3 Safety Tips Our Local Electricians Want Toronto Residents To Know

Electricity is both a life-giver and a killer. It flows through our homes and businesses lighting our way, offering warmth, and connection. However, its currents can also pass through our bodies to reach the ground and wreak havoc on its journey when handled carelessly or without experience.

Qualified nearby electricians should always handle electrical problems, but sometimes even homeowners who exercise caution have felt its raw power from not fully understanding it. That’s why our electricians are on a mission to educate Toronto residents on lesser-known electrical safety tips! Let’s take a closer look at this week’s top three.

#1 Perpetual Protection For Outdoor Plug Points
Sure, flat covers do offer protection for outdoor plug points, but what about when an extension cord needs to be plugged in for a long time? Think Christmas and faerie lights, BBQs, and so on. In these cases, your plug point will be exposed to the elements and wet conditions where swimming pools are concerned. In fact, most states actually require that plug points near damp, wet, or exposed areas are properly protected. That’s where ‘in-use’ or ‘bubble’ covers come in. They can cover both your plug point and extension plug at the same time, ensuring perpetual protection from electrocution or sparks. You even get weather-resistant and tamper-resistant plug points for added peace of mind.

#2 Never Tape Down A Circuit Breaker
Our electricians are desperate for Toronto residents to understand the purpose of circuit breakers, to avoid putting themselves and their homes at risk. Simply put, circuit breakers protect you by breaking the circuit and cutting the current to a faulty circuit or appliance to prevent problems from worsening. If your breaker keeps tripping up, it’s a sign that there is an underlying problem at hand it’s protecting you from. By taping this breaker down, you’re only ignoring the problem and taking away the only thing preventing it from causing electrocution or sparking a fire.

#3 Live Wires Are Not Always Brown, Nor Neutral Blue
Sure, this is the rule-of-thumb when it comes to home electrical systems. And yes, in most cases, live wires will be brown and neutral wires will be blue. However, a realistic perspective comes with experience and unexpected electrocutions like our electricians have experienced after working on several older Toronto homes. Home electrical systems are complicated and have often been worked on by several different electricians over the years – with no guarantee that they were properly trained or following code. Thanks to this, you can often be confronted with a tangle of wires, electrical tape, wire nuts, and repurposed wires with different coloured insulation. Essentially, making assumptions based on colour can put you at risk. If you’re not experienced with working on home electrical wiring, especially if you don’t have professional safety gear or a non-contact voltage tester, it’s often not worth the risk.

That’s where the local electrician at Toronto Wiring come in! With our experience, training, and dedication to safety protocols and practices, you can be confident that we will do everything we can to educate you on your electrical system while upgrading, repairing, or maintaining it on your behalf.

When Should You Call A Local Electrician?

Everyone can be a DIY specialist nowadays, ‘licensed’ by Youtube. There are thousands of step-by-step videos for everything from electrical outlet replacements to major projects like rewiring a home and wiring a new solar panel.

It must be a perfect money saver, yes? And when should you put down your screwdriver and call a professional?

Simple answer: always! A certified local electrician should be called for absolutely any electrical work in your home. By DIY-ing you risk injury, death, damage to your home, and damage to expensive appliances.

Here are example items that always require a trained professional.

Electrical Outlet Installation & Replacement
Yes, sorry, stop and step away with your non-grounded shoes. Many a layman will post a Youtube video about installing your own electrical outlets.

Wrong! Work relating to electrical power outlets or light switches requires a trained, certified electrician. Its simplicity is where things go wrong.

Your best outcome would be non-functional outlet. Or you could damage your hardware or cause a fire. Please call us.

Light Fixture Repair & Replacement

New light fixtures are brilliant interior décor elements which can add a huge, cost-effective wow factor to a room!

Back to Youtube, yes? Removing the old fixture, twisting those loose bits together and pop on the new light. Done! Actually, you can wire and install a new light fixture completely incorrectly and blow it.

Is the fitting aligned to the power outage? Does it need a transformer? What size and type of transformer? Please call us

Ceiling Fan Installation & Repair
Ceiling fans are fabulous for keep mozzies at bay and getting a wonderful indoor breeze going and delaying AC use! Our light fitting homeowners are game to do ceiling fan installations so we have seen quite a few new, broken ones.

This is really dangerous and completely against the law to lay new wires yourself. Licensed professionals only please.

Electrical Distribution Board
The distribution board receives the full load of electricity from the main grid and divides it up or blocks it based on the circuit breakers installed on the board. This is an incredibly important little power station. It is also extremely technical and even an inexperienced local electrician can make a mistake on these.

Poor knowledge leads to poor power quality and this will put your whole home at risk!

Extension Installation
You want to upgrade your back garden shed and so you quickly run an extension cord to the house. This is against the law, unstable and won’t withstand UV corrosion! Please call us.

Using a licensed, insured Master Electrician will reduce your risk of shorts and fires by keeping wiring correctly spaced. It will ensure your home complies with building codes which is what you need in order to sell your home in the future. It will avoid expensive damage to your home or appliances.

