Categories Electrician, Jobs

Electrician salary: depends on experience

Electrician salary: depends on experience

Working as an electrician provides a rewarding and challenging career path. How much can you expect to make in this field per year? The electrician salary you might end up making depends on your experience, including the type of work you do. Knowing more about the average wages for different types of electricians can help you decide on your career path.

Building a Career

Electricians generally start as apprentices and work their way up to higher career levels. This typically involves becoming a journeyman and then a master electrician. The more experience an electrician has, the more types of jobs they can take. An electrician\’s salary tends to increase considerably at higher levels and with more experience.

Apprentice Electrician Salary

Apprentices, sometimes referred to as an Electrician I, are the lowest career level for electricians. They perform basic tasks on the job, such as delivering materials, while learning more about how to do installations, repairs, and other electrical work. Apprentice electricians work under the supervision of a journeyman electrician or a master electrician.

According to PayScale, the average apprentice electrician wage is $13.84 per hour in Arizona. This salary can vary depending on education, training, and experience.

They are expected to have one to three years of related experience or an associate’s degree. Once they complete an apprenticeship, they can move on to becoming a journeyman electrician.

Journeyman Electrician Salary

Journeyman electricians, or Electrician II, perform electrical work without direct supervision. This includes making electrical repairs, replacing electrical equipment, and installing wiring. Journeyman electricians are unable to pull permits to do electrical work. Instead, they use plans provided by a master electrician for new installations.

The average wage for a journeyman electrician in Arizona is $22.11, according to PayScale. Again, this salary can vary depending on education, training, and experience.

Journeyman electricians are expected to have two years of journeyman level experience and an associates degree or three to five years of related experience.

Master Electrician Salary

Master electricians, or Electrician III, are the highest career level for electricians. These electricians can do a wide range of electrical work, such as planning wiring systems and overseeing new installations. They can pull permits, route circuits, and make decisions on the types of electrical equipment needed for jobs.

According to PayScale, the average salary for a master electrician in Arizona is $61,500 per year.

Master electricians perform more complex duties than apprentices and journeyman electricians. They typically have at least five to seven years of experience in this line of work.

Service Electrician

Many electrical contractors also provide service work to consumers and businesses. This would include entering a customer’s home or place of business and servicing the existing electrical equipment or installing new equipment.

Part of being a successful service electrician is being able to sell new work to the customers while on the job site. Successfully selling services or new work can mean additional income in the form of a sales commission. A service electrician with a successful sales record and who has the experience of a master electrician can make close to six figures or more per year.

If you’re interested in becoming part of a team of professionals in the Phoenix area, contact Turn It On Electric.

Categories Electrician

5 Surprising Facts About Electricians

5 Surprising Facts About Electricians

Electricians have one of the most important jobs in the world! Without them, our lives would be pretty dim – literally. If you\’ve never hired one, you may be wondering about what types of services they offer or what it takes to become an electrician. Here are a few surprising facts:

1. Electricians use all kinds of tools.

When you think of an electrician, it may be hard to picture exactly what tools they use. You see them with a tool belt and a screwdriver or two, but electricians have experience using all sorts of tools. From benders to cutters and excavators to testers, depending on what the job requires, an electrician will likely use a combination of tools.

Electricians come with a truck fully stocked with tools, in case an unexpected issue pops up during a job. The trouble with electrical work is: there can be a lot of surprises lurking behind your walls.

2. They offer a variety of services.

Different types of electricians offer a variety of services. Here are four main types and a very brief, general overview of what they do on an average day:

  • Residential: If you have trouble with an outlet that keeps tripping your breaker or you\’ve had new lighting installed, you\’ve probably relied on a residential electrician. They deal with anything from inspecting circuit breakers to rewiring homes.
  • Commercial: Businesses rely on electricity to operate. From schools to restaurants, electricity is what keeps the lights on. Commercial electricians work on anything from communication lines to lighting design.
  • Industrial: From warehouses and factories to manufacturing and processing plants, industrial electricians keep things running. Industrial companies tend to use big pieces of machinery that require specific tools and knowledge to repair. Additionally, industrial electricians need to be familiar with control systems, generators, and transformers.
  • Outside Linemen: You\’ve probably seen people working on the wires outside of your home. These are linemen and they do everything from setting up poles and towers to installing insulators.

3. It takes about seven years for someone to become a master electrician.

Next time you think about starting a DIY electrical project after watching a how-to video online, remember how long electricians study their trade to keep your family and your home safe. During the seven years, they go to school, have an apprenticeship, and gain hands-on experience as a journeyman electrician. Do you still think your 90-second video tutorial qualifies you to do electrical work?

4. Electricians may need special assistance if they\’re color blind.

Since many wires are marked with colors that signify different things, it\’s essential that an electrician can differentiate colors. If not, they\’ll need someone on site who they trust to identify colors.

5. Electricians specialize in safety.

This is one of those careers where attention to detail and safety can be the difference between a life and death situation. Beyond knowing how to install equipment, troubleshoot issues, and fix electrical problems, they train on safety requirements, regulations, and procedures. This keeps the electrician, your family, and your home safe.

If you need assistance with an electrical problem,  contact Turn It On Electric to schedule an appointment today.

