These days, fixing and repairing everything by yourself is quite popular. Millions of websites and videos suggesting to DIY everything. And that is a good thing. Teaching people to take care of themselves and their problems is a benefit to all. It is eco-friendly, people get to save a little bit of money and the problem can be fixed immediately. However, there are some things that you might want to avoid fixing. Specifically electrical repairs. Even if you have some familiarity with electricity, it can still be very dangerous.
Yes, it is true that electric repairs are costly, and calling an electrician is even costlier, but I think that it is much better to spend your money so you can get yourself out of harm’s way.
If you are still inclined to do DIY electrical repairs, here are some of the reasons why you never should do that.
Source: HomeGuide
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1. It is a huge risk
I know this, you know this and everyone else knows this. Electricity is no joke. It is very dangerous, it could cause some serious harm to you and those around you. A lot of times, exposure to electricity even leads to death. This is why it is so important to avoid doing electrical repairs, especially if you have no experience or knowledge on this matter.
Keep in mind, the only danger is not just electrocution. High voltages could also lead to a fire. So, not only are you exposing yourself to shock, but you are also putting everyone else in the household in danger because of the chances of a fire.
Even the slightest mistake or a slip-up could potentially cause a fire or you could seriously harm yourself.
Remember, if you do experience electrocution, it is recommended to visit the hospital as soon as possible. Even if you do feel fine, the electricity could cause have s serious interior damage. Stay safe.
The dangers of these kinds of DIY maintenance tasks are not just at the moment you are doing the repairs.
I will give you an example. You are fixing a socket in the kitchen, you check to see whether it works by plugging in an appliance and if it works, you are done.
However, even if it works, it does not mean that you have properly fixed it. Faulty wiring could be the result of a house fire in the future. It may not happen today, it may not happen tomorrow, but it will happen sometime in the future.
Remember that a huge portion of the fires around the world today is electrical fires. It is either because of some old and outdated appliances or bad faulty wiring.
Forget about dealing with such problems by yourself. Just call an electrician that will deal with all of your electrical issues safely and appropriately as suggested by Bates Electric.
Source: HouseAffection
2. It could get expensive
The whole point of DIY is to solve the issues in your home by yourself without having to pay an expert, right? If you have the right set of tools and materials, you could probably save thousands of dollars every year if you avoid calling professional help. That is the idea.
However, if you do not have any kind of knowledge or experience in electrical repairs, you might actually make your project be more expensive than just hiring an expert.
How? Well, let us say that you do try to fix a certain appliance. You open up the toaster, you fix the wiring, you close it and then you plug it back into the wall. You turn it on and then there is a short circuit. That is never a good sign.
When this happens, you could easily damage any other device that is plugged in. You could permanently damage all of the other appliances in your kitchen. That is a cost of thousands of dollars.
Instead, you could avoid all of the unnecessary investment in time or money and just call a professional that is going to fix your problem in a matter of minutes without causing any kind of further damage.
Source: Spyrka Electric
3. Invalidates your insurance
In the 21st century, we all know how important it is to ensure your home.
In case there is a fire, a burglary, or some kind of natural disaster in the future, at least you will be covered by insurance. You will not have to worry about your losses because you will be reimbursed.
However, if the cause for the fire is faulty wiring, the wiring you try to fix, your insurance will immediately become nullified. In other words, you will not see a single dollar from your insurance company.
Now think about whether it is worth saving money by avoiding professionals, experts, or electricians.
If you really want to become a DIY expert, you can always experiment on other topics or with old appliances or devices that you do not need.
Source: Turn It On Electric
4. It might be illegal
A lot of states in the US require you to have a permit to do any kind of electrical work. So, if you do not have this kind of permit, you are basically doing the legal DIY repairs. I know, it does sound harmless to just visit your friend’s or a family member’s house to do a simple repair, but it is really not worth it.
A permit is needed for a reason. The requirement for a permit is put in place to make sure that people do not put themselves and others in danger. If you care about your friends and your loved ones, it is probably a good idea to just forget about doing DIY electric repairs.
As you can see, I did not number a lot of reasons why you should never do DIY electric repairs, but I believe that these four reasons I mentioned are more than enough to convince anyone. Electricity is dangerous and unless you learn how to deal with it, how to stay safe from it, just hire an expert to deal with your repairs.
