12 Things Electricians want you to know

Thinking about doing some electrical work? Here are 12 things electricians want you to know. Let's face it, in this day and age, almost every household has a more two electrical items, and so having electrical items means needing to call the electrician once in a while. Whether you are looking at something more to your household, or to repair a broken item, it is best that you follow some of the tips that the electricians would like you to know. Though they are available 24/7 it is best that you keep a look out for something that you need a constant lookout for.

Do not ignore any warning signs

One of the most important thing is that you need to know, and this something hat might as well put your life in danger, that you should never ever make light of any unusual noise. These are usual warning sounds that indicate a problem with your electrical system. It could be a popping noise from some outlet, a light switch that turns extremely hot, or a beaker that refuses to reset. You need to take any electrical issues extremely seriously. A lot of the electrical issues tend to resolve pretty fast, so long as they do not sit like this for too long. 

Understand what GFCI is 

One of the most common reasons for which the electricians get called for is the failure with the bathroom circuit. According to the code, all the outlets that are within 6 feet of the water source needs to be protected by the ground fault circuit interrupt.  What your electrician wants you to know is that the one GFCI device will protect everything that goes downstream on the circuit. A triggered GFCI will kill the power to the outlets and the lights that might look unrelated. 

The overhead power lines are not to be ignored

The overhead lines are not insulated. They are only weather coated, at most with no insulation other than spacers present at the utility poles. They are usually not dangerous to humans since they are so high above the ground, and there is little to not chance of them coming into contact with us. However, what you do need to take care of, the maintenance of the insulation coating the wire, which tends to degrade over time. The insulation crumbles and then reveals bare wire. 

Know the DIY limitations

The DIY mindset can be a wonderful thing, but it can also be a deadly idea. You will become more confident in your skills, save money, and be more aware of your home, but there are some places that you just should not test. If you are someone who is new, it is best that you rely on the professional and licensed electricians to the more difficult tasks, while you concentrate your skills on the more out of the wall parts. 

Know the colors

Though this contradicts the best practices, but a professional electrician is well aware that he electrical system is a colossal and complicated web of wires and other components which needs intricate knowledge to work. It will so you well if you refrain from making any unnecessary assumptions that could be troublesome for your wellbeing. 

Just because the voltage is low doesn’t mean you are

Electricians want you to know that you have to take basic precautions when working with a low voltage system as well. You need to think of the low voltage system as having the standard voltage, so that you will use the basic skills that you have learned as a part of your training which will do you a lot of benefit when dealing with high voltage systems.

Beware of the standby mode

The electrical devices that have standby modes or use remote controls always need to maintain a stable stream of power to be able to wakeup quickly. This is why charging devices such as phone chargers and laptop chargers will draw power even when not plugged to a device. 

Protective gear should be made properly to function well

Rubber is a great insulator, which is why a lot of the DIYers tend to wrap themselves head to toe in rubber boots and gloves before working on the electrical objects. However, some manufacturers tend to mix additives in order to lower the cost and increase durability. Make sure you choose the right safety gear. 

Do not try to tape or hold down a circuit breaker

The circuit beakers break the circuit. You have to find a way to fix the problem when the circuit beater keeps popping. Taping down and forcing beaker to maintain contact is a dangerous thing to do and should be avoided. You need to call an electrician to look at the problem, instead.

Don’t tie random knots 

Tying different knots of one circuit to the one that is supposed to be isolated is a dangerous thing. Just because you see a circuit that exists, does not mean you should add onto it.

Overloading circuits

Connecting way too many plugs to one circuit is not useful. It can lead to malfunction and also destroy your home appliances.