How to Find a Qualified Electrician
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As a homeowner,
You are responsible for making sure that all the electrical wiring in your house is sound and up-to-date. Faulty writing poses several hazards, not least among them a potential fire, which should give you more than enough impetus to make sure that when you need an electrical problem fixed, you hire an experienced and qualified electrician. Poorly designed or poorly repaired circuits can cause damage to electrical appliance motors by delivering the wrong amperage. But how do you make sure that you get a qualified electrician to work in your home? If you know what to look for, it is not all that hard.
Licensing
One of the basic ways to assess the professionalism of an electrician is check to see if he has a state “electrical contractors license”. There are “several” forms of licenses in many states. Don’t assume you are getting a “electrical contractor” until you check on their license type. Some types of licenses that are “very limited” due to their knowledge are LLE ( “limited license electrician” ) this person is not qualified to be an “Elctrical Contractor” ie: “Master electricians” are not Electrical contractors. Master electricians are at the next level higher than an Electrical Contractor. Master electricians have to pass a rigorous, standardized test and must provide proof of having been working as an electrician and attend an approved 5 year specialized industrial electrical apprenticeship school” and work 40 hours a week for 5 years under a master electrician. He must also be pass a major test on the National Electrical Code and keep up to date with any modifications made to it. A state electrical contractors license means that an electrician is qualified to plan, design, install and maintain electrical systems.
The other type of state licensing is that of the journeyman electrician. A journeyman electrician is one who has not yet qualified for a any licenses, but who (as required by the state) works with a master electrician. The law prohibits that journeymen electricians design electrical systems, but they are allowed to install wiring and equipment.
Permit
Before hiring an electrician, also think about asking if he has a valid permit issued by the local building department. Before a electrical inspector issues a permit, he checks the Licrensed Electrical contractor’s license and work to see if it stands up to regulation standards and building codes, so this is a good way to gauge if an Electrical Contractor you’re thinking of hiring is really reliable.
Choosing the Right Electrician for the Job
Like many other contractors, Electrical Contractors usually specialize in a specific field. Some do new construction sites, others go out only on service calls and others concentrate on commercial property work. Electrical Contractors specializing in remodeling, for example, know certain techniques specific to working with pre-existing wiring and electrical systems, techniques like snaking wires through finished walls, evaluating the power of circuits already in place and deciding whether to add service panels to handle increased power demands.
Recommendations
Lastly, another good way to find a good, reliable Electrical contractor is to ask the local electrical licensing agency if there are any complaints. Also check the BBB. So if you’re having a new room built and need an electrical contractor, do you checking on license type, complaints and the BBB.
When you sit down to interview an electrician, ask to be shown a copy of his state electrical contractor license and proof of insurance and check that they are current and that he has minimum liability coverage of $500,000. And remember to check his references.
Insurance
Insurance here in Tennesse have very loose laws on who they sell insurance to. Insurance co here in Tennessee can legally sell Commercial contractor insurance policy to an unlicensed person. Most all other states have laws that do not allow this practice. So be very careful as to not make a mistake and let the electrician you are about to hire show you a insurance card with a business name printed on it and mistake it for a license. A state and county license cards looks like this–
State and local Electrical Contractor License cards