Sooner or later you have to spend apartment renovation or a private house. One of the stages of repair work is replacing the old one or laying a new one. electrical wiring, installation sockets, switches and lighting fixtures. This issue needs to be given special attention, since an electrician is done for more than one year and the safety of the house and residents depends on the correct work. In today's HouseChief review, we'll show you how to tell if you’ve recruited a good or bad specialist.
Read in the article
- 1 Appearance
- 2 Tool
- 3 Education
- 4 Experience and portfolio
- 5 Clear price list
- 6 Only 90 ° and only by standards
- 7 I'll be there in twenty minutes ...
- 8 Reading drawings and performing calculations
- 9 Use of materials and components
- 10 Knowledge of the electrical goods market
- 11 Refusal to draw up a contract and provide a guarantee
- 12 Friendship with bad habits
- 13 Where to find a good specialist
- 14 A few words in conclusion
Appearance
It is not for nothing that they say: "They are greeted by their clothes, they are escorted by their minds." If the invited specialist has an unkempt appearance, then you should already be on your guard. A real master will be in overalls or simply in clean clothes, in which it is convenient to work.
Tool
If the invited electrician has one screwdriver and pliers, then you can safely refuse it. A true professional should have full set of tools, including measuring ones, which are in a special case or bag, and not stuffed into pockets.
Education
If you have serious work on the arrangement of the electrical network in the house, then ask the invited specialist about his profile education and ask him to show a copy of the diploma. Many "electricians" are trying to make money in this way by watching videos on YouTube or reading articles on the Internet on how to replace an outlet or install an "automatic". Some of the newly minted specialists do not even know Ohm's law.
Experience and portfolio
Ask an electrician for his or her professional experience. You should not entrust serious work to a person with 2-3 years of experience. In addition, a real professional should have a portfolio with examples of work performed. However, you should not completely rely on photos, since they can be downloaded from the Internet. Ask the master for the phone number of the last customer, since real reviews are more important than any photos. If the electrician refuses to give the customer number, it means that he either did something wrong in his house, or has not yet completed the orders.
Clear price list
If, when asked how much the completed work will cost, the electrician uncertainly says: “Well, somewhere around 500 rubles” or “We'll count everything in the end,” then it is better to refuse such a worker. A true professional clearly knows and will name the cost of any type of electrical work, and can only name the final amount after determining their volume. If you are not satisfied with the price, you can negotiate a discount. The final cost can only be increased if changes were made in the process, for example, you needed more outlets than originally planned.
For your information! Have you been told a very low price for the work? Do not be happy, because a good specialist appreciates his work and will not do anything for a symbolic price.
Only 90 ° and only by standards
See how the electrician runs the wires obliquely and explains this by saving materials? Chase such a "specialist"! Otherwise, later, when drilling a wall, you may accidentally fall into the cable and remain without light for a long time. A real master will lay the electrical wiring strictly vertically and horizontally, make turns at an angle of 90 °, and install sockets and switches at a height that meets generally accepted standards.
I'll be there in twenty minutes ...
If you phoned an electrician and he promised to be with you in 30-50 minutes, then you need to be on your guard. A good specialist is always provided with a clientele and his time is usually scheduled by the minute. He can come to you half an hour after the call only to assess the volume and types of work, the need for certain materials and components, and will start work later.
Reading drawings and performing calculations
The ability to replace the outlet or wiring does not indicate the qualifications of the master. Often, after laying new electrical wiring, machines start knocking out and household appliances are on fire. To check the wizard, ask him to draw a diagram for connecting a lamp with three pass-through switches. A real professional will do it quickly and correctly, an amateur will immediately be confused. In addition to reading the drawings, a specialist must be able to calculate the total load on the power grid, choose the right wire cross-section and a residual current device.
Use of materials and components
Many apartment owners are trying to save money and often ask the craftsmen to use cheaper materials. And the would-be specialist agrees to this, as a result of which automatic machines often burn, household appliances fail and wires melt. A true professional never orders cheap materials and components. You can install, for example, an inexpensive outlet, but on the condition that it will be used to connect a phone charger or only table lamp.
Knowledge of the electrical goods market
An inexperienced craftsman will buy electrical equipment on the market from the first seller he comes across, and this is not always cheap, or you yourself will have to purchase everything you need from the list. A specialist who has been in his business for several years knows the market of electrical goods, reliable suppliers and prices, he can always offer several options and provide receipts.
Refusal to draw up a contract and provide a guarantee
To determine if you are a good specialist or self-taught, invite him to draw up a contract in any form. If the electrician refuses, then you should seriously think about whether it is worth trusting him to install new electrical wiring and connect the equipment. If any problems arise, then you are unlikely to find this would-be master to make a claim. If you have a contract, you can always contact the relevant authorities and receive compensation.
Also, a real specialist will always give a written guarantee for his work. This insures the customer in case of problems and disciplines the foreman, since if his work is of poor quality, he will have to redo the wiring at his own expense.
Friendship with bad habits
You invited an electrician, and does he even smell faintly of alcohol or is he behaving strangely? You can safely send him out. No self-respecting professional will perform electrical work under the influence of alcohol, even without stress.
Where to find a good specialist
Where can you find a good electrician, and not a wretched master? The easiest option is to ask colleagues, friends, or relatives. The referral specialist is a reliable competitor to the impostor.
You can find an electrician yourself on specialized sites or through advertisements in newspapers. In this case, you should be careful and check the specialist for the points listed above. You can also contact the housing office, housing department, etc. Experts with experience work in such offices, but there are some nuances. ZhEK masters will be able to work only in the evenings or on weekends, and this will lead to some difficulties and misunderstandings with the neighbors' side, since you may have to turn off the electricity in the general switchboard, and this is very few people like it.
A few words in conclusion
When choosing a specialist to repair or create a new home electrical network, remember that electricity does not forgive self-neglect. Only professionals with extensive experience should carry out electrical work, installation and connection of equipment.
We hope that our article will help you in choosing a good master and avoid getting acquainted with would-be pros.