By Michael Cliffe
(Electrical Specialist)
-Part One-
If you own a home or work commercial jobs in Harford and or Baltimore County, you are going to need an Electrician at some point in time. It is inevitable. Suddenly, the garbage disposal will stop working and the kitchen sink will back up – hopefully not in the middle of preparing Thanksgiving dinner! Or the toilet which has been giving you problems no longer responds to the plunger that is parked next to it. Or you will decide you want to stay in the home you have lived for the past 20 years after all, but would like to finally have a larger Master Bathroom.
All of those scenarios involve the assistance of a professional Electrician. And if you’re like most people, the thought of hiring one makes you slightly nervous as you realize that you don’t know quite enough about electrical work to ensure that you’ll be hiring the best Electrician for the job. What about all of those news stories you’ve heard about people getting ripped off my unscrupulous contractors? Obviously, you don’t want that to happen to you. And it doesn’t have to.
With a little bit of education, which this report will give you, you’ll be able to ask the right questions and know what the responses should be. You’ll be able to hire a trusted professional who will get the job done right.
In most states, Electricians are required to be licensed. Although it may be tempting to think you can save a few bucks by hiring your ‘handy’ neighbor next door, you’re putting yourself at risk of creating possible bigger problems in the future. Professional Electricians are skilled in knowing how the entire electrical system works – not just how to change an electrical socket and install a ceiling fan. They know how to tell if a blown fuse is part of a larger problem (the electrical panel is too small, perhaps?), or if replacing the electrical panel with a larger one is really necessary when you install a home theater system.
So it’s best to hire a licensed Electrician. And if you have the time and want to be complete thorough, call the State’s licensing agency to verify that the license is current and that the license holder has no active complaints against him or her.
There are several different areas that Electricians can specialize in, and some have training and experience in more than one area. For example, residential Electricians can also specialize in solar electrical systems, or in home media systems, etc. Commercial Electricians may also have expertise in telecommunications or lighting design, etc.
When you’re looking for an Electrician, keep in mind what additional subspecialties might be needed. If your solar electric system needs repairs, don’t automatically assume that an Electrician with computer network wiring expertise can solve the problem – or that they can’t. It’s always best to ask.
Some residential Electricians may be willing to work during weekends and holidays for repair work, but may charge additional fees for calls outside of normal business hours.
Electricians who specialize in new construction or remodeling usually work on a construction or remodeling site as part of the crew. They’re usually not on-call, and are only on-site during the typical construction project hours.
First, define your needs. This may seem obvious, but it’s hard to keep a cool head when all of the lights in your house just went out and you know it’s not a power outage since all of your neighbors’ lights are on.
So if you’re calling for repairs, be as descriptive and factual as possible so the Electrician has as good an idea as possible what to expect. Your accurate description of the problem may allow him to bring additional materials or equipment to fix the problem faster.
If you’re remodeling or adding living space, you’ll have time to prepare your questions. When you’re interviewing more than one Electrician, it’s a good idea to be consistent with your questions so you can easily compare the responses and make the best choice.
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