\nBefore you attempt any DIY electrical work at home, be sure to read what these electricians have to say.\n
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I\u2019ve spent four to eight years in apprentice school learning how to plan, install, inspect, and repair electrical products. Don\u2019t insult my intelligence by implying otherwise.\n
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Electricity is complicated and dangerous. If you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing, you could start a fire or get electrocuted\u2014sometimes fatally. Pretty much anything beyond plugging something into the wall should be left to a professional. The cost of my visit is nothing compared to the price of your safety.\n
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Even if you do go ahead and try to solve your electric issues by yourself, don\u2019t shut off only your electric panel\u2019s main circuit breaker, which is usually the top switch. Turning that off before all the miniature circuit breakers (the smaller switches that control a specific outlet or part of the home) means the entire load of electricity suddenly has nowhere to go, which could overload the panel\u2014and that\u2019s an expensive fix. Shut off each individual circuit first, then turn off the main breaker.\n
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Don\u2019t call at the end of the day if you want same-day service. After 4:30 or 5:30 p.m., I need to pay my workers overtime, so I\u2019ll charge you more to make up for it. Calling first thing in the morning lets me fit your job into my day\u2014and you\u2019ll see a lower bill.\n
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Even if a business without a license can charge you less, it\u2019s worth looking for a licensed electrician like me. Most states require professional electricians to be licensed, so a person without one is a red flag. He or she might not have insurance and could stop picking up the phone if something goes wrong. As a licensed electrician, I will be held accountable\u2014which is good news for my customers.\n
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Online reviews are useful when you\u2019re on the hunt for a trustworthy electrician. If the person with the lowest quote also has the worst ratings, it\u2019s worth shelling out a bit more. If that cheaper electrician messes up, you\u2019ll just need to call me (and my higher price) and pay more overall.\n
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I don\u2019t specialize in installing dishwashers or washing machines, so please don\u2019t call me about them. You\u2019re better off finding a plumber.\n
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I\u2019ll try to fix your old item if I can, but I might ask you to have a new replacement on hand just in case. Don\u2019t skip the shopping trip because you\u2019re banking on me being able to fix the old one. If it\u2019s beyond repair, I\u2019ll need to come back (and charge you) for a second visit once you get to the store instead of finishing the first time around, ultimately costing you more. You\u2019re better off buying it and returning it if we don\u2019t need it.\n
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My busy season is when people are spending their tax returns and spring-cleaning, but I\u2019m slower in the winter months leading up to that. Call me then, and I might be able to offer you a lower rate if I\u2019m desperate for business.\n
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Power outlets in homes\u2014but not businesses and other buildings\u2014are required to have tamper-resistant receptacles, which prevent kids from getting hurt when sticking objects in the slot. At first glance, the tamper-resistant receptacles don\u2019t look different from the ones without the safety feature, so read the label closely if you need to buy a new one. They\u2019re a little more expensive, but I\u2019ll send you back for another if you don\u2019t shell out the extra money up front.\n
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The farther I need to travel to get to you, the more time is taken out of my day\u2014and I\u2019ll factor that into your bill. Finding someone closer to your neighborhood might be able to charge you less.\n
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My original quote is based on the project you called me in for. If I find out there\u2019s actually a larger issue at hand, I\u2019ll need to increase my price to match the scope of the project. I\u2019m not ripping you off, I\u2019m just making sure I get compensated for the extra work.\n
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Before I bring the tools out, I\u2019m going to ask you questions to get an idea of what\u2019s going on and where to look. You might have your theories about what\u2019s wrong and what my questions mean, but don\u2019t give roundabout replies to match those assumptions. Giving me straight answers will save us both time.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Before you attempt any DIY electrical work at home, be sure to read what these electricians have to say. I\u2019m not unskilled labor I\u2019ve spent four to eight years in apprentice school learning how to plan, install, inspect, and repair electrical products. Don\u2019t insult my intelligence by implying otherwise. Please don\u2019t try to do it\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[100,96,30,46,6,31,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-20375","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tie-life-style","8":"tag-diy","9":"tag-diy-home","10":"tag-household-hacks","11":"tag-life-hacks","12":"tag-life-style","13":"tag-tips","14":"tag-tricks"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/things-electian.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}