What Your Electrician Needs You to Know
Today, every home uses electricity one way or another. But many people are not aware of how it works, the risks, and when you need a local electrician professional help with your home electrical safety. Sooner or later, you will have an issue with your electrical system.
It can be a simple thing to fix, or you need major repairs in your electrical system that need you to call qualified electricians from Chicago. Below are few things that your electrician wishes you knew.
Black isn’t always live, and white isn’t always neutral
As much as this is a contradicting best practice, it’s true. Electricians need you to know that that the electrical system in your home is complicated and large. Plus, many people may have worked on it, including those who do not follow code or are properly trained.
When you open an electrical outlet, you will find the electrical tape, a nest of wires, and wire nuts. For this reason, you need not make assumptions and be careful working on them. Instead, call an electrician who knows how to use various electrical tools and can correctly verify if the line is dead or alive when working on it.
Overhead power lines are live
Did you know that overhead power lines are not insulated? Even when you see squirrels or birds on them safe, they do not complete a circuit by touching the ground. Plus, these power lines are mainly weather coated but with no insulation, just spacers at utility poles.
This is safe as they are high above the ground unless the lines fall. Lines that touch a tree or rooftop are normally insulated, the insulation over time degrades, and it reveals and crumbles bare wire. For this reason, approach the overhead lines knowing they are potentially fatal objects that only a utility worker or licensed electrician can be close to them.
Never ignore the warning signs 
Do not ignore any warning signs indicating a problem in your electrical system, whether it is a light switch that runs hot, a popping noise from an outlet, a breaker that won’t reset, among many others. You should take it seriously. Fortunately, electrical issues are solved quickly, as long as you do not leave them to become worse and become a hazard with time. Also, when you are aware of the warning signs and report them, you can prevent electrical issues and fires in your home.
Never hold down or tape a circuit breaker
For a circuit breaker to work, it should break the circuit. Thus, electricians need you to know if your breaker keeps popping; you need to get the problem fixed. So, holding a breaker with tape means that the dangerous conditions will continue, and this can cause a lot of major issues. Importantly, it should be avoided at all costs, forcing the breaker to maintain contact, as this is a recipe for disaster.
What electrician needs you to know: Know your DIY limits
Although DIY skills are great for self-reliance and to develop a skill, you must know the limitations and boundaries of these skills. More so, if you are a DIY newbie, if you find you cannot understand the issue. Contact an electrician to solve the issue instead of risking your life and that of others. The issue is when you are a DIY enthusiast, and you bury poor electrical work behind drywall. Thus, it is best to know the DIY limits to ensure the electrical work done is safe and you can rely on the work done.
You can work with electricity even though you are not an electrician
The tips offered about electrical safety are not to scare you but cautionary tales. Many electricians are eager to encourage many homeowners to learn basic electrical work. It can be a simple thing as repairing a cut extension, among others that they can easily sort out. This will work well if you have the perseverance and patience to learn a new skill.
If you feel like this does not interest you, it is best to contact an electrician when you have electrical problems instead of a friend to do a DIY, and you do not know their expertise.
