Even if you’re a handy DIY-er, some electrical repairs should be left off your list. Let’s go over the dangerous repairs that you should avoid unless you’re a trained professional.
Why Should You Avoid These Repairs?
Some DIY projects are okay to complete on your own. But the electrical repairs listed below shouldn’t be messed with unless you’re a professional. Why? Because professionals have been trained and tested to ensure that they can handle complex electrical repairs. They also know the risks of shortcuts and poor workmanship, which can lead to electrical shocks, burns, injuries, and even fires.
If you perform these dangerous electrical repairs yourself, you could seriously injure yourself. You could also damage something more expensive or your home’s structure, both a lot costlier than just hiring an electrician in the first place. If you need to rewire your home or repair your electrical panel, it’s best to call in a trained electrician to handle the work instead.
Electrical Repairs You Should Avoid
Wiring Upgrades
Upgrading or changing the wiring in your home, regardless of age, is risky business. There’s a lot of room for error when rewiring your home yourself, especially if you’re not trained as an electrician. If you decide to do it anyways and do it incorrectly, the best-case scenario is you fail a home inspection when trying to sell your home in the future. The worst case scenario is you leave wires exposed, which creates the perfect recipe for a fire.
At the end of the day, taking on this project yourself isn’t worth the gamble and could cost you a lot of money to fix. The best option is to call in a licensed electrician to upgrade or replace your home’s wiring.
Circuit Installation and Upgrades
If you’re fighting your family members for an open plug in a room, you likely need your circuits to be upgraded. However, installing a new circuit yourself without understanding how much of a load it can draw or how to safely connect it to your existing wiring can make a fire or electrocution hazard. Only a qualified electrician can safely map out the connections between your main power source and new outlets.
Electrical Panel Work
Are your circuit breakers tripping almost every day? Do you have an electrical panel that’s old and can’t keep up with new technology? You’ll likely need to service your electrical panel or replace it altogether. The electrical panel is the single most important piece of electrical equipment in your home. So work on it needs to be done correctly as you don’t want to go without it.
Servicing or replacing an electrical panel isn’t something most average homeowners should attempt, though. Not only is it difficult for DIY-ers to distinguish between the need for a simple repair and a replacement, but it can be extremely dangerous. Rather than attempting to fix your electrical panel yourself, get in touch with an electrician who can do it safely for you. Having a professional handle it will keep you and your home safe for years to come.
Fan Installation
It may seem simple to install a ceiling or exhaust fan, but fan installation is a meticulous and risky process. Electrical wiring is always difficult to work with, and the slightest error can lead to trouble down the road. But installation for these can be especially tricky. If there is even a small gap between the ceiling and the center of your fan, it can result in a loud shaking noise. If your ceiling isn’t structurally capable of supporting your fan, you could end up having part of your ceiling collapse on you. And if your exhaust vents aren’t correctly sealed, toxic fumes could leak back into your home and cause mold to form. An experienced electrician can easily mitigate these problems and prevent any other issues from arising when installing a fan for you.
Repairing Appliances
You might be tempted to poke around inside of a broken large appliance to see if you can repair it. But you should steer clear of attempting any repair of large appliances as they can store electricity. This helps them to start up easier when you turn them on. So even with the power off, you can be met with a shocking experience. Never attempt to fix a major appliance on your own unless you’re 100% sure of what you’re doing.
Let Speck Family Electric Handle Your Electrical Repairs
If you’re thinking about handling these electrical repairs yourself – think again. Don’t risk your or your home’s safety. Instead, call Speck Family Electric to help you out! Our experienced team takes pride in performing reliable services and getting each job done safely and efficiently. We service those in Sparta, Spencer, Smithville, Pikeville, McMinnville, Lebanon, Crossville, Cookeville, and Baxter.
