Many homeowners these days like to think of themselves as “Do it Yourselfers,” taking on various projects and repairs around the home. Large big box hardware stores promote this idea by offering the homeowners access to supplies and tools that used to be the exclusive territory of builders and contractors.
This has led to many self-tiled bathrooms, hand-painted patio furniture, and self-made decks.
Unfortunately, these big box stores also have large electrical departments, even though self-done electrical work can be very dicey. While doing a bad job on the kitchen cabinets can lead to wasted money and doing the cabinets again, a bad job on electrical work can lead to serious health and safety risks and severe damage to your home.
Working with electricity is dangerous, and just talking to a hardware salesperson of googling a “how to” can be very risky.
Here are the dangers that doing your own electrical work can lead to:
Electrical Shock
Electrical shocks remain one of the leading causes of on-the-job death among construction workers, and they have the proper training and equipment. When amateur homeowners attempt to do hazardous electrical work, the risk goes up sharply.
Property Damage
The chances of damaging your home go up when you attempt to fix something you are not really trained to repair. When you work with electrical wiring, you risk frying certain appliances or even melting the wires behind the walls. This can be especially true if you choose the wrong size wiring and circuits for your electrical system. That can lead to expensive appliance replacements and then a major electrical job of rewiring a section of your home.
Fire
This is the most serious consequence of improperly done electrical work. Melting wires or wires that are not connected properly can cause a spark that will set off a devastating fire. The majority of home fires are caused by faulty electronics, so it’s not really worth the risk to leave electrical work to untrained and inexperienced repairers. Calling our licensed and trained professionals ensure a safely, and correctly done job.
Nullifying Home Owner’s Insurance Policy
If tragedy does strike, many homeowner’s policies will be nullified if the cause of a fire or damage was repairs done by an unlicensed amateur, rather than a certified professional.
Major work by uncertified workers—even when done properly—can also create problems when selling your home. Major electrical work on your home often is legally required to be inspected and certified as well as being up to building codes. Hiring licensed professionals is the best—and maybe only—way to ensure that you meet all legal codes and won’t be held responsible for accidents.
Do you live in Gloucester County and need help with an electrical project? Give us a call as 856.769.3932.