Should I Hire a Professional?
Regardless of how much DIY knowledge you have, when it comes to electricity you should nearly always opt for hiring a professional. This is because electrical work can be dangerous and complicated. This is especially true if you are trying to track down an electrical short when the wires are covered behind drywall or a plastered ceiling.
Whatever the situation is, you always want to make sure that you are hiring a qualified, professional electrician. Below are some timely tips and information that will help you when it comes to hiring a qualified electrician.
Know What The Qualifications Mean You might be surprised to learn that finding a qualified electrician is actually much easier than finding a carpenter or plumber. This is true due to the need for a state license. Electricians are licensed by two different degrees.
First, you have a journeyman electrician and a master electrician. A master electrician is a person that has not only passed a standardized test, but has at least two years of field experience under his or her belt. A master electrician should be aware of all the codes in the area and the recent changes that have been made to the codes. He or she should also be qualified to install, design, and maintenance electrical systems. A journeyman electrician has not yet qualified for a master’s license, but he or she is still qualified to perform work in certain states. However, by law, a journeyman cannot design an electrical system. However, they will be qualified to perform installations.
How To Judge The Work When it comes to judging a professional’s work, you really need to have a trained eye in order to spot errors or mistakes. However, there are some things that you can be on the lookout for. Take notice of neat or messy work. There is a good chance that messy work is not safe. All the wiring that passes through a metal surface should have some kind of protective connector to prevent cutting and scratching of the wiring.
So the next time you are facing the choice of dealing with an electrical issue on your own or simply calling a professional, we'd always recommend erring on the side of caution. Life is just too short and too precious to put yourself in harm's way when it comes to something as easy as finding a trusted electrician.
