As with many things, when we want to save money we decide the best way to do that is to trade our time and do the job on our own instead of paying someone else to do the work.  In many cases, this is very much worth the savings.  Unfortunately it’s rarely the case when it comes to home electrical work.  Some friends may regard home electrical repair as simple and easy.  Some small repairs, such as replacing an outlet or a light socket, can be simple but most of the time you’ll find that repairs to your home’s electrical system are time-consuming, dangerous, and difficult.  So why should you hire a professional?

1. Electricity is Dangerous

This seems like an easy answer.  But in many ways, it’s the reason for the rest of the answers you’ll find below.  Electricity is dangerous if you don’t understand how it works.  But it goes beyond simply remembering to turn off the circuit breaker before working.  You can follow every safety precaution, finish your work, and power things back up without any issues only to find yourself with an unexpected electrical fire a few weeks later.

ESFi states that home electrical fires are responsible for an estimated 51,000 fires each year.  Many of these fires end with homeowner deaths due to a lack of fire safety devices and procedures.  So yes, you can shock or electrocute yourself while working on your homes electronics, but there’s a greater risk of accidentally causing a house fire later on if you don’t follow regulations.

2. Professional Quality

When you hire a professional, you aren’t just paying someone to do the work for you.  A professional will always do a higher quality job because their livelihood depends on it.  Professional electricians pride themselves on their training and expertise which allows them to make quick judgements and quality repairs.  A professional repair or installation means:

Technicians take pride in their work, but they also want you to feel safe while they’re working.  Any fears you may have about people in your home are unfounded with a professional team.  Electricians like those employed at Custom Electrical are bonded and insured to protect your home.

3. Licensed Work

Homes and buildings must follow a very specific set of rules and regulations for proper electrical wiring.  Professional electricians are required to pass certification exams to prove that they’re familiar with NEC rules and regulations.  These regulations are in effect because they promote efficiency and safety for building occupants.  From simple requirements such as mandating number of outlets within a room to safety concerns regarding placement of ground-fault circuit interrupters in garages, bathrooms, and kitchens.  While you may be well aware of how electricity works, you likely aren’t familiar with the requirements of your state for how a building is required to be wired.  This may not seem important now, but if you ever attempt to sell your home, a licensed inspector will notice the shortcuts and the relative value of your home will be less since it needs to be brought back up to code.

For the best in quality electrical repair work and installations, contact the professionals at Custom Electric!  Be sure to check back here each week for helpful advice, news, and guides or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Categories: 24 Hour Electrician, Local Electrician, Professional Electrician, Residential« Holiday Lighting Safety Tips!  |  Why You Should Use a Surge Protector »

In general, you don’t want anything in your home’s electrical system to create sparks. It’s usually a major warning sign that the system requires repairs. You should immediately stop using the sparking appliance and call for professional electricians.

However, sparks from outlets are something that homeowners often ignore. Its commonplace for a slight blue spark to appear when you plug an electrical appliance, like a vacuum cleaner or a toaster into a wall outlet: this is a visible effect from the start of the flow of electrons. However, larger sparks might begin to occur. When this happens, you need to call for professional electrical repairs as soon as possible. Under no circumstances should you attempt to open up the outlet cover and investigate the sparking on your own—this is potentially very hazardous.

There are a number of possible causes for an outlet to develop the dangerous sparking that might lead to electrical fires. One of the common reasons is that the outlet has overheated and melted the insulation around the wires. (This is why you should never use an octopus plug to connect too many appliances into a single outlet at the same time; it’s easy for the outlet to overheat.) When the wires are exposed because of melted insulation, it can cause electrons to leap from the wire to the metal case or even the opposite wire. This is known as a short circuit. Short circuits are potentially very dangerous as sources of electrical fires. Most of the time, a short will cause the circuit breaker panel to trip and cut off the circuit to prevent further damage. Frequently tripped breakers are a major warning sign that your have trouble with an outlet.

However, if there are other problems with the wiring your home, a short circuit in an outlet could start a fire behind the walls. If you ignore major sparking from an outlet, this is one of the risks that you’ll take.

Fortunately, professional electricians are experienced with fixing and replacing faulty outlets to prevent the dangers of short circuits. You should watch out not only for sparking from outlets, but also outlets that feel hot to the touch or show signs of discoloration and charring on their surface. An outlet that continually trips circuit breakers also needs an electrician to investigate it.