There is a lot that you need to consider when contemplating doing your own electrical. The Copper Connection has seen it all when it comes to electrical work. We have fixed countless DIY jobs. There is more to it than just if you think you can do it or not. Not only is safety a concern but you must make sure that you are legally able to do so. We want to walk you through the different aspects of this decision that need consideration before you decide.
There are so many safety procedures that need to be considered when working with electrical. OSHA has many guidelines to ensure that when you are working on it you keep yourself safe. One of these things is called lockout/tagout. If you do not know what that is, then you probably should not even be considering doing it yourself. Essentially what it means though is that before you ever start working on electrical, you need to isolate the power source and make it so that you are the only one that can access it when you’re ready. This would include not just turning off a breaker but locking it so that no one can flip the power back on. Then you are the only one who has the key to turn it back on. This is just one way that you would want to safely work on your electrical.
The amount of current that runs through those wires is enough to be able to kill you. It is something that you do not want to mess around with if you do not know what you are doing. There are also small safety measures that many people do not know. Such as you want to be wearing 100% cotton because on the off chance you do get electrocuted, other materials will burn into your skin.
You may wonder if you can even legally do your own electrical work. The short answer is that it depends on where you live. It is different from state to state and from one municipality to another. If you want to know about your area, then the best option is to call your local permit office. They will let you know what you are able to do and the requirements to be able to do it. Typically, most areas will allow you to do your own electrical work as longs as it is for your own benefit and not commercially.
There are a lot of reasons to want to do electrical work yourself. Foremost among them is that electricians can be expensive and scarce. However, here at the Copper Connection we are local and affordable. Do not take any unnecessary risk that you do not have to. Give us a call today for a free evaluation of your project!
By The Copper Connection 11-24-2020