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The Importance of Using a Licensed Electrician

For any electrical work you need done in your home or office, we strongly recommend hiring a licensed electrician. Beta Electrical Solutions is a call away so book us now!

In our profession, we encounter jobs where the owners try to solve an electrical problem themselves or by hiring an unlicensed electrician. This almost always never turns out well and ends up being a more difficult and costlier job for the client. Here are four such calls we received from the field, and our experience helping these clients.

For any electrical work you need done in your home or office, we strongly recommend hiring a licensed electrician. Beta Electrical Solutions is a call away so book us now!

A licensed electrician is more knowledgeable than a handyman in fixing electrical problems, and can recommend solutions that are safer and more sustainable in the long term.

Stories from the field:

Story 1 – Power Tripping

We frequently get calls from homeowners about their power tripping. This is most often because of an overloaded circuit, especially when too many devices are plugged into a single power socket. Other causes can be faulty appliances, faulty sockets, or internal wiring issues. 

We recently had a call from a homeowner complaining that the power kept tripping in their house. When we arrived, we found that their power points were wired incorrectly; the neutral cable (black) and earth cable (green/yellow) had been wired the wrong way. The owner told us that instead of calling a licensed electrician, they had their handyman, who was already doing other work at their home, install the new power point. Obviously, they had not done a correct nor safe job.

We had to isolate the power and reconnect the power point correctly. We also added more power points and additional circuits,  while installing safety switches to protect the circuits in the home. This meant the owners could avoid using extension leads and power packs which can cause power overloads and power surges. This is a more sustainable and safe solution. 

Power point wiring

Story 2 – New Light Fittings

Another type of call we get is about new light fittings. Clients complain that they either don’t work, or they stay on all day and night and in some cases, they short circuit. We’ve found that this is usually because the client (more often than not the husband) takes it upon themself to replace their old lights with new ones, including doing the wiring. They assume it’s a simple case of joining all the same colored wires together. This is not always the case as there are often hard actives and multiple switch wires at light fittings.

“What are the colours of wiring and their uses?”

Active wires are brown/red, neutrals are blue/black, and earth (ground) is green or yellow. Active or hot wires carry electricity from the power source to the load. Neutral wires carry it back to the power source to regulate voltage. Ground wires are so called because they carry excess power safely to the ground, which has a negative charge.

For this job, we had to test all the wiring to identify which wires were which. This took longer than if we had done the job of disconnecting the lights and installing new ones from the start. An attempt to save money by doing the job on their own ended up costing the client more. Not to mention, it could have ended in a serious electrical injury.

Story 3 – Burnt Wiring

A common issue we encounter is burnt wiring. This is most commonly caused by a loose connection, making it difficult for electrical currents to flow through, which can cause heat and damage. If not called in right away, it can cause a fire.

We were once called to fix a kitchen power point that had stopped working. When we got there, we discovered that the wiring behind the terminals was burnt, caused by arcing due to a loose connection. We disconnected the power point, restripped the wiring, and installed a new powerpoint.

“How can I tell if my wiring is faulty?”

Some signs you can look out for for faulty wiring is a burnt smell from a particular socket, several sockets in a room not working, or, when you plug in a device, the socket sparks. It’s important to have your wires checked by a licensed electrician so you know if they’re in good condition or need to be replaced. 

Incorrectly wired power points from a poor handyman's job.
Incorrectly wired power points from a poor handyman's job.
We had to isolate the power and reconnect the power point correctly. We also added more power points and additional circuits, while installing safety switches to protect the circuits in the home.

Story 4 – Sparking Switches

A sparking light switch isn’t usually dangerous if it gets repaired or replaced immediately. If a switch in your home is sparking, call a licensed electrician right away to solve the problem and avoid it in the future.

We got a call for a bathroom light switch that had been sparking. The client’s solution was to cover it with a piece of paper so no one would use it. When we peeled the paper away, we saw that the switch had burned. What had happened was the steam from the shower was causing condensation to build up and get into the switch, since the exhaust fan was also not working. The moisture caused arcing behind the switch and melted the wiring as well as the switch. What’s worse, there were no safety switches installed on the lighting circuits, which would have cut off the power to the circuit.

We repaired the burnt wiring, installed a new switch, replaced the exhaust fan, and installed safety switches for the lighting circuits so everything works good as new.

Sparking bathroom light switch
Sparking bathroom light switch

The lesson – it is important to always hire a licensed electrician to do your electrical work, no matter how big or small the job.

Doing your own electrical work is very dangerous and costs you more money in the long run. Also, ignoring or putting off electrical work (especially something as alarming and dangerous as sparking) to the last minute can turn a small issue into a major problem. 

We strongly recommend hiring a licensed electrician to do your electrical work. A licensed electrician is more knowledgeable than a handyman in fixing electrical problems and we (yes we are licensed!) can recommend solutions that are safer and more sustainable in the long term. 

Beta Electrical Solutions founder and owner Charlie El Azzi is a certified member of Master Electrician so you can be assured of electrical work to the highest standard when you hire us. 

“Why choose a Master Electrician?”

Master Electrician is an association that makes sure their licensed electricians are always up to date with the latest news and developments in the industry, including those of health and safety regulations. 

What does that mean for you? Peace of mind, no hassle or fuss, and 100% satisfaction with the job. You can rest assured that the person you hired is the most experienced, knowledgeable, skilled, and responsible individual who will give you the best service you can get. 

For any electrical work you need done in your home or office, we strongly recommend hiring a licensed electrician. Beta Electrical Solutions is a call away so book us now!

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