What Electrical Work Can I Do Myself?

Whether it’s screwing in a lightbulb or putting up a shelf, we all like to have a go at certain DIY tasks around the house. In some cases, that’s a great idea. It gets the job done quickly without you having to fork out any money.

However, there are some jobs you simply can’t do yourself. In this post, we’ll explore what electrical work you can do yourself, and which jobs are best left to the professionals.

Electrical DIY advice

Electrical Safety First, an organisation set up to raise awareness of the dangers of electricity, provides five guidelines when it comes to electrical DIY:

1. Locate cables in your walls
2. Use a residual current device
3. Shut off the power
4. Check power tools’ condition
5. Get advice from an electrician

However, the best advice we can give is to avoid it at all costs. Unlike decorating or re-pointing your walls, electrical work comes with serious risks – both to you and your home.

The dangers of electrical work

First and foremost, electrical work is seriously risky to your own wellbeing unless you’ve been fully trained. Research has shown that almost half of severe electric shocks happen through DIY. As well as causing burns and an unpleasant sensation, these shocks can cause tissue damage or even trigger a heart attack.

Here are the main errors:

• Cutting through power leads
• Drilling into wiring
• Repairing electrical items that are still switched on

However, performing electrical work without the right training can also pose a threat to your property. The same survey found that a third of registered electricians have seen electrical mishaps from DIY that resulted in significant repair costs.

Whether it’s a fire, explosion or just damage to your home’s wiring, attempting your own electrical work could set you back quite a bit. In many cases, it will cost more than it would have done to get a professional for the initial job.

Are there any electrical jobs that are safe?

All that said there are a few jobs you can do yourself. Small tasks like replacing a fuse in a plug or changing standard lightbulbs are obviously safe. However, you should always follow instructions if you’ve never changed a fuse before, and make sure you’ve got the right fuse for the appliance.

For anything bigger or more complex, we’d always advise getting an electrician’s help. Even if it’s just for guidance or reassurance, an electrician can make sure you don’t do any damage to yourself or your property and recommend the best course of action.

Professional electrical services

Whether it’s wiring, fittings or new appliances, the team at Smart Electricians provides expert electrical services for homes across Yorkshire. We work to the highest standards to make sure every installation is completely safe, so you can have complete peace of mind.

For more information on our services or to arrange a no obligation survey, give our team a call on 0330 043 2031.