Keep your home compliant and keep your family safe by calling Toronto Wiring, your top performing local electrician, for affordable installations, testing, and maintenance of all your electrical work in Toronto! With many years of experience, training and insurance, we have the expertise you need. Your expectations will be exceeded rather than your budget and we are in the local vicinity.

3 Signs You Need A New Toronto Electrician a short drive away

Your electrical system is the heart of your home, pumping much-needed electricity throughout its vein-like network of wires. When something goes wrong or needs an upgrade, you need an electrical technician that you can trust. Someone who can get it right the first time and respect you and your property.

Unfortunately, with so many companies offering their services in Toronto, many residents have been settling for any old electrical technician – unbeknownst to the standards they could be receiving. Well, Toronto Wiring is here to change that! Here are three signs that you deserve a new electrical technician a short drive away.

#1 Frequently Fluctuating Prices

Sure, estimates are never truly set in stone. Often, underlying issues or unexpected problems can pop up. If your electrical technician’s estimates are constantly changing once the job is complete, you’re likely being ripped off.

Many shady electrician technicians will draw you in with low prices, making you an offer you can’t refuse. Then, once they begin the job, the price suddenly becomes wildly expensive – sometimes double or triple! In that case, we’d recommend finding someone else, as they’re clearly taking advantage of your lack of industry know-how.

#2 Tactically Technical Terminology

If you’re like most homeowners, it’s unlikely that you’re well-versed in the highly technical jargon used by electrical technicians  – that’s why they ‘dumb it down’ to help us understand what’s going on and avoid any confusion. However, some will try to use it to scam you.

Dishonest electrical technicians have been known to embellish problems using highly technical terminology to scare you into believing the problems are severe. The end result? A panicked homeowner with an outrageous bill for a problem that doesn’t warrant it. If your technician refuses to speak in common terms, you may be getting scammed too.

#3 Faulty Equipment

Does your electrical technician arrive armed with the right tools in working condition? Or does their equipment fail mid-job? If this happens, or they’re constantly asking to borrow your tools, it’s not a good sign. This indicates that their standards are low, and likely their services too. Any electrical technician worth their salt relies on their tools to ensure quality, successful work. If yours won’t sacrifice some savings to get their hands on the latest tools, you cannot be sure that their work will last.

If your local electrician shows any of these signs, it’s about time to get a new one! Otherwise, you’re wasting your money on someone who doesn’t have your best interest at heart and cuts corners to make more money at your expense.

As Toronto’s local specialists, we at Toronto Wiring are ready to step in. As a family-owned and run business, our morals and code of conduct are close to our heart. We want you to enjoy quality work at logical, affordable prices so that you will keep coming back.

What Makes A Master Local Electrician And Why You Should Hire One

Electricity is a dangerous, destructive element if not handled with care, skill, and strategic insights. When you need electrical work done, you’re going to reach out to an electrician. But what level of local electrician do you need? Did you know there were different levels?

Let me explain. Your standard electrician who is within walking distance is known as a journeyman. They can work without being supervised; however, their abilities and expertise are limited. Then you get Master Electricians, who are—you guessed it―masters of their trade.

Master local Electrician have undergone extensive education and training, and as such, are afforded more privileges and hold unbounded electrical abilities. They should be your first choice for electrical work for several reasons, but before we dive in, what makes a Master Electrician?

What Makes A Master Electrician

An electrician can only be considered a master once an accredited member of the ESA. To become a member, they would first need to prove their worth. Accreditation is only given to electricians who:

• Have mastered their trade
• Are capable of and continue to provide safe, professional electrical services
• Adhere to the standards, regulations, and safety measures of the electrical industry
• Conduct their work ethically and transparentlyThey are required to have qualifications, credentials, licensing, and insurance; all of which are checked by the ESA, and essential for peace of mind and safety. In fact, Master Electricians are required to be armed with several things:
• At least three years of experience
• Proof of approved safety management system implementation
• Proof of offering knowledgeable energy efficiency advice to clients
• Adhere to the ESA Code of ConductIf that’s not enough to persuade you of their prowess, then this will. Master Electricians have to pass strict safety and quality audits every year to keep their esteemed ESA membership. And if any customers complain, the ESA will follow up and revoke their accreditation if deemed necessary.

Why You Should Hire A Master Local Electrician

Backed by the industry-leading technical advice and world-renowned safety systems of the ESA, Master Electricians have the expertise you need to guarantee peace of mind, sound advice, safe and successful electrical work, and energy-efficient solutions.

They are fully insured and licensed masters of their trade, ensuring that you won’t be left with the burden of faulty work, compensation costs, or repairs. Their extensive experience and education in all levels of electrical work mean that no job is too small, big, or out-of-the-box; they can diagnose, solve, and prevent problems safely. The best part? Where large renovations or construction projects are concerned, Master Electricians are your only avenue for getting the permits you need.

As you can see, there is no better way to get your money’s worth for electrical work than through the accredited, world-class expertise of a Master Local Electrician.

So much so that the nearby electricians just around the corner at Toronto Wiring have spent years of sleepless nights earning the title of Master Electricians themselves. Your safety and satisfaction are their priority, prompting them to immerse themselves in extensive career development to guarantee it.