As a homeowner in Tucson Arizona, electrical installations and repairs are inevitable and it may be tempting to attempt some of these electrical fixes yourself if you’re knowledgeable enough. However, when it comes to electricity, there isn’t much room for errors and one wrong move may land you in the emergency room due to electrical shock or lead to a fire hazard. Getting to know some of the most common mistakes made when working with electricity can help you know what to avoid. Here are top 7 electrical mistakes to avoid as a Tucson Arizona homeowner:

1. Wrong Light Bulbs

Majority of light bases in the home have a wattage limit and often require a 60-watt bulb. For safety purposes, do not exceed the wattage limit indicated next to the socket. Many Tucson Arizona homeowners make the mistake of screwing a 100-watt bulb into the socket. This is a major electrical mistake! Yes, the bulb may fit just fine in the socket and it lights up brighter than the 60-watt bulb. However, this bulb uses more power and gets much hotter than the 60-watt bulb causing the base to overheat and can potentially cause a fire hazard.

2. Loose Wire Connections And Outlets

A lot of homeowners strip a conductor and wrap another wire around it to make a loose wire connection at the risk of an electrical fire. Wire Connections should be made with wire nuts and twisted together. In the same vein, if an outlet is not properly secured, it may shift and result in the wire coming loose from the terminal. If this happens, wires will overheat and arc resulting in a fire hazard. If your outlet screws feels loose when touched or the outlet shifts, then you should add plastic spacers to the screw to secure the outlet in place.

3. Overloading Power Outlets

Homeowners are guilty of overloading a power outlet by using multi-outlet circuit extenders that seem to provide a power outlet for half of the house forgetting that the circuit can only handle 20 amperes. Every appliance in your home ranging from dishwashers to AC units and refrigerators needs its own circuit. They draw a lot of power and need their own supply. For instance, overloading a freezer and a refrigerator on the same circuit can cause the breaker to trip, spoiling the food contents therein and costing you plenty at the long run. Therefore, it is vital to spread out electrical load.

4. Fuse Replacement

Here’s another dangerous electrical move. A lot of people decide to replace a fuse or breaker with a larger size without addressing the underlying issue. If a fuse keeps blowing every time you replace it or the breaker continues to trip after you reset it, then there is a problem in the circuit wiring and this should be addressed once and for all! Fuses and breakers are designed to protect the wire ampacity rating and the appliances or devices that they’re connected to. Connecting the wrong ampacity wire to a fuse or breaker that is too large will result in overheating of the wire and this can cause a fire.

5. Loose Panel Connections

Ensure the neutral and breaker connections in your panel are tight. Otherwise, it will result in dim and flickering lighting in the home. Many Tucson Arizona homeowners make this grave electrical mistake in a DIY attempt. A loose neutral will result in flickering lights and this has been known to cause dim lighting. Also, loose breaker connections will heat up the circuit and sometimes trip the breaker which can also result in flickering lights.

6. Wrong Wire Connections

Connecting a wire to the wrong terminal can lead to serious electrical problems. This is a common mistake that can be avoided. Please take time to properly examine any connections that you make. Ensure that the hot wire of a circuit connects to the smaller slot (brass color) of the outlet and that the neutral wire connects to the silver terminal on the side of the longer slot of the outlet. The ground wire should be connected to the green screw i.e. the rounded hole of the outlet either at the top or bottom of the outlet.

7. Making a Connection Outside of an Electrical Box

It can be tempting to make a new connection outside of an electrical box during a wiring project such as installing an outdoor light without an electrical box. But never do this! Instead, simply add a junction box to the new installation location; install the box and then connect the wires inside of it. This will contain sparks and heat and keep the connection from any damage.

Generally, it is best to have some experience to be able to work with electricity. If you’ve never worked with electricity before, then you are putting yourself, family and home at a huge risk by trying to handle electrical work and repairs on your own. It is better to call professionals such as a local electrical contractor in Tucson, Arizona for your residential electrical work like electrical troubleshooting, installing lights, and ceiling fans.