Categories Maintenance, Safety

Get to know your home\’s electrical panel

Get to know your home's electrical panel

Electrical panels, or breaker boxes, are responsible for housing your electrical system\’s circuit breakers. The circuit breakers are switches that control your home\’s power supply. They protect your wiring from surges or shorts. This helps prevent electrical fires.

If there’s an emergency, such as a flood or major leak, you should know where your panel is and how to turn off the power. It’s helpful to be familiar with your electrical panel for minor issues as well, such as a tripped circuit breaker.

Electrical Panel Location

For safety reasons, electrical panels are usually found in areas that are out of the way. In some homes, these panels are in the basement, utility room, closet, or garage. In other homes, these panels are in kitchen pantries or in hallways that lead to an exterior door. Other homes have electrical panels outside on an exterior wall.

Your electrical panel will have a door on it. Inside you’ll see a series of circuits and other components. Being able to identify the various parts helps you know what you\’re talking about if you need to call an electrician.

Electrical Panel Components

Breaker boxes have several different components. These include the following:

  • Outer door
  • Covering over the circuit breaker switches to protect against shocks
  • Circuit breaker switches
  • Thicker wiring that connects to your home’s electrical service drop
  • Service lugs
  • Thinner wires connecting breakers to circuits

Your panel might have labels to let you know which circuit breaker switches are for different areas of your home. If there aren’t any labels, you can go through and check to see which switches control what. Start by turning on all of your lights and lamps. Next, turn off one breaker at a time and notice which light or outlet is no longer receiving power. Make a note of what each breaker controls.

Problems with Your Electrical Panel

One of the more common problems with electrical panels is a tripped circuit breaker. If you suddenly lose power to one part of your home, it’s usually for this reason. Using too much electricity on a circuit causes the breaker to trip. This helps prevent overloads and even fires.

You can check for a tripped breaker by opening the panel door and looking for a switch that’s in the off position. Flipping the switch should reset the circuit breaker and restore power to that circuit. If this continues to happen, you may have a bigger electrical issue and should call an electrician right away.

If you have an older home, your service panel might have fuses instead of circuit breakers. When you blow a fuse, you’ll need to have it replaced with a new one. This involves removing the blown fuse and putting a brand new one in its place. If you\’re unsure of how to do this, contact an electrician.

If you’re experiencing any other problems with your electrical panel, you should have a professional look at it. Having an electrician inspect your panel and make any needed repairs is safer and prevents the risk of electrical shocks.

Electrical Panel Hazards

Electricity is flowing through your electrical panel all the time. Opening the panel door and touching the panel to flip a tripped circuit is usually safe to do. However, you should never touch any other part of your panel, especially if the protective cover is off of it. This could put you at risk of receiving a serious or even fatal shock.

If you’re not sure how to safely handle your electrical panel, don’t attempt to do so on your own. Have an electrician come to your home to take care of it for you. Your electrician can show you how to do basic tasks, such as flipping a tripped circuit or replacing a blown fuse.

When you have questions about electricity or need electrical repairs in your Phoenix home, leave it to the professionals. Contact Turn It On Electric today.

Categories Electrician

What are the different types of electricians?

What are the different types of electricians?

If you own a home or run a business you need to know about the different types of electricians. Depending on the electrician, there are different education, training, and hands-on experience requirements which allow them to offer different services. This knowledge gives you a better idea of who you need to call. 

Residential Electricians

Residential electricians are the people you call when you need to hire someone to work on the electricity in your home. They can be utilized by apartment or condo management companies to perform more complex electrical work. They can work on indoor and outdoor electrical issues, including:

  • Inspecting and repairing circuit breaker panels
  • Installing electrical conduit and wiring
  • Installing lighting and fans
  • Repairing electrical fixtures
  • Repairing electrical switches
  • Rewiring

Residential electricians have a combination of formal classroom education as well as hands-on apprenticeship training. This typically takes about four years while working under the supervision of another electrician. At the end of their training, they need to pass state testing to begin working on their own.

Commercial Electricians

Commercial electricians can work on construction sites or projects within a commercial building. They can work on indoor and outdoor electrical issues, including:

  • Inspecting and repairing data and communication lines
  • Installing lighting and fans
  • Remodeling and expanding electrical systems
  • Repairing circuit breakers and fuses
  • Security and landscape lighting design

Before an electrician can work independently in a commercial setting, they have to train under a master electrician. Once they do this and pass their state testing, they can apply to work as a commercial electrician.

Industrial Electricians

An industrial electrician is a person who runs electrical from the source to the disconnect switch to the machine. Without them, power wouldn\’t get from the source to power the machines in industrial buildings. They can work on indoor and outdoor electrical issues, including:

  • Installing and working on motor controls
  • Installing and working on heavy circuitry

Although an industrial electrician doesn\’t usually work on the components of the machines, they\’re responsible for anything between the power source and the machines. They may work with people in other trades like plumbers, HVAC technicians, and electrical engineers to get the job done completely. An associate degree in the electrical technology field is necessary before starting a career as an industrial electrician.

Call the Professionals

No matter what type of electrician you need, you want to make sure you\’re hiring someone you can rely on.

Contact Turn It On Electric to schedule an appointment with an electrician today.