Where Knowledge Rules

Home & Garden:

Home Repair

Get a Widget for this title

When to call an electrician and when to do electrical repairs yourself

Do It Yourself, or Hire an Electrician?

This is pretty straightforward: if you don't know the basics of electricity and electrical safety, then do the work necessary to learn them or hire someone. So, how do you determine if you really know enough to do the job yourself?

If you can't explain the basics of electrical safety to someone else, then you don't understand it well enough to keep yourself safe when working around electrical power. Remember, electricity has the potential to kill - even the power from a 12 volt car battery (under the right conditions). If you don't understand why this is so, you don't know enough to safely work around live circuits. Period.

Doing routine electrical work around the house - changing a switch or outlet, hanging a ceiling fan, etc. - is within the capability of most people, if:
1. They have complete, detailed instructions; and,
2. The circuit is de-energized.
Detailed instructions for these types of jobs are available for free at most large building supply stores.

If you choose to do it yourself you should consider the risks involved.
1. Working on any circuit that you have not absolutely verified to be 'dead' (de-energized) has the potential to make *you* dead.
2. If you mis-wire something, or are careless about exposed wires and connections, you may start a fire in your house when you re-energize the circuit. Depending on your states' laws, your homeowner's insurance may or may not cover this. Only you can determine your risk, and whether you are willing to accept it.

Should you choose to hire an electrician, ensure that he is licensed. A handyman who doesn't really know what he is doing can expose you to the same risks as if you had done the work improperly yourself.

Basic electrical work and electrical safety are not hard to learn. Good books are readily available at used bookstores and the library, and there is a wealth of information online. And hanging a ceiling fan or changing a fixture can be rewarding DIY experiences. Just remember to give electricity the same level of respect that you would to anything else that is potentially deadly.

Learn more about this author, Polymath.
Contact this writer Click here to send this author comments or questions.


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

When to call an electrician and when to do electrical repairs yourself

  • 1 of 13

    by Ian Loft

    Taking on electrical repairs yourself is an issue you should think about carefully in terms of safety and cost. In some

    read more

  • 2 of 13

    by Timothy Frazier

    Procurement of a massive piece of industrial machinery cheers me up.

    Putting machines in my two car garage that were designed

    read more

  • 3 of 13

    by Matthew Mcneely

    While the author writes well his assumptions are wrong. First any voltage can kill you if you have 10 milliamps of current

    read more

  • 4 of 13

    by Molly Carter

    Here is a beginner's guide to rewiring an electrical cord for the "not so handy." Get your wire strippers and electrical

    read more

  • 5 of 13

    by Mia K. Rose

    When deciding whether to do electrical repairs yourself or if you should hire an electrician the first place to start is

    read more

View All Articles on:
When to call an electrician and when to do electrical repairs yourself

Add your voice

Know something about When to call an electrician and when to do electrical repairs yourself?
We want to hear your view. Write_penWrite now!

Helium Debate

Cast your vote!

Should your tax return be spent on home repair?

Click for your side.

148828

Featured Partner

ResearchSEA - Asia Research News

ResearchSEA - Asia Research News is Asia's first research news portal. It is a one-stop center where journalists a...more

What is Helium? | Buy Web Content | Contact Us | Privacy | User agreement | DMCA | User Tools | Help | Community | Helium’s Official Blog | Link to Helium

Helium, Inc.
200 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 USA