5 DIY Electrical Projects You Can Do

It is an incredible thing to be self-sufficient. You feel like you are investing money, and in the end, you are motivating yourself. When it comes to your house, it's nice to have a can-do mentality. If you put your mind to it, you can do something great, except for a few electrical projects.

Without needing to employ an contractor, there are a lot of things you can do in your house, but electrical projects are different. If you’re fortunate, you won’t burn your house down, and if you’re unlucky, you might be electrocuted. Exploring electrical tasks may be highly dangerous. That is why here are the 5 electrical DIY projects you can manage and 5 electrical DIY projects you should never try.

5 DIY Electrical Project You Can Handle

Electrical wire frightens many of us. After all, some works literally include life or death situations. Additionally, without a licensed electrician, there are certain home remodelling projects that require electrical work that you can handle. Here are the five electrical tasks that you can do on your own.

Changing Light Bulbs

Switching to more energy-efficient light bulbs is essential when you are aiming to save on your monthly utility bills. Compared to regular light bulbs, energy-efficient ones are good for the environment.

In changing light bulbs, the first to wats out is to make sure that the power source is off. You have to wait approximately 10 to 15 minutes to ensure that the bulb is cool enough for you to touch. Use a ladder if the light bulb is in a high place, and remove the old light bulb. Insert the replacement bulb that is energy efficient and verify if your new light bulb is working through switching on the power.

Baby-Proofing Electrical Outlets

The greatest fear for parents of young children is their curious young minds who only want to stick random stuff in random locations, and this includes electrical outlets. The best solution for this is that parents should baby-proof electrical outlets. Through using a plastic outlet cover, parents can prevent their children from harm like electric shock and electrocution. In that way, they wouldn’t worry about leaving their children roaming anywhere in the house.

Labelling Your Circuit Board

Labelling your circuit board is the easiest yet beneficial electrical DIY task that you can do at home. This makes it simpler for you to understand which switch is linked to each room. When you need to get maintenance, it also makes tasks easier for the electrician.

In labelling, you can relabel each access, but it is recommended to use the standardized terms such as “Left Bedroom Upstairs” so that electricians would clearly understand. Furthermore, this will also help the new homeowners to identify which switch to turn on and off when an electrical emergency happens.

Adding Under Cupboard Lighting

One of the most successful home remodelling projects is the kitchen lighting. Not only is it perhaps the most visited room in the house, but a good ambience also promises to get comfortable while eating.

One element of the kitchen that few homeowners discuss is the lighting. Good kitchen lighting will make all the difference, whether you are cooking dinner tonight, getting some work done or eating midnight snacks. That is why under cabinet lighting is always part of the plan in the kitchen since this allows homeowners to add light to those areas that may require an additional spark.

Installing A Flat Screen TV

Gone are the days when the living room has clear cable wires or with bulky televisions. In modern styling, a flat-screen TV on the wall is the most common thing you can see in an average living room. That is why if you want to have a flat-screen TV on your wall, you can do it on your own. Although it will sound like a daunting challenge to others, anyone can accomplish this feat.

5 DIY Electrical Project You Shouldn’t Do

Today, homeowners grab their power tools and handle electrical projects themselves. While this can be a very satisfying process, there are some measures that should be left to the experts. Not only are certain home electrical tasks difficult, but they can be risky to try as well. Here are some examples of electrical tasks at home that you can never do on your own.

Replacing a Circuit Breaker

One severe way of creating electrical issues in your home is through messing with your circuit breaker. From the outside, circuit breakers may seem plain, but they’re actually complex since they are one of the cores of the entire electrical system in your home. 

Making a mistake can cause power surges and damaged wiring while you’re working on the breaker. If your circuit breaker needs repair or replacement, it’s better to entrust it to the experts to ensure the safety of your home and family.

Never Replace Burnt Outlets

It’s actually easy to substitute outlets on your own and does not present too much of a challenge for homeowners. However, never try to work on an outlet that is blackened, burned, or even hot to the touch. The problem here is possibly connected to overheated wires or circuits that are overloaded. 

You will literally only add a bandage to an electrical problem if you fix the outlet without digging deeper. But with a skilled electrician, they would be able to diagnose accurately any complicated condition that causes the problem and can fix it properly.

Replacing Wiring

The difficulty of the task lies in determining whether a homeowner can approach an electrical project or whether it should be done professionally. One of the jobs that are just too difficult for even experienced homeowners who do DIY is replacing wiring. To make DIY wire replacement worth the risk, there’s just too much that can go wrong. Faulty wiring tends to electric shorts that can spark a fatal house fire single-handedly. So it’s better to hire experts to avoid further damage.

New Switches Installation

It is not all that difficult to repair switches that have gone bad or are in need of upgrading to a different kind of switch. There are new switches so many modern switches in the market which are good to install. But avoid getting a new switch built as a DIY project. That would be dangerous. It would be peaceful to hire a skilled electrician to do the job since it’s much safer and more effectively.

Fixing Your Electrical Panel

Never mess about with an electrical panel. It’s great to know where it’s situated. In the event of an emergency, it is good to know when and how to switch it off, but do not fidget with the electrical panel.

This is the source of all the electrical power used in your house and can cause significant harm by fiddling with it. If you are not vigilant, you can struggle with power surges and even electrical fires. Contact a qualified electrician to do it for you if you really feel the need to alter anything in your electrical panel.

Conclusion

Electrical tasks can be risky, but there are a few that can be completed on their own with their DIY projects. It’s an incredible feeling at the end of the day to be self-sufficient and do things yourself, but you never want to risk your home or safety in the process. So hiring an expert will help your deal with your electrical emergencies.

For more information and advice about DIY Electrical projects or if you have any electrical work that needs licensed electricians, our reliable and trusted level 2 electricians from Sydney North Shore Electricians will ensure your home’s safety. 

With our highest quality of electrical services, expertise and mastery in all electrical works, you may leave all electrical matters in our hands and turn your attention to other things that would benefit you, your family and business.

Furthermore, wherever you are in Sydney, working with your local electricians means faster response time. Call us at (02) 8378 2828 for an appointment or book online.