When do you need to hire an electrician and wiring contractor?
1. Lightning strike or overloaded circuit
An overloaded circuit happens when a surge of current passes through the electrical wiring. This can happen during a lightning strike, or if you plug too many devices into single socket. An actual surge only lasts about a microsecond. Frequent surges can damage electrical components connected to your home, downgrading its life expectancy significantly.
Your home electrical circuit board (also known as Distribution Board, or DB) has fuses that can cut the current during an overload, but once they are tripped, they may need to be replaced. If you are not sure how to replace fuses, then you should hire an electrician to do it for you.
2. Malfunctioning switches
If you moved into a resale home and find that some switches that don’t seem to do anything, or are not connected to anything, it could be a sign that the wiring has been done incorrectly. Or, there could be a potential fault in the outlet, circuit or wiring and should be inspected by an electrician immediately.
Another common problem is when the light switch plate gets damaged or cracked. This will also need to be replaced to avoid exposing dangerous wiring.
3. Circuit breaker tripping frequently
A circuit breaker is designed to protect you and your home, so when it does trip, that’s a sign it’s doing its job. Depending on the type of appliances being used, items such as microwaves, kettles, air-conditioners and hair dryers can cause circuit breakers to trip, especially when other power-consuming items are in use simultaneously.
To solve this, you may need to upgrade the capacity of your main circuit board to handle more devices. For example, older homes may only be able to support 2 aircon units. But with an upgrade, that number can be increased to 6 or more.
4. Add more power points
As we buy more and more devices and appliances, it becomes a challenge finding power sockets to plug them in. This problem happens a lot at our TV consoles, where we may need to plug in a TV, gaming console, Internet modem, wi-fi router, soundbar and more. It’s also a problem in the kitchen if we have lots of appliances on the counter.
An electrician can help to add more power sockets by extending the existing wiring. Depending if you want the new power socket to be flush into the wall or not, they may also need to hack your walls to create a channel for the new wiring and socket. If you don’t want to do any hacking, then the wiring can simply be laid along the wall and covered with trunking.
5. Relocate ceiling points, or install ceiling fans
If you look at your ceiling of a new home, you will notice wires hanging down at different spots. These are used for new lights, ceiling fans and other fixtures. But, what if you don’t like the position of these points? An electrician can help relocate the position of the wires by extending the existing wiring to suit your needs.
6. Installing water heater
When you buy a new water heater, regardless of whether it is an instant water heater or storage tank heater, it will need to be connected to a power source. Since there are no power sockets in the shower area, an electrician will need to extend the electrical wiring to deliver power to the heater. This is then connected to a switch outside
the bathroom door (the one with the red light), so that you can get hot water when you need it.
Why hire a professional to handle all electrical works
1. Safety assurance
The main reason why you should hire a professional electrician is for your own safety, your family’s safety and the safety of your house. Dealing with indirect or direct electricity can be extremely dangerous and should only be done with expertise, safety training and proper equipment. If repairs are performed incorrectly, you might create long-term safety hazards in the form of electrical shocks (particular for instant water heaters) and fire. If you find yourself in an uncertain situation, your best bet is to hire a professional electrician.
2. Cost
Many people tend to feel discouraged to hire an electrician because of the potential costs that might be incurred. As a result, many homeowners end up calling professional electricians after their DIY repair made the problem even more complicated to fix than it would have been if they’d sought professional help in the first place. Not only does it save on time and money, hiring a professional electrician will ensure your wiring or electrical works gets done safely.
“A cheap electrician may do the minimum amount of work to get the wires connected, but cause a mess in the circuit diagram. This will make it hard to troubleshoot any problems in the future”
3. Accurate diagnosis
A small problem might just be one symptom of a much larger problem. A professional electrician can perform precise troubleshooting and problem solving to conduct proper diagnosis with your electrical system while providing appropriate solutions.
