Electrical DIY: What to Handle on Your Own

Electricity! Scary, shocking, most of the time safe.  This week  Rosalie and Andrew discuss what electrical issues are most likely safe for you to handle on your own, and which issues might require a professional. Fortunately, we know of a reliable Grass Valley area electrician.  (This is where we tell you to call ABT at 530-272-9120).

electrician grass valley

Andrew discusses how to handle a number of electrical issues, including a loose outlet plug. In this case, turn off the breaker, double check for voltage, and then unscrew the cover plate and insert an outlet shim. What if you’re dealing with a broken light switch? Turn off the circuit breaker and Use a flathead screwdriver to remove the faceplate; you can use a phillips head to take off the light switch. Then you’d simply test the two wires connected to the screw for electricity. This allows you to disconnect and then reassemble the switch.

Also discussed is how to handle a simple short circuit. It’s common for some electrical appliances, like hairdryers, to trip or short circuits. In this case begin by resetting the breaker. Repeated occurrences with the same appliance tells us it’s the appliance itself. If it happens when the appliance is not plugged in, you likely have a short in the wiring that should be handled by a professional.

Listen to this week’s episode of You Got This! here – > https://easyasabt.com/show/February-19-2021.mp3

There are some obvious things that should alert you to the need for a pro — one of those being if you notice your outlets or the walls near your outlets are hot. This indicates resistance, and if you think about a toaster…the toaster is simply resistance, which heats up, and becomes, well a heat source. Happening in your walls? This wouldn’t be a good thing so call a pro, right away.

And that’s where we’re wrapping it up! To catch more electrical information like this, come back next week, and remember: You Got This!

Skip to content