Home > Home & Garden > Home Repair > Electrical Repairs
Created on: May 18, 2007 Last Updated: May 20, 2007
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.
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
by Ian Loft
Taking on electrical repairs yourself is an issue you should think about carefully in terms of safety and cost. In some
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
by Mia Hill
When trying to decide if you should do your electrical repairs yourself or if you should hire an electrician, the first
Procurement of a massive piece of industrial machinery cheers me up.
Putting machines in my two car garage that were designed
An Electrician hired! OR SO I THOUGHT!
We all know of the "many" scams out there in the world and we're told, time and time
View All Articles on: When to call an electrician and when to do electrical repairs yourself
Featured Partner
We provide personalized and effective practice opportunities to help learners of all ages and skill levels build a strong vocabulary. We envision a day when all students will have the vocabulary they need for complex thought and conf...more