Having knowledge on how to perform electrical repairs is very useful for anyone who owns a home. It gives you the satisfaction on solving technical issues on your own and you may end up saving a lot of money.
However, something that a lot of people neglect when it comes to DIY electrical repairs is safety. This is quite unfortunate as electricity isn’t something that you should play with. Here are some of the things that can happen to if you suffer an electric shock:
- Burns – while small shocks can result in minor burns on your skin, large ones can actually go as far as to burn your organs, including the heart. If the internal burn is severe enough, then it can even lead to organ failure.
- Neuropathy – A severe-enough electric shock could negatively impact your nervous system. Often times, this can be fatal.
- Ventricular fibrillation – this is when the different types of heart muscles lose the sync in which they work in favour of independent movements. In such situations, immediate defibrillation is needed.
Now that you know just how dangerous electricity is, we hope you’re ready to prioritize safety. Here are some excellent tips to help you get started:
Never Work with The Circuit Breaker On
A sure-fire to increase your chances of getting an electric shock is to work with the circuit breaker on at all times. When you’re installing a light fixture for example, it’s not enough to just have the switch on. For starters, someone could switch it on ignorantly and you’d be in risk yet again. Secondly, if you are working with screwdriver, its metal tip could short a circuit. This results in the generation of enough warmth to melt plastic or even give rise to fire.
Things can also get dangerous if you’re on a ladder. If something sparks, you could flinch and fall off of it.
Call an Expert When Things Are Difficult
Just because you know how to do a few electrical repairs, it doesn’t mean that you should attempt to do everything. Hence, if you’re faced with a really difficult problem then we highly recommend that you keep the best emergency electrician Glenorie has to offer on speed dial.
If you attempt to undertake a task that you don’t have much experience in, you may do more damage than good. In that case, you’ll spend way more than what you would have spent on an expert electrician.
Always Have Right Tools with You
No DIY electrical repair attempt is going to be successful without the proper tools. While a standard kit may be adequate for most tasks, some jobs require specific tools. For instance, if you’re going to do some indoor wiring, you can’t do with just the tools in an outdoor wiring kit.
Other than the standard tools like pliers, strippers, screwdrivers and duct tape, you’ll also be much better off with some safety tools such as rubber gloves, flashlights, insulated handles and even a hard helmet.
When it comes to electric repairs, safety should always be the priority. These 3 tips mentioned above should help you carry out each repair attempt without any events.