The system of wires, cables, transformers, fuses, and outlets that keeps electricity flowing through your home is a complicated beast, and inside is a high potential for danger. When something goes wrong or you’re need it to expand to new areas or fixtures in your house, it takes a great deal of knowledge to make that happen in a way that’s safe and reliable.
You may be tempted to do this work on your own to try to save money. Unless you’re an electrician, don’t. You run a huge risk of doing damage to yourself and your property, and in the end the money you spend having someone do it right will more than offset the costs of having to repair your mistakes or, worse, your medical bills.
It is always better to bring in someone who knows what they’re doing. Now the question is: how do you find them? Here are a few things that you should keep in mind if you want to find a good and licensed electrician who will get it right the first time.
Hire a Licensed Electrician
You may be thinking of the general, do-it-all handyman you know that takes care of odd jobs around the house. He probably has some of the knowledge that an electrician would have, but unless he has his license, it’s much wiser to find a licensed electrician.
Consider this: electricians have told me that more often than not, the first thing they do on a job is to begin fixing the mistakes of the person who worked on it before them. Sometimes this is the homeowner, but more often it’s the work of general contractors or handymen who have either cut the corners, or were simply unaware of the corners in the first place. Even the electronics work, it’s very possible that something going on in the walls is a fire hazard.
People call handymen for these jobs because they’re almost always cheaper than a licensed electrician, who has spent a great deal of time and working qualifying for that license. But if you’re just going to have to pay a real electrician to do the job again, and even spend more time fixing mistakes, the money you thought you were saving by avoiding the electrician actually cost you more in the long run. Save the time and the money: find a licensed electrician.
Consult Reviews
Now you know that you need a licensed electrician. There are probably many operating in your area. How do you choose the right one? The first thing you should do is check out sites like Yelp, Google+, Angie’s List, and Home Advisor for a directory of these services. You’ll also want to see what people on these sites are saying: are they highly rated? What kind of feedback do they get in the reviews? Generally, if licensed electricians please their customers, they’re doing something right.
Ask Around
Of course, before the internet, people were still able to learn the quality of a company before contracting them. Ask your friends and coworkers if they’ve ever hired a licensed electrician, what kind of service they performed, and how satisfied they were with the work. Ask them what they like and what they disliked. Most people will be glad to tell you about their experience, especially if the work was good.
If you are looking for a licensed and certified electrician for any electrical project that you might have in mind, please call us [phone] today. We’d be happy to provide you with a FREE, no-obligation quotation!