One of the joys and frustrations of homeownership is having to keep up with the things that go wrong. With so many different parts to your home, there’s almost always something that will need repaired, and that will include your electrical system at certain points. While some repairs are okay to fix via DIY methods, there are some jobs that often seem small and simple enough to do on your own but should absolutely be left to a professional. Doing these things on your own could have serious repercussions, and they’re usually something where it’s easy to make a small mistake that could lead to even bigger repairs (or worse). Here are three things you should have a professional do for you should you find you need it.
Replace a Circuit Breaker
Circuit breakers may seem like a simple repair you can handle yourself, but they’re something that the average person simply does not have the experience or the equipment to properly address. A circuit breaker is a small piece of equipment designed to shut off when too much power flows through an electrical circuit, usually as a result of a short or too much electrical load all being pulled at once. However, when breakers wear out, they might trip too easily, or worse, not trip at all, thus leaving your home prone to electrical damage.
Replacing one of these breakers isn’t an extremely tough job—in fact, it can usually be done fairly quickly. However, it does require the experience and skill of a professional purely because of how much is at risk with it. One small mistake in the installation could result in catastrophic damage to your electrical system, extremely dangerous conditions where one particular circuit in your home is completely unprotected, and could result in an injury. Whenever you’re dealing with anything in your electrical panel beyond simply resetting a tripped breaker, it is by far your best decision to leave the job to a professional and make sure it’s done right—not doing so could lead to even more extensive repairs and possibly a full electrical remodel.
Install a New Receptacle
Installing a new plug seems like a job that shouldn’t be all that hard. The parts to do it are available at almost any home improvement warehouse, and they’re not all that expensive. However, this is also something that is best left to the pros for the same reasons we listed above for the circuit breaker: it’s extremely easy to make a mistake, and a mistake could be catastrophic.
Letting a pro handle your receptacle installation means they’ll make sure that not only is your new receptacle up to code and installed properly, but they’ll also make sure it’s correctly tapped into the proper electrical circuit. That means that not only will this new receptacle provide you with power, but it will also be protected as well. A pro can also properly wire up a switch to your new receptacle, giving you power with a simple flip or the press of a button.
Install an Internally-Routed Wire
Today’s huge flat-screen televisions are designed for more than performance—they’re also engineered to look great too. In fact, many people often choose a television while partly taking into consideration how the new TV will look in the space you’re planning for it, and television manufacturers have kept up by offering many new models in a variety of colors and styles. If you’re like many homeowners and are going for an ultra-clean, wire-free look then you may be tempted to try and run power and HDMI wires through your wall and out to your television. This allows you to hide the messy wires from sight behind your drywall and give your new television that truly polished look when properly mounted.
Running a wire through your walls may not seem like too big of an issue, and in fact sometimes you can even rent a tool to help you with this from a home improvement or electronics store. However, we strongly advise leaving this job to a professional for several reasons. First, it’s extremely easy to pinch a cable inside your walls, and this could damage it, strip insulation, or cause a short that could spark a fire or damage your new TV screen. Second, improperly running these lines can damage things like insulation in your walls or electrical lines attached to the frame of your wall itself, resulting in expensive and tedious repairs. And finally, many people actually skimp on the wire that they run through the walls, and that could present problems should it wear out. When making a mistake could have such frustrating consequences, it’s best just to leave the job to a pro and let it be done right the first time.
Do you need an electrical repair? All Pro Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical is here to help! Give our team a call at (909) 500-8193 and get your issue fixed now!
