong wire gauge in any given scenario, you run the risk of overloading the circuit. It’s vital to evaluate the size of the wiring and then make sure the right gauge is applied to the breaker.

5 – Receptacle Covers

When it comes to dealing with outdoor receptacles, there are certain covers designed for this application. Using the wrong cover could allow the elements to intervene with the outlet which could cause a major disaster.

As you can see with each of the instances above, there are a plethora of issues that can arise if you’re not extremely familiar with electrical products, procedures and the like. For these, and a number of other reasons, it’s best to leave electrical projects to trained professionals.

Electrical Services in Virginia Beach

Whether you need commercial or residential electrical services, our electricians are ready to help. From simple electrical repairs to large commercial rebuilds, our goal is to exceed your expectations on every job we perform. Call on the experts at American Mechanical today: (757) 703-1529 .