Avoiding DIY Electrical Disasters

For whatever reason, and there are plenty of reasons right now, you may be doing all the DIY yourself. If you’re lucky it’ll be a complete success with a money-saving end-result you’ll be pleased with. The worst-case scenario is an accident, and if you’re working with electricity, this could cause so much worse than a broken leg, even death. So, with this in mind how can you avoid DIY electrical disasters? You could hire a qualified and experienced electrician who’s registered with a government scheme, but for now, let’s look at what you can do to avoid any disasters in your home.

Using an Electric Drill

If you’re drilling a hole into the wall make sure you do some checks first. You want to be sure you’re not about to drill through a wire which could give you a very nasty shock with damage that could set you back quite a bit in financial terms. 

A simple check of the wall will entail looking to make sure there are no sockets horizontally or vertically aligned with the point on the wall where you’re going to place the hole for the nail. Never try to remove anything from the wall if you have damaged some wiring and if the fuse itself has blown. Please don’t try to repair the wiring either, as before, get in touch with a registered electrician.

Plugs

If you need a plug and you want to attach it to the cable yourself, always make sure you get your plug from a reliable retailer. Also, make sure it meets British Safety Regulations and look out for the kitemark BS 1363. Always follow the instructions and always make sure you replace a plug with an identical one with the same power range so it doesn’t cause an electrical power surge.

Bulbs

Replacing bulbs is something we all try to do ourselves and most of the time we do it successfully. As with the plugs, always buy from a trustworthy source, check the voltage and watt ratings and always make sure you switch the light off at the socket before putting the bulb in. The wrong wattage or voltage could cause a nasty accident so always be careful, it can even cause light fittings or the bulbs themselves to explode sending glass flying and causing an electric shock.

VC Electrical - Expert Professionals

If you don’t want to tackle any electrical DIY yourself for whatever reason, why not leave it to the professional electricians, such as ourselves here at VC Electrical. We’re here to help and we have the knowledge, training, and expertise for all jobs no matter how complex, and we’re all registered with a government scheme. Why not contact us if you have any problems and we can take it from there?