Handling electrical work on your own might offer convenience. However, you could end up making electrical mistakes that put you and your home at risk. Making these mistakes can lead to electrical shocks, short circuits, fires, and other dangerous situations. Avoid making the following electrical errors in your Phoenix home.
Cluttering Electrical Boxes
Electrical boxes can only handle a certain amount of wiring. When you put too many wires in one box, you run the risk of having it overheat. If this happens, fires can start as a result of overheating. Instead of deciding if your electrical box is big enough, let professionals handle it. Electricians can figure out if you have too many wires going into one box. This helps reduce your risk of having a fire or other serious electrical problems.
Cutting Wires Short
Wires sticking out of your electrical box need to have the right length. Cutting these wires too short makes it difficult for you to form safe connections. When connections aren’t safe, fires can break out. Electricians cut wires so they extend 3 inches or more from electrical boxes. Attempting this on your own increases your risk of making electrical mistakes that could cause severe damage to your house or put your family at risk.
Having Unprotected Wiring
Unprotected wiring inside the frame of your home faces a higher chance of being damaged. Nails and other hazards can tear into this wiring over time, which raises the risk of electrical issues or fires in your home. Electricians know how to ensure that wiring in your home has the protection it needs. Leaving it to the experts helps you prevent potentially dangerous electrical mistakes.
Putting Connections Outside Electrical Boxes
All electrical connections between wires should occur inside electrical boxes. Having connections outside these boxes increases the risk of short circuits and other electrical problems. Electrical boxes provide some degree of protection for your home if there are sparks from a short circuit. When you need to make electrical connections, professional electricians should handle this task.
Trusting Online Tutorial Videos
It’s easy to find online tutorial videos for electrical work and assume that you can tackle these projects yourself. Keep in mind you shouldn’t trust these tutorials, though. The people in them might leave out important information or safety steps you should take when doing electrical work. They might perform this work incorrectly in the video as well. Professional electricians know how to do both simple and complex electrical projects safely and correctly.
Avoid Electrical Mistakes from Hidden Dangers
Keep in mind you might not know about hidden dangers in your home from electricity. For example, your home might have older wiring or other components that could cause problems. Electricians can check your home for these potential dangers before starting any work. These professionals know the local and national codes as well, which helps ensure they perform all work as safely as possible.
If your home needs electrical work, leave it to the professionals. Contact Turn It On Electric today.