REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD RECONSIDER DIY ELECTRICAL WORK

Let a Professional Electrician Handle it

When it comes to fixing things around the house, a lot of homeowners like to do things themselves. In some cases, especially with the help of online tutorials, you can. However, dealing with anything electrical should be left up to a professional.

Electrical appliances and wiring can have many issues as the years go by. You might need an electrical repair, which can improve your comfort. You might also need an electrical panel upgrade to increase the number of circuits or handle the power better.

Whatever it is, we’ve got the experience and training to do things safely. By trying to do things yourself, you could wire things incorrectly. In the best case scenario, things just don’t work. In the worst case, you get electrocuted or accidentally spark a house fire.

Even if you just need the initial electrical panel installation, you should always look into working with a professional. Turner On Services has a team that’s here to help. We offer a number of electrical services that you can choose, because doing it yourself isn’t recommended.

Safety and Success

There are a lot of home improvement statistics to discourage the do-it-yourself-ers. According to Porch.com, 55% of homeowners try to do home projects on their own, but only 31% actually finish anything.

A big part of that is because the online tutorials are designed to make things look easy. Most projects aren’t as fast or simple as these videos make it seem. Not only that, but if you continuously spend money on unfinished projects, you’re throwing money down the drain. To make matters worse, there could be injury bills involved.

Electricity can be dangerous to play around with unless you know what you’re doing. You could get lucky with a mild shock, but there’s a good chance that your injury could be serious or even fatal.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information found that 30,000 injuries, or more, happen every year from electrical shock in the U.S, and that’s the minimum average. Of those, 1,000 shocks are fatal, so think twice about doing the electrical panel upgrade yourself.

Our expert electricians at Turner On Services have the knowledge and equipment to do things safely. We go through about 600 hours of classroom and on-the-job training to get a professional license. All of that hands-on training and expertise is meant to keep us safe.

While some online tutorials can show the steps correctly, they still leave out the safety measures. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and at least some of those electric shocks from earlier have to be attempts at DIY fixes.

For example, your electrical panel installation isn’t just about turning the electricity off and putting in the circuit breaker. A big part of it is knowing where the connections and circuits go, not to mention the wiring. Wiring is responsible for many house fires when it’s done wrong.

You also have to know the correct wires with proper insulation, so there’s a lot to know. That’s why you should always hire a professional for your electrical work. Here are some things to watch for to know you might have some electrical issues:

1. Lights flicker on and off, or cut out completely
2. You hear a buzzing sound when you turn on your lights
3. You still have a fuse box, which means you need an electrical panel upgrades

If you notice any of the above or it’s been a while since your last routine inspection, you can trust Turner On Services. We’ve got a team of trained, licensed experts to keep you and your home safe!

Safety First

Another danger of doing things yourself is the risk of starting a fire. Even if you manage to evade getting shocked, improper wiring or overloaded circuits can cause a spark.

You’d be surprised at how many home fires every year start because of bad wiring. In fact, based on a study from Firetrace.com, not meeting building codes and lack of repairs are two main reasons for electrical fires.

As professional electricians, Turner On Services is aware of the safety codes and all of their constant updates.

We also know about the different amp levels and what they require. If the wrong wires are used for higher voltage and amps, it could cause what’s called an arc flash. Even if it doesn’t, the slightest error can lay the groundwork for an electrical fire down the road.

Most fires don’t start immediately after the power comes back on, so you might not know you made the mistake until it’s too late. Our training allows us to handle your electrical panel upgrade without making that mistake, because safety comes first.

These fires are more common than you think. The U.S. Fire Administration found that electrical problems are in the top 5 reasons for house fires over multiple decades. That number goes up when you consider how many homeowners tried to do things themselves:

1. At least 51,000 electrical fires occur annually, with the projections going up.
2. Electrical fires aren’t even 10% of the annual fires, but they’re responsible for almost half of the 1,000 fire-related deaths.
3. The U.S. Fire Administration in 2019 found that more electrical fires were due to amateur electrician work. That included homeowners, unlicensed electricians, and landlords.
4. You’re 5 times more likely to die from an electrical fire because of their spontaneity.

Everything’s Got a Price Tag

One thing that a lot of homeowners have in common is financial concerns. That’s why so many opt to do things on their own, but you might have noticed by now that’s a mistake. Not only is it dangerous, but you could end up spending way more than if you just hired a professional.

Any kind of electrical work usually needs at least a permit. You might not need one if your project falls under specific state guidelines, but that’s a big financial risk. If you needed a permit and didn’t get one, you could be looking at serious legal costs. Permits can be expensive, too.

Our professional team at Turner On Services can take care of your electrical needs without worrying about legal problems. We’re familiar with local and state safety codes, we’re licensed, and we’ll also save you the time of trying to do everything yourself.

Another financial aspect to consider comes from selling your house or dealing with insurance. When you’re trying to sell your house, there’s an inspection that will take place. Anything you did yourself will have to meet building codes, and that’s assuming you dealt with the permit issue.

Everything has to be up to these codes before you can sell your home. That’s because it’s the inspector’s job to make sure the electrical wiring and appliances are safe for the new owner. Even if all of that is kosher, the city might force you to expose your handiwork.

That could get expensive, with walls possibly getting torn down, but it gets worse. If your home fails an electrical inspection, buyers won’t want to pay for a home they’ll need to fix up. Your home’s value will drop significantly to account for that work.

You could also face legal fines or have to pay for the electrical repairs anyway, depending on your contract. In other words, it pays to just let a professional do things up front. Plus, an electrical panel upgrade can increase the value of your home!

Dealing with Insurance

We mentioned it above, but your insurance claim can be heavily affected by the state of your electrical maintenance. In many cases, doing things yourself could negate any warranties or be considered “negligent” by your insurance company.

Getting a permit for your impromptu electrical work and having it inspected are just the tip of the insurance iceberg. With or without those steps, you could still be denied an insurance claim and have to pay for any electrical damages. Since electricity is linked to so many house fires, that’s an important thing to have covered.

Insurance companies look at any electrical work that was done by anyone not professionally licensed. Even if you didn’t do it or didn’t know about it, you could still be left holding the bill.

While you might be able to get the previous owner of your home to pay for repairs if the electrical work was done by them, it can get expensive. In fact, lightning could cause a power surge and spark the fire, and you might still be denied an insurance claim.

Getting proper maintenance and upgrades for the electrical appliances in your home is imperative. Turner On Services provides a routine inspection that can identify problems, like an overloaded circuit or the need for an electrical panel upgrade.

You should always get this inspection before buying or selling a home, but you should also get one every year for safety. There are a lot of things that could be wrong or not be able to handle the amps, especially in the age of technology.

For all of the above reasons, you should always let a professional handle your electrical needs. We’ll provide an expert inspection and do everything from electrical panel installation to wiring correctly. Contact Turner On Services today if you need any of our services!