DIY Electrical Fixes You Should Never Try at Home
You know that awesome feeling when you fix something with your own two hands? When you step back, look at what you did, and think…
- Gold Coast / Brisbane
- accounts@tbelectrical.com.au
You know that awesome feeling when you fix something with your own two hands? When you step back, look at what you did, and think, “Yeah, I sorted that out.” I live for that feeling. My shed is a mess of tools, and I’ve got a coffee tin full of odd screws and bits that I swear I’ll use one day.
I’ve patched walls, built planter boxes, and even fixed a wobbly washing machine. Some weekend projects are just perfect for getting your hands dirty.
But I’ve also learned—sometimes the hard way—where to draw the line. And friends, that line is drawn in bright red, flashing neon when it comes to anything involving the wires in your walls.
This isn’t me being dramatic. It’s not about protecting some secret electrician’s code. It’s about one simple fact: electricity is dangerous. It doesn’t care about your good intentions or your YouTube diploma. It doesn’t give second chances. One wrong move, one wire in the wrong place, and you’re looking at a hospital visit or a house fire.
So let’s have a straight-talk about the electrical jobs you should never, ever tackle yourself, and what you should do about them instead.
The switchboard (or fuse box) is the heart of your home’s electrical system. It’s where the massive amount of power from the street first enters your house and gets distributed safely. I’ve heard stories of people trying to replace their own main switches or upgrade circuits to save on an electrician’s bill.
Why It’s a Terrible Idea:
This is where the power is at its most raw. A mistake here isn’t just a small zap; it’s potentially fatal. Even if you turn off the main switch, the cables bringing power into your main switch are still live. Unless you have the training and equipment to safely work on this, you are in extreme danger. Furthermore, messing with your switchboard can create hidden faults that might not cause a problem today, but could lead to a catastrophic failure months down the track. If you’re in an older home and your lights are constantly flickering, or breakers are always tripping, don’t just keep resetting them. That’s your home’s way of crying for help. It’s time to call a professional to check your switchboard Gold Coast homes rely on, as outdated wiring is a leading cause of electrical fires.
What to Do Instead:
If you’re experiencing frequent trips, the only safe “DIY” is to simply unplug a few non-essential appliances to reduce the load on that circuit. For any real diagnosis or upgrade, you must hire a licensed electrician. They are trained to work on switchboards safely and can ensure it’s up to current standards.
The installation of a new power point or the replacement of a light switch that’s become hard to operate seems to bring lot of benefits. You switch the power off at the circuit breaker, remove the old one, connect the new one and put it back in. It’s simple, isn’t it? Perhaps in theory only. But in reality, it’s a maze full of traps.
Why It’s a Terrible Idea:
Firstly, are you completely sure that the right circuit is off? Have you checked the socket with a good voltage tester after the breaker is off? There are many older houses where the wiring is such that you might have a single box with multiple circuits. Secondly, besides the difficulty with the wiring, the situation can be further complicated. Are you dealing with the old rubber-insulated wiring that has become brittle? Are the terminals tightly secured? Is there a hidden ground wire at the back? A loose connection, even the slight one, can cause arcing—tiny, super-hot lightning bolts inside your wall—which is the main reason for electrical fires.
What to Do Instead:
If the power point is shaky or the switch is not working, the safest thing to do is to stop using it as a temporary solution. To resolve it permanently, call an electrician. The cost is not that much for a single point, but the peace of mind is very much worthwhile. While they are checking for the problem in your electrical box, they will also look for any other potential issues that may need attention.
We’ve been there. The TV, the soundbar, the game console, and the lamp are all fighting for the sole power point. The way out? A multi-box adapter plugged into an extension lead, hidden behind the cabinet. It seems there is nothing to be afraid of, but the use of a permanent wiring solution in the form of extension cords is a huge risk.
Why It’s a Terrible Idea:
Extension cords are meant for temporary and rare usage only. If they are used as if they were permanent, especially when coiled up or placed under carpets, they might catch fire. The thin wires inside aren’t meant to handle a continuous, high load. This constant heat degrades the insulation, leading to short circuits and fire. Furthermore, they are a major tripping hazard and can easily get damaged, exposing live wires.
