NC Electricians Charlotte. Tips on Electrical Repairs from Call 1 Home services 704-614-3420

It’s easy to find people to replace your windows or install siding. They practically fall out of the sky. But just try finding an electrician when you need one. Along with plumbers, a good electrician–especially one who has time to take on contract work for a do-it-yourself renovator–can be hard to find.

2. Electricians are Expensive

If you’re intent on saving money on remodeling costs, the first place to start is with highly skilled trades like electricians. The downside of this, of course, is that “highly skilled” will come back to haunt you. There is a learning curve associated with electrical work that you don’t find in something like demolition work. To save on costs, your best bet is to source local contractors as this can eliminate travel costs that can be added to your bill, a bonus is that you will also be supporting your local economy. If you live in Melbourne, for example, search for Werribee electrical services and there will surely be an abundance of local contractors at your disposal.

3. Electrical Work is Clean

Compared to drywall installation or demolition–or really any other type of renovation work–electrical work is clean. You get to work in a clean environment for the most part, unless you are in a crawlspace or attic. While the argument can be made that “if you don’t like to get dirty, don’t undertake DIY renovation,” it sure is nice to spend an occasional Saturday in relative cleanliness.

4. Electrical Work Makes Sense

Nothing squishy about electrical work. It’s all based on tried and true rules and methods–all very logical. You have books and tables to guide you along, and if something isn’t working, there is a very real, discernable reason why it isn’t working. If however, you come across something that is out of your league, a professional electrician should be called at this point to make sure that you are not damaging your wiring system or parts of your home. You can go online to websites such as fixmatic.com/service-areas/kirtland/ for help, or you can check your local listings for electricians that can aid you.

5. Electrical Work is Easier Than Many DIY Renovators May Expect

Many do it yourself home renovators are put off by the idea of probing in the electrical service panel and installing new circuits. Yes, contact with the lugs within the service panel is a very serious business. But service panel work is only one aspect of electrical work. The heavy lifting of running new circuits can be done safely by DIY renovators, and if they so choose, they can hire an electrician for that last job of connecting to the service panel. Or better yet, get educated on the service panel and you can safely do the work yourself.

Three way switches.

Do-it-yourself electrical projects can be a handful unless you know the basics of what you’re working on. Many homeowners can change an outlet or a single-pole switch, but give them a couple of three-way switches and fear fills their eyes! By knowing what each part of the switch is, what wire to use, and how to connect it, the mystery of hooking up three-way switches disappears. Here is a step-by-step guide with pictures to walk you through thisthree-way mystery. Hopefully, it will help you in completing the project.

A three-way switch has four different screws on its body. The green screw is always for the ground wire (this is the bare copper wire). Now you’ll notice three other screws on the switch. The two brass colored screws across from each other are called the traveler screws. These carry the power from one switch to the other. The last screw will be a darker color, usually dark brass, copper or black. This is where you will connect the hot wire on one switch and the black wire to feed the light on the other switch.

fety First

A photo of a three-way switch connection.

Ground Connection

For safety purposes, be sure to always install a switch that has a ground screw. The ground should hook to the switch and also the box. For an added safety feature, try wrapping electrical tape around the switch, covering the entire area where the screws are exposed. Always turn off the power before working on a switch.

aking the Proper Connection

Three-Way Switch Wiring Diagram

Timothy Thiele

In this diagram, I’ve assembled a power source (12-2 NM Cable with a ground) feeding two different three-way switches. These would normally be on opposite sides of a room, staircase or hallway. The switches are shown controlling a light.

Notice how the black wire (hot wire) feeds one switch (connected to the dark screw), the neutral wire (white wire) splices and carries on, and the ground wire (bare copper wire) splices, connects and carries on. The switch then has a red and black wire (travelers) that continue to the second three-way switch (connects to the brass colored screws).

At this switch, the ground and neutral wires splice and carry on to the light. The black wire going to the light is connected to the darker colored screw on the switch. Finally at the light, the black wires tie together, the white wires tie together and the bare copper wire connects to the box and the light’s ground wire (if it has one).

By following these instructions and looking over the wiring picture diagram, installing three-ways should be a snap!

With any and all your Electrical repairscall,,

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