Electricians are the ones who keep the lights on. In fact, they’re the ones who keep everything on. Our whole world runs on electrical services and when something breaks it is the noble electrician who arrives to fix it.
Some interesting facts about electricians: they take as much time training as doctors! It takes several years of professional experience and extensive training to become an electrician. Both doctors and electricians diagnose complex problems and could cause damage if they don’t understand what they are doing. Electricians can’t be color blind. An error in differentiating between different colored wires could be fatal for an electrician. Electricians need to master a wide range of skills, including many safety procedures to perform many different functions safely.
Whether electricians work for clients who find them through an electrician referral, or are hired on to contract electrician jobs, electricians are the ones who maintain the complex electrical grid that supports our everyday lives and helps us achieve our dreams. If the lights go off, if the music stops, if the power dies — you need help electricians can provide using their skills and experience.
When is the right time to call an electrician? How do you find the right electrician for you? And how can you tell whether or not an electrician is really skilled and experienced enough to solve your problems?
Problems with electricity mean your office or household comes to a standstill. To save on electrician money, you may seek the services of an unlicensed electrician or do the electrical repair yourself to get a sense of accomplishment from a successful repair. Unfortunately, electrical repairs DO NOT count as one of the easy and safe home DIY repairs as electricity is dangerous as it can cause injury or damage to your property. Reliable data shows that about 1000 deaths in a year are electricity-related. Electric problems should ONLY be taken care of by a licensed or professional electrician who can guarantee the task. Electrical worker job descriptions range from the simplest to the most complex electrical tasks.
Examples of Electrical Projects and Situations That Require an Electrician
• Light fixture replacement and repair: a DIY or poor fixture replacement can result in a damaged or non-functioning fixture. The wiring may cause shorts or electrical fires.
• Ceiling Fan Repair and Installation: Many unlicensed homeowners try to install fans on their own. It is dangerous and against the law.
• Electrical outlet replacement or installation: at best, an outlet wired correctly is safe, and at worst, one wired poorly won’t work: it can damage your appliances or cause a fire.
• A burning smell whose source you cannot pinpoint: it could be an electrical fire or wires burning in the wall. Switch off the power source, next call the fire department to confirm or rule out a fire, and finally call a licensed electrician.
• Electric shocks every time you plug things in the power outlets: broken cords, unstable electrical current, or damaged circuits in the appliances could be the cause. Only a professional can identify the problem.
• Buzzing sound in the walls: this could be from loose terminal screws or a wiring issue. Do not tear the walls down to solve the problem.
• Loose wires around the house: wrong wiring handling could result in fatal incidences.
For a guaranteed job verify your electrician’s credentials, electrician education level, and area of specialization to select a professional that best suits your needs, have contact with emergency electricians in case of an electrical emergency, check the electrical technician hourly rate charges beforehand (most jobs are completed within a day), and obtain references to confirm the quality of services offered by an electrician.
Electrical fires cause about $1.5 billion in property damage every year. A lot of these fires could have been deterred if the electric problems
had been addressed early on.
There are four main reasons for a house fire:
* 63% are caused by faulty lighting equipment and wiring of electrical distribution;
* 20% are created by light bulbs, light fixtures, and lamps;
* 11% are caused by plugs and electrical cords; and
* 6% are due to power transformers and supplies
If you have ever been interested in the different types of electrician jobs, you can check with the local community college about courses that are offered in the electrician field of study.
Upon enrolling in these classes, you will also find a list of electrician related jobs that are currently available. Once a person completes the electrician field of study, they learn all about the electrician terms of trade. Any time a life is lost untimely, it is disastrous. An electrician aspires to learn all about electric problems in order to prevent the untimely loss of more lives.
Did you know that the annual cost of property damage due to electrical fires is roughly $1.5 billion a year? While the specific causes of these electrical fires vary from situation-to-situation, many of them could be prevented. Even more important is that lives could be saved.
How Electrical Fires Are Caused
From 2007-to-2011, there were four primary causes reported for residential fires:
- Wiring for electrical distribution or lighting equipment: 63%
- Lamps, various light fixtures, and light bulbs: 20%
- Electrical cords and plugs: 11%
- Transformers and power supplies: 6%
These causes alone point to reasons to use a professional electrician.
When to Call a Professional Electrician
If you even suspect there may be issues with your electrical wiring, cords, plugs light fixtures or appliances, then this is when to call a professional electrician–even if you’re not sure if you have faulty wiring. In order to protect yourself and your family, be sure to hire a residential electric contractor rather than attempting to do it yourself.
The Electrical Safety Foundation International has made an important recommendation: if your house is more than 40 years old, you should request an electrical inspection. During this inspection, a qualified professional will be able to determine whether or not there are any potential hazards in your home.
If your home is older than ten years, if you’ve just completed a major renovation, or if you’ve installed new appliances, other experts recommend that you should also have a home inspection.
When else should you call a professional electrician? To ensure that other recommended safety measures are in place. In addition, they can assist you with home energy efficiency.
A skilled electrician can install arc-fault circuit interrupters on bedroom circuits. You could also have them install smoke detectors in each bedroom as well as in hallways that are within 15 feet of the bedrooms. If you have a multi-storied home, then you should have a minimum of one smoke detector per floor. Your electrician can take care of this for you so that you are ensured all these devices are properly installed and in excellent working order.
Preventing Electrocution
When a life is lost, it can feel devastating. It’s even more devastating, however, when that life was lost due to a preventable accident.
According to The Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are approximately 300 electrocutions that occur in the home. More than two-thirds of these accidents could be prevented if these homes had possessed ground fault circuit interruptors.
If you even suspect your home has grounding or any other electrical issues, this is when to call a professional electrician. In this way, you will know that your home is safe for you and your family.