What to Do Instead:
The correct solution is to have additional power points installed by an electrician where you need them. It’s a clean, safe, and permanent fix that removes the fire and trip hazard from your living space.
Alright, let’s get real about the stuff in your house that draws a serious amount of power. You look at that new oven or cooktop and think, “It’s just a few wires, how complicated can it be?” I’ve been there. That little voice saying you can probably figure it out is tempting, but you’ve got to shut it down. This is one of the biggest places where DIY turns into “Did I wreck it?”
Here’s the real deal on why this is such a bad move:
Big appliances aren’t just plugging in a lamp. They’re power-hungry monsters. Think of it this way: your phone charger is like a tiny stream. An electric oven is a raging river. It needs its own dedicated, heavy-duty line straight from your switchboard, and it has to be the exact right thickness (that’s the gauge) and protected by the exact right breaker.
Get this part wrong, and you’re not necessarily going to get an instant zap. It’s much sneakier than that. The wiring will just constantly overheat, hidden inside your walls. It will gradually cook the insulation off the wires in days or weeks and before you can even smell that something is burning, or you see smoke, you have a full-fledged electrical fire on your hands.
And that is only the electrical side of it! You are now adding gas lines to the equation in case you are working with a gas dryer or oven. All it takes is a small almost invisible spurt and the gas accumulation in your laundry room or kitchen and the outcomes can be disastrous. One of my friends, intelligent person, had a handyman in the house, who attempted to put up his own oven. He had all the wires connected, and he did not take enough of the crank with one of the main terminal screws. Several weeks after, his wife smelled of this horrible acrid plastic smell. They dragged the oven to the side and discovered the connection had become so hot that it had melted the whole terminal block in the appliance. It was just by the fortunes of fate that it did not catch.
So what should you actually do?
Hands off. Seriously. For any major appliance installations and repair, your only job is to make a phone call. Bring in a pro. It’s not an admission of defeat; it’s the smartest thing you can do. Besides the obvious safety part, you should know that most manufacturers will wipe their hands of your brand-new, expensive appliance if it wasn’t hooked up by a licensed technician. So that professional installation fee? It’s not a cost, it’s insurance for your appliance and your home.
Putting in some patio lights or a new security lamp seems like such a satisfying weekend project. You’re out in the fresh air, making your yard look nicer. What could go wrong? Well, a lot, actually. Outside is where electricity gets really tricky.
Why this is a recipe for trouble:
To sum it up in one word: water. Electricity and moisture are the mortal enemies. A single drop of dew, a pouring rain, or even just a misdirected sprinkler can result in a connection or a fitting supposedly designed to be used indoors, and you will have short circuits, incandescent lamps, or a person receiving a severe electric shock due to it.
The normal electrical wire that you would install in your house would not apply in the outdoor environment. The UV rays of the sun will make the insulation brittle, and the continuous moisture will at some point permit water to get into it. And even then you imagine that, by burying it straight down in the ground you will have a solution to the problem, you are wrong. It will get to decaying sooner, and that, too, unless you lop through it–or through some other line beneath the ground–with your spade. It is a serious issue to interfere with a live underground cable.
How to be beautiful without the danger:
To have anything that you would like to be a permanent element in your home such as a real backyard light pole or an outdoor socket to which your tools can be plugged, you will require a certified electrician. They know how to use entirely weatherproof boxes, run the wires in protective conduit and make sure that all is properly earthed.
In case you just need a small amount of light to popularize the atmosphere, the safest and surest choice is to install solar-powered lights or low-voltage LED kit plug-ins that can be installed by yourself. They are completely safe, so simple to deal with and can be installed in within a day in the space of an afternoon without any concerns.
Listen, I do not mean that you will be useless! You have safe and merely routine work that you may, and even want to do. Put yourself in the position of the operator, but not of the engineer.
Your home is your most valuable asset, and the people in it are priceless. The risk of a DIY electrical project is simply not worth the reward. The money you think you’re saving is insignificant compared to the cost of a hospital visit, a house fire, or a life.
When you need electrical work, big or small, the only answer is to pick up the phone and call a licensed electrician. It’s not a sign of defeat; it’s the ultimate sign of a smart and responsible DIYer who knows that some jobs are best left to the pros.
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