General Electrical

What Are the Most Common Electrical Mistakes?

There is nothing at all wrong with doing some of your own electrical work at home or business. However, sloppy electrical work can lead to short circuits and fires. Below are the most common electrical errors we see:

Receptacle Is Not Grounded

Until 1960 or so, all home electrical plugs only had two wires and there were two slots on the faceplate. That was when the National Electric Code was improved, and all receptacles had to have a third slot for the ground connection. The ground connection allows any stray electricity to be offloaded safely. Many people do not remember to run the ground wire when they replace the two-prong with a three-prong outlet. This creates a shock and fire risk. Call in a professional to ensure this is done right.

Improper Polarity

Remember that the black, or hot, wire goes to the brass-colored connector and the white, or neutral wire, goes to the silver one. This mistake won’t be made by experienced electricians. If you don’t know how to do it right, call in a professional. A good electrical contractor in Jacksonville, FL can help you with this fix.

Putting a Ceiling Fan Into a Light Box

The standard light box is not made to handle the weight of a ceiling fan. You should always use a proper ceiling fan box to install your fan.

Open Splices

The first electrical codes in the U.S. were created to avoid fire risks. Fire is the number-one risk with faulty electrical wires. A fire most commonly starts due to sparking or arcing. Splices should always be carefully soldered and covered with proper insulated tape.

Extension Cord Is Permanently Used

A garage door opener, for example, should use a permanent wiring connection rather than an extension cord.