When you notice your lights getting faulty, your fuse box shorting out, or your appliances not working as they should, you have two options. You can either call an electrician, or you can pull out your tool kit and get to work! Becoming a DIY electrician requires a lot of prep and know-how, so don’t go in blind. Follow these essential steps before you embark on your DIY journey to make sure you know what you’re doing and you get the work done as well, and as safely, as possible.
Circuit Breakers
Circuit breakers are essential in all home electrics. They are vital safety devices that trip whenever your electric supply jumps over a safe level. This means they can automatically save you from short circuits, overloading, and even fires.
You need to make sure you’re using the right type of circuit breaker. You can determine the right size of circuit breaker you need by checking the wire size printed on the wires that are connected to your current breaker. If you have a Zinsco panel, then you need a proper circuit breaker as these panels can be dangerous. Make sure you check out the correct Zinsco breakers to keep your home safe.
Voltage Detectors
It should go without saying that before you tamper with any wiring, you should shut off your electricity. It’s easy to imagine what could go wrong if you skip this step. But how do you ensure that the power is properly shut off?
An essential tool in any electrician’s kit is an approved voltage detector. These affordable little gadgets are designed to keep you safe. Before you use it, you should always test it on a known live power source. Before you’ve shut off your power, test your detector on a socket. It should show an active voltage source. You cannot skip safety equipment, and you should always make sure it’s working properly.
Insulating Gloves
No, these aren’t gloves that keep your hands warm in the Winter. Insulating gloves are another unskippable step in your DIY safety. These gloves are often made from latex, rubber, or leather. Their sole purpose is to keep you safe while you tamper with wiring, so no stray currents can make it through to your body.
Make sure you get some high quality insulated work gloves. They need to be properly approved, made by a trusted manufacturer, and of course, they need to be the right size! You may never notice these gloves working, but that’s a good thing, as they could’ve saved your life without you even knowing about it.
Undertaking your own electrical work can save time and money because you can’t always wait to get your power supply fixed! So if you’re going to do it yourself, you should follow each of these steps to make sure you’re doing everything as safely as you can. Once you get to grips with electrical work, it can become pretty easy to carry out minor fixes and get yourself up and running again. Just make sure you’ve properly researched everything you’re about to do, and never take any risks!