Electrical hazards cause thousands of accidents, resulting in numerous injuries and deaths, even to this day in America. We hate to see it happen, especially when it’s because a homeowner tries to perform dangerous electrical work without a licensed electrician. We’d like to give you some specific reasons to avoid the DIY approach to electrical work by showing you the ways you could lead to serious injury.

Common Electrical Hazards: Improper Sizing

Trained electricians know how important it is to have proper sizing for matching breakers and wires. One of the most common problems we have to fix occurs when DIY electricians use too large of a breaker for their wires.

Circuit breakers protect your wires, but if you use an oversized breaker, then you risk burning through the wire. If a wire has only a 15-amp rating, it’s counterproductive and hazardous to slap on a 20-amp breaker. This is one of the best reasons to consult an electrician rather than try to improvise and create major problems.

Other Electrical Hazards with Wires & GFCI Outlets

Another common hazard is the reverse polarity (reversing the hot and neutral wires), which is once again very common with amateur electricians. Oddly enough, when this happens), the appliance may continue to function (with the wires in backward), but there’s a significantly greater chance of shock or electrocution.

GFCI Outlets

The other major hazard relates to GFCI outlets. When homeowners attempt to install these themselves, it’s easy to get things backward yet again. Without training on how to do electrical work, you might flip-flop the load and line side of the GFCI, which will cause it to work improperly.

What’s worse? It even creates issues with power downstream from the outlet. That means other outlets won’t work either, all because someone used the DIY strategy on what should have been a reliable upgrade device. Instead of jeopardizing your safety and electrical performance, contact Fusion Electric to handle service upgrades like these.

More Tips for Avoiding Electrical Hazards

There are plenty of other homeowner-driven electrical mistakes, but hopefully, you understand why these things happen and how to avoid them. Finally, since the topic is important, don’t forget to review these helpful electrical safety tips.

• Only use the appropriate wattage for the light bulbs throughout your home. Hot bulbs, especially incandescent ones, can quickly become a fire hazard.
• Save on your energy bill and give your circuit breaker a rest by unplugging unused appliances.
• Never run electrical cords underneath doors or carpets. It’s very easy to break them and expose yourself to more shock potential.
• Make sure you only use waterproof equipment near water. This is most important in kitchens and bathrooms, but also with outdoor pools and hot tubs.
• Limit the use of extension cords. They’re not meant to be a permanent fixture and can deteriorate quickly.

Fusion Electric: The Best Licensed Electricians in Kansas City

When in doubt, it’s smarter to call an electrician to handle even the simpler electrical tasks. In difficult circumstances, we can get to your home or business for same-day service. So, you don’t have to endure a long wait to receive exemplary service, thus eliminating any need to try any risky DIY adventures.

Did you know we’re rated as one of the top KC electrical companies, according to the review business, BloggerLocal? We’ve also earned an A+ accreditation with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), recognition for Super Service with Angie’s List, and you can find plenty of our positive customer testimonials.

Avoid these common electrical hazards, and contact us for safe, thorough, and expedient electrical work.