Can you do your own electrical work, or should you hire an electrician?
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What do the safety bodies say?
They come down on the side of hiring. The Electrical Safety Foundation, a nonprofit electrical safety organization, says it strongly recommends hiring a qualified, licensed electrician for any electrical work in the home, and that most homeowners lack the training or experience to do it safely, raising the risk of injury and electrocution and potentially adding new dangers to the house. The National Fire Protection Association's first electrical safety tip is to have all electrical work done by a qualified electrician.
That leaves a good deal a homeowner can do that is not electrical work in the sense they mean: operating, testing and looking after what is already installed.
What can you safely do yourself?
- Reset a tripped breaker. The foundation's steps: turn off or unplug the appliances in the room, open the panel cover, find the breaker that is off or halfway, switch it fully off and back on. If it trips again, call an electrician.
- Replace a blown fuse with the same rating. The foundation says the new fuse must match the circuit's amperage, and that a larger one is a very dangerous practice and a serious fire hazard.
- Test ground-fault and arc-fault devices. The NFPA says to test them after installation and once a month, following the maker's instructions, and to replace a defective one immediately (by having an electrician do it).
- Test smoke alarms and change batteries. The U.S. Fire Administration says to test monthly, replace the backup battery in hardwired alarms at least once a year, and replace alarms 10 years after they were made.
- Manage cords and loads. Plug major appliances straight into the wall, keep one heat-producing appliance to a receptacle, keep cords out from under rugs, and replace damaged cords. These are the NFPA's and the Fire Administration's points.
- Use plug-in surge protection. The foundation describes point-of-use protectors as easy to use: they plug in and protect only what is plugged into them.
- Look for aluminum wiring without opening anything. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says to check cable markings in an unfinished basement, attic or garage for "Al" or "Aluminum".
What should you leave to an electrician?
The safety bodies name these specifically:
- The inside of the panel. The CPSC advises consumers not to open the panelboard or breaker compartment, because it can expose live wires and pose an electrocution hazard.
- Installing AFCIs and GFCIs. The NFPA says all of them, breaker or outlet type, should be installed by a qualified electrician.
- Hardwired smoke alarms. The Fire Administration says only qualified electricians should install them.
- Transfer switches for a generator. The foundation says they are the only safe way to connect a generator to the house wiring and should be installed only by a qualified electrician. The Public Utility Commission says to plug devices into the generator itself, not into the home's wiring, to protect utility workers.
- Whole-house surge protection. The foundation says it must be installed by a qualified electrician.
- Car chargers. The foundation says EV charger installations and the site assessment that comes first should be done only by qualified electricians.
What if you decide to do some wiring anyway?
The foundation gives a short set of rules for those who do: learn how your system works, never attempt a project beyond your skill, turn off the circuit's breaker before starting, unplug lamps and appliances before working on them, test wires to confirm the power is off before touching them, and never touch plumbing or gas pipes while working. It also warns to take extreme care when cutting or drilling into walls where wires may run.
What does the law let you do?
Here the state is more permissive than the safety bodies. Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code regulation says an "owner or authorized agent" must get a permit before installing, altering or replacing a regulated electrical system, and it does not require a licensed electrician to do the work. It exempts ordinary repairs, but says adding or relocating electric wiring is not one, so a new circuit or a moved outlet needs a permit and an inspection, whoever does it.
Local rules can be stricter. In Philadelphia, the city's electrical permit page says a licensed electrical contractor must perform all electrical work, and it lists minor repairs such as replacing receptacles, switches and fixtures to existing conditions as work that may not need a permit. The page does not say whether an owner may do that exempt work personally. In other towns the code office can tell you what it allows; what Pennsylvania requires explains how to find it.
Does lead paint change anything?
Only for people paid to do the work. The Environmental Protection Agency's lead-safe rule for pre-1978 homes generally does not apply to homeowners working on their own house, but does if you rent out all or part of it. The agency also says any repair in a pre-1978 home with lead paint can easily create dangerous lead dust, and that holds whoever is holding the saw.
How do you decide?
Run through three questions. Is the job one the safety bodies say belongs to an electrician? Does it add or move wiring, so that it needs a permit? Does your town require a licensed contractor for it? A yes to any of them points to hiring. The symptoms that call for an electrician soon are in the warning signs guide, and the checks to make when you hire are in how to choose an electrician. Electricians are listed on the electricians directory page.
Sources
- Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Electrical Safety, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI)
- Understanding Your Home Electrical System, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI)
- Electrical Home Fire Safety, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
- Smoke Alarms, U.S. Fire Administration
- Appliance and Electrical Fire Safety, U.S. Fire Administration
- May Is National Electrical Safety Month: Good News for Homeowners - Aluminum Wiring Fix Still Available, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
- 34 Pa. Code § 403.62. Permit requirements and exemptions., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- Get an Electrical Permit, City of Philadelphia
- Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Generator Safety, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI)
- Prepare Now for Post-Christmas Winter Storms - PUC Shares #UtilitySafety Tips, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
- Surge Protection - Keeping your Electronics and Home Safe, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI)
- Prepare your Home or Business for Electric Vehicles, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI)