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5 Reasons Not to Do DIY Electrical Work

23 October 2019

Tommy Franklin

If you like doing jobs around the house, then you might be itching to have a go on some electrical work. You might have a job to do that seems simple enough, like adding a new power point or installing a ceiling fan. However, DIY electrical jobs are a minefield of problems. What are they?

1. You Could Have an Accident

You certainly know that electricity is dangerous, and you hopefully intend to do the work safely. However, if you're not a qualified electrician, then you don't have all the skills and knowledge you need to work with electricity safely. Even if you think you know what you are doing, you can't identify all of the hazards or problems that make a job dangerous. A simple mistake could give you an electric shock. This might just give you a bit of pain and a scare, or it could kill you. This is a risk you don't want to be taking.

2. You Could Put Your Home at Risk

Even if you do some electrical work that seems to go OK, you have no way of knowing if you've done the job safely. Things might seem fine to start with but they could cause problems later. So, for example, say you change a light switch. However, you've accidentally left a loose connection in the switch. This connection could spark and cause a fire in the wall. This puts your home and anyone in it at risk.

3. You Could Invalidate Your Insurance

If you do an electrical job yourself and it goes wrong, then you might turn to your home insurance company to cover your costs. However, once they find out you did a DIY job, they are likely to refuse to pay. You can invalidate insurance if any work you have done on your home isn't carried out by a licensed professional.

4. You Could Be Left Out of Pocket

If you start a job and then find that you can' t finish it or if you do something wrong, then you'll end up calling out an electrician anyway. If you've accidentally damaged something in your system or if the work you've done takes time to put right, then you could end up paying more than if you'd just gotten your electrician to do the job in the first place.

5. You Could Be Breaking the Law

The government has specific rules on who can do electrical work. You must use a licensed tradie. If you are caught doing DIY work, then you could be fined.

So, if you have electrical jobs that need doing, it's far safer to call in professional electrical contractors.

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