If you’re a commercial building owner, manager or developer, Hawkeye Electric understands what’s most important to get the results you need and what your structure requires. In addition, safety is our number one priority. Everyone who either works or visits your building could be at risk if an unexpected electrical issue happens to arise.
It’s a situation we’ve all experienced. After an electrical malfunction or short circuit, it’s common to think it may be easier and less expensive to handle the work yourself in-house. It’s our goal to give our clients and customers the expertise and resources needed for your electrical repairs or proactive preventative measures and safeguards. However today, we’re going to talk about electrical repairs best left to the professionals.
Electrical Work Should Be Left to Professionals — Here’s Why
Proper repairs and installations of electrical systems can cause shocks and electrical fires. To learn more about why you should hire a licensed Phoenix electrician for all of your electrical needs, read on.
Working With Electricity Is Dangerous
There’s no denying that electricity is dangerous, but it’s worth noting. All electrical maintenance should be left to a professional unless you’re trained and certified. If you don’t know how to protect yourself and work safely with electricity, even a seemingly minor electrical job can result in injury or even death.
It is true that DIY or Do-It-Yourself projects can add value to your building and save you money, but when it comes to electrical work, DIY is one phrase you should never use. Electricity can be deadly if not handled properly, which is one of the biggest dangers of DIY electrical work.
According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, approximately 51,000 fires are caused by electricity each year, resulting in close to 500 deaths, over 1,400 injuries and $1.3 billion in property damages.
Incorrect Electrical Work Is Also Dangerous
It’s dangerous to work with electricity, but making mistakes with electrical work can be even worse. If you make even the slightest mistake when installing an electrical outlet or making an electrical repair, you can create a hazardous situation that leads to electrocution, shocks, and even electrical fires.
Our team at Hawkeye strongly encourages you not to take chances with the safety of those in your building. The best way for a manager to foster a trusting relationship with those in their building is to keep them safe, first and foremost.
DIY Electrical Work Can Actually Be More Expensive
How much does it cost? The thing is, people say they’re saving money by doing their own electrical work. Although this might seem true at first, DIY electrical maintenance can cost you a lot more in the long run than hiring a pro. If you do an electrical job wrong, you can end up with thousands of dollars in damage. So, for peace of mind and confidence, it’s worth hiring an electrician.
Electrical Repairs to Never DIY
All of that said, let’s explore some of the specific electrical repairs that you absolutely never want to do yourself.
Electrical Appliance Repairs
What is the true meaning of DIY? It may seem like a simple fix to fix a frayed electrical cord or a faulty electrical appliance. However, that’s a risk you shouldn’t take.
Among the top 5 causes of electrical fires, faulty appliances top the list. If a licensed electrician had looked at the problem, many of these fires could have been avoided. Fires can start at any time from frayed cords transferring heat to combustible surfaces like rugs or curtains. You can prevent such problems by calling a reputable electrician!
Maintenance of Electrical Panels
Let’s get this one out of the way. Your building’s electrical panel should be easy to work with, right? Wrong. The fact that many of us reset tripped circuit breakers and never think about it again is second nature to us, but we should all pay more attention to it. It’s true that there are many electrical panel issues that can be fixed quickly and easily, but there are also some that are more complex and can be dangerous. Don’t hesitate to call an electrician if you’re unsure. We have highly trained electricians who can spot and fix these things right away — it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Major Electrical Projects
Obviously, projects that require permits should only be done by licensed electricians. It’s important to leave major electrical work to the pros, even if you’re a DIYer.
“Major electrical projects” also include building renovations. Every time you add a new room to a building, you should hire a licensed electrician. It’s also a good idea to call an electrician if you have to move walls in your building. While there are many renovation projects you can do yourself, electrical repairs aren’t one of them. Get in touch with your local electrician.
Electrical Wiring Repairs
This one’s for our electrical DIYers who are especially confident! We’d like to persuade you to have us review your work in the future if you have handled this kind of thing before and claimed it was easy, not a big deal, or a quick fix.
Do you remember those electrical fires we talked about earlier? Guess what else tops the list of residential electrical fires. If your answer was “faulty electrical wiring,” great job! We’re glad you’re paying attention — it will save you a lot of hassle in the long run.
You should get an electrical safety inspection if your building is 20 years old or older because outdated electrical wiring can be dangerous. In addition, modern appliances can put a lot of strain on older buildings’ wiring capacity.
Let the Experts at Hawkeye Help With Your Electrical Needs
A team of electrical professionals at Hawkeye enjoys working collaboratively on electrical design, new construction, renovations and facility maintenance projects.
We strive relentlessly to exceed our customers’ expectations on every project by identifying and understanding our clients’ needs and preparing and executing a plan to exceed their expectations. With honesty, integrity and trust as our guiding principles, we are effective and efficient project managers and tradesmen.
The 100% employee-owned Hawkeye Electric has built a solid reputation for dependability, performance and affordability since we began in 1999 by committing to service. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about repair assessments on your commercial space.