Safety

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Ask the Electrician: Can I DIY?

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Q: What kinds of projects do you recommend for DIY?

Plenty of homeowners are taking on DIY projects for themselves to both save money and just for the enjoyment of completing tasks on their own.  For safety reasons it can be hard to determine what electrical projects are best to complete yourself and which ones require an electrician.  If you have any doubts it is best to contact a licensed electrician, better safe than sorry!

Be sure to give some thought to your experience level and knowledge before taking on any electrical DIY projects. Some homeowners are comfortable doing some basic small projects such as swapping out a light fixture, replacing an outlet or installing low voltage lighting and other will opt to call a professional every time.  Many of these small projects have great tutorials and other online resources that can be reviewed beforehand.

Safety First:

Anytime you are working with electricity, the safest thing to do is to turn the power off both at the wall switch as well as turning off the breaker inside your electrical panel. Always double check that the circuit is off before doing any work, never assume it is off. Check and double check to avoid the risk of shocking yourself or shorting out other wiring or appliances.

Invest in a few good tools for the project:

Some basic electrical tools are nice to have on hand even for smaller projects. We recommend starting with the following:

  • Circuit Tester

  • Lineman Pliers

  • Wire Strippers

  • Good Quality Wire Nuts

Look & Label:

If you are replacing a fixture or outlet be sure to look carefully at how the original is put together before removing any wires or taking things apart. Making labels or taking photos can save a lot of headaches when it is time to put things back together.

Some things are best left to an electrician:

Obviously there are plenty of projects that even a knowledgeable homeowner should call an electrician for. If you do not feel absolutely comfortable with your task it’s better to call a professional. We strongly advise against any DIY projects that involve the following:

  • Anything with the Main Electrical Panel

  • Any outlet or appliance that is sparking

  • Anything affecting the main service feed to your home

  • Wires or cables that are spliced, damaged or look burned

  • Any projects that require bonding or grounding to other systems                                                                                    

Not feeling comfortable:

It’s fine to change your mind and decide to ask for help. For obvious liability reasons can’t “talk you through” a project or answer questions over the phone but are happy to schedule a service call or estimate and take over a project if you decide that DIY isn’t for you!

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Ask the Electrician is a column we publish with our advertising partner WCHL/Chapelboro. In “Ask The Electrician,” Scott answers common questions about electrical work, from switches and outlets to safety issues and preventative maintenance. If you have a suggested question for us to answer – or need an electrician – please reach out to our office.

See the article on Chapelboro.com: Can I DIY?

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Ask the Electrician: Holiday Q&A

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Q: How do I keep electrical costs under control and safe during the holidays?

Tis the season and we are all hopefully making things merry & bright in our homes and with our families. These celebrations come with some extra costs and safety concerns that are easy to manage with a little thought.

Holiday Lights and Decorations:

Overall your holiday light display isn’t likely to break the budget for electrical costs but a little planning can make it a lot smoother and more energy efficient and avoid any faults/tripping breakers.

  • Timers: A timer is a great way to share your holiday light show when friends and neighbors are most likely to enjoy it.  It saves some electrical costs and puts “turning everything off late night” on auto-pilot.

  • Connections and cords: Take special care to keep any connections dry and out of the elements. These connection points are one of the most common causes of a tripped breaker or short in the system.

  •  Outdoor/Wet Ratings: Be sure any exterior lights are both UL listed and outdoor rated. Extension cords should be outdoor rated as well. Lights should be plugged into an exterior GFCI rated outlet.

  •  Trees and indoor displays should be turned off when you are not at home to enjoy them for both safety reasons and to save a bit of electricity.

Consider an upgrade: Most of us only use our holiday lights once a year (except that one “year round” neighbor that we all have), and in general we don’t replace holiday lights and decorations very often. Newer LED lights are both more energy efficient as well as generating less heat reducing the potential for faults. They also offer some cool new features!

Programmable Thermostats:

It’s chilly out and we all want to be comfortable. A programmable thermostat can help keep the house warm when everyone is home and save a bit of energy during the night (when we’re all cozy in bed) or when everyone is away at work. Check with your local energy provider for any tax credits or other credits for installing a programmable thermostat or signing up for off-hours usage for bigger tasks (laundry, dishwashers etc.) at a reduced rate.

