Installing electrical gadgets in your home or workplace is one important investment that will last a longtime if done properly. Many house owners do say I can’t find an electrician near me, so they resort to doing it themselves.
Doing it yourself has its benefits but it’s not without some faults. This article uncovers some common electrical mistakes which should be avoided by an . Have a good read.
Common Electrical Mistakes And How To Avoid Them
1. Leaving Wires Without Clamps
When fixing wires in a socket or junction box, some electricians leave them untied, this is either done consciously or otherwise but it poses a great danger. Such wires are not meant to be too close together or left loose, this could cause sparks or even electrocution in severe cases.
To avoid this, electricians or DIYers should use clamps to hold and separate wires during installation. Some electric boxes may have internal clamps or if otherwise, get external clamps when installing wires and trap the sheathings under the clamps
2. Connecting Old Appliances To New Gadgets
Old gadgets like wires and boxes should be kept away if you have new appliances, if you wish to make use of old fixtures like wires, do well to check their rating. The issue with doing this is that the new fixtures can become obsolete or useless due to overheating and any other electrical faults that can surface.
To avoid this, use only new fixtures when installing any gadget. If you wish to make use of any durable old fixture, make sure it has the same ratings and quality.
3. Uncovered Wires
When installing new fixtures, you or your electrician may forget to cover up wires both inside a box or outside it. These wires could cause electrocution, sparks and sometimes domestic accidents that could take a life.
Aside from the damage done to the human body, unprotected wires don’t last long because they are exposed to harsh weather and rodents and other human factors. To avoid this, make sure all wires used are properly covered, for cables, if possible take them through the ceiling for safety.
4. Working Under Low Lights
When some electricians have the tendency to work without sufficient light, they base their prowess on their experience forgetting that it is very dangerous. Having sufficient light saves the electrician from getting electrocuted and also prevents any electrical fire that may occur from wrong connections.
To avoid working under low lights, you can get a lamp and a stand or better still get someone who can help with the lights.
5. Ignoring Electrical Precautions
There are so many precautions and steps that should be followed when installing electrical appliances. Doing any electrical work carelessly can result in a domestic accident. Many electrical gadgets have gone bad even before completely installing it, this is because some electricians do assume what the manual should say without reading it.
Precautions like wearing rubber gloves, switching off circuit breakers before effecting a change, reading the manual of any device before installation among others are ways to avoid ignoring electrical precautions.
6. Using Fake Materials
This act could be on both side; firstly, if you purchased electrical gadgets without the consent of an electrician, you may likely patronize the wrong person.
On the other side, your electrician can deliberately purchase low quality gadgets, and making use of fake materials will rather than add to the unforeseen dangers in your home.
To this, confirm all orders from a reputable store or personnel.
