Hi When is it time to call an electrician?... When you are resetting circuit breakers or changing fuses to often. When you turn on your air conditioner and the lights dim in the room. When your lights flicker or go on and off. When you can smell electricity burning. When you have six electronic devises going into one outlet in back of your electronics center. When you have receptacle outlets overburdened by multi-plug strips. When a three-prong plug needs a two-prong adapter. If you have to run extention cords to plug in electrical devises. How much should i attempt on my own?... This will not make me very popular but it is the truth. Without a license, not very much. At The present time most states allow you to do whatever you want in your own home. But doing electrical work yourself is a gamble. How much are you willing to risk to save money. There is a reason why it takes so much training to become an electrician. Do not make a mistake by taking electricity lightly, even the smallest job could be a safety hazard. Why take a chance. Get a professional to do this work. Also In some states the homeowner can pull his own Electrical permit for work in his single family home, what he does not know is that in case of damage or fire caused by his work, his homeowners insurance will not pay, they will only if the work is done by a licensed Electrical Contractor. You should check with your homeowners Insurance Co., and they should sign a document or something to this effect to acknowledge this when they pull a permit. The most dangerous time is when you tell yourself. This is easy. I can do it myself. Why should i get an electrician? Than when you don't remember where all those wires went, or your hair is standing straight up, you say to yourself. Well maybe we better call someone to straighten up this mess. Now it will cost you double what you thought you were going to save in the beginning. Special Note.... It is a violation for a licensed electrician or systems technician to connect wiring from components that have been wired by an unlicensed person. Doing electrical work without a permit is illegal in most areas. It could also invalidate your homeowner's insurance. How do i find a good electrician?... Before we start here, you have to keep in mind, that you are the customer and as long as you are paying for a service to be performed and the work is up to code, you can have anything you want. You are the boss. Another way to protect yourself is never pay the full amount of the work to be done up front. If the electrician demands money before he starts do not give more than ten percent. Always hold some back until the job is complete. It will be hard to get large contractors to do the smaller jobs at a reasonable price. There are many excellent electricians in classified ads, or yellow pages. Also word of mouth is a good way. Check with people and friends who have had electrical work done. Do your homework, the first thing you do is make they have a license. Then be sure they are insured. If you could get one that is Bonded would definitley be a plus. And always make sure you make them get a permit so their work can be checked by the local wire inspector. This is your responsibility to check out these things, if you want electrical work done safely, and properly. Electricity is not something to fool with, be safe.
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