Electrical systems are complex, ubiquitous, and can often need repairs or improvements. These three factors, when combined, lead to situations where individuals who are completely unqualified to do any electrical work end up attempting it. And more often than not, when this happens, it causes problems down the line. Here are 4 incredibly common and dangerous mistakes which inexperienced or amateur electricians make.
- Unsafe working conditions. This is far and away both the most common and the most potentially dangerous situation which occurs when inexperienced electricians try to repair or change an electrical system. While all of the items on this list will cause dangerous situations, these will mostly show up afterwards. Inexperienced electricians will sometimes work on live circuits, or will incorrectly believe that they have turned off the power to their working area. Either way, if you underestimate the complexity of the system and the danger present, you are putting yourself and others at severe risk.
- Failing to use electrical boxes. You should never ever splice together wires or make electrical connections out of electrical boxes. Electrical boxes are designed to safely protect your electrical connections from external damage, lessening the chance of a connection becoming loose and exposing live wires. Additionally, if this does happen, the problem is confined to the box and will be less likely to cause an electrical fire. Always use appropriate electrical boxes when doing any electrical work.
- Using the wrong size wire. Another common problem that is caused by a lack of electrical experience is using the wrong gauge of wire for the task at hand. If you use the wrong gauge wire, it may not be able to handle the amount of electrical charge that will be going through the circuit. If this happens, the wire could end up heating up, shorting out, and causing a dangerous electrical discharge or fire
- Overfilling electrical boxes. Similar to the above problem where people fail to use electrical boxes when making connections, some people end up stuffing far too many connections in a single box. This is a hazard, as it means that working on all of the individual components become much harder to work on. Additionally, this crowding increases your risk for overheating, which could again lead to an electrical fire. At the end of the day, there are many many different mistakes which could lead to numerous problems. Make sure that you employ a competent professional to do all of your electrical work
5 Common Electrical Mistakes
Electrical systems are complex, ubiquitous, and can often need repairs or improvements. These three factors, when combined, lead to situations where individuals who are completely unqualified to do any electrical work end up attempting it. And more often than not, when this happens, it causes problems down the line. Here are 4 incredibly common and dangerous mistakes which inexperienced or amateur electricians make.
- Unsafe working conditions. This is far and away both the most common and the most potentially dangerous situation which occurs when inexperienced electricians try to repair or change an electrical system. While all of the items on this list will cause dangerous situations, these will mostly show up afterwards. Inexperienced electricians will sometimes work on live circuits, or will incorrectly believe that they have turned off the power to their working area. Either way, if you underestimate the complexity of the system and the danger present, you are putting yourself and others at severe risk.
- Failing to use electrical boxes. You should never ever splice together wires or make electrical connections out of electrical boxes. Electrical boxes are designed to safely protect your electrical connections from external damage, lessening the chance of a connection becoming loose and exposing live wires. Additionally, if this does happen, the problem is confined to the box and will be less likely to cause an electrical fire. Always use appropriate electrical boxes when doing any electrical work.
- Using the wrong size wire. Another common problem that is caused by a lack of electrical experience is using the wrong gauge of wire for the task at hand. If you use the wrong gauge wire, it may not be able to handle the amount of electrical charge that will be going through the circuit. If this happens, the wire could end up heating up, shorting out, and causing a dangerous electrical discharge or fire
- Overfilling electrical boxes. Similar to the above problem where people fail to use electrical boxes when making connections, some people end up stuffing far too many connections in a single box. This is a hazard, as it means that working on all of the individual components become much harder to work on. Additionally, this crowding increases your risk for overheating, which could again lead to an electrical fire. At the end of the day, there are many many different mistakes which could lead to numerous problems. Make sure that you employ a competent professional to do all of your electrical work