Space Heaters:

A little chilly in the back office or upstairs bonus room? Space heaters can be a great way to keep a room extra cozy but should only be run while in the room.  They can consume a fair bit of energy if used for extended periods. Look for models that have an automatic shut off feature if they over heat or are tipped over.

Smoke Detectors:

It goes without saying that every home should have working smoke detectors but before the holidays is a great time to double check that yours are functional and have been tested.  Be sure to check the date on your smoke detector, they should be replaced every 10 years at a minimum. Unfortunately between kitchen accidents, Christmas trees and fireplace hazards, the holidays can be an increased risk for house fires, knowing that your smoke detectors are ready & working is great peace of mind.

Holiday Wishes & Office Hours:

The entire Dynamic Electric team would like to wish you a Happy Holiday and a wonderful New Year! We are sincerely thankful for our customers and the community that we live and work in for bringing us through what has been a couple of very challenging years. We look forward to many bright years ahead.

The office will be closed on December 23-24th as well as December 30th for the holidays.  

Ask the Electrician is a column we publish with our advertising partner WCHL/Chapelboro. In “Ask The Electrician,” Scott answers common questions about electrical work, from switches and outlets to safety issues and preventative maintenance. If you have a suggested question for us to answer – or need an electrician – please reach out to our office.

See the article on Chapelboro.com: Holiday Q&A

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Ask the Electrician: Preventing Shocks, Faults and Fires

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Q: What is the difference between GFCI and AFCI?

Both of these safety devices are becoming more and more common in our homes. They protect against two major threats caused by electrical ground faults that can cause electric shocks (GFCI) and electrical fires (AFCI).

Most homeowners are familiar with GFCI or Ground Fault Circuit Interruption. As a safety feature, these have been required by building codes since the early 1970s.  GFCI outlets appear commonly in bathrooms, exterior outlets, crawl spaces and other areas that may be exposed to moisture.

Because water can be a conductor, proximity to moisture is a common way that electrical current can leak and result in a ground fault. Exposure to even small increases in current can cause severe or fatal shock hazards. The common visualization here is the hair dryer slipping into the sink or bathtub.  The GFCI senses even these small increases in current and reacts almost immediately (within a tenth of a second) to shut off current to the outlet.

GFCI are easily reset at the outlet with a small reset button. If your GFCI does not reset or continues to trip, you should contact an electrician to determine the problem. Additionally, GFCI switches should be tested periodically to make sure that they are working. As our homes age, existing GFCI outlets may have reached the end of their useful life and need to be replaced.

AFCI or Arc Fault Circuit Interruption provides protection against electrical fires by detecting irregularities in current caused my arc faults.  AFCIs can be installed at a breaker box level or in receptacles that look similar to the more common GFCI outlet.  Both the breakers and the outlets have a reset switch that must be reset if tripped.  AFCI protection started to become a requirement in 2002, primarily for bedrooms and today is a building requirement for most living areas in the home.

Arc faults are most associated with electrical fires because the “arc” can result in sparking and excessive heat that can easily ignite any nearby materials.  Old, frayed appliance cords, loose connections or pinched/punctured wiring can all cause arc faults. The common homeowner accident is nailing into wires in the wall while hanging a picture. Because most electrical wiring is hidden from sight, electrical fires can spread behind walls and present very dangerous conditions not immediately detectable by smoke detectors.

The sensing technology for AFCIs has improved a great deal but older technology was responsible for many complaints of “false tripping” so AFCIs are not as widely accepted or known as GFCI protection. Today homeowners that are updating existing homes, especially older retrofits may need to look at several options for AFCI or a combination of the breaker and outlet styles. This is because appliances, wiring types and AFCI technology have all changed over the years, so retrofitting can require some research and a bit of fine tuning for how all of the components will work together.  Don’t be discouraged if it takes some investigation.

Electrical safety has come a long way and continues to improve. Let us know if you have any questions about either the GFCI or AFCI protection in your home.

Return to Home Page

Ask the Electrician is a column we publish with our advertising partner WCHL/Chapelboro. In “Ask The Electrician,” Scott answers common questions about electrical work, from switches and outlets to safety issues and preventative maintenance. If you have a suggested question for us to answer – or need an electrician – please reach out to our office.

See the article on Chapelboro.com: Preventing Shocks, Faults and Fires