Frequently Asked Questions about Hiring an Electrician or Electrical Contractor

CFI ELECTRIC LTD. | Dec 25, 2018

When it comes to electrician services for home (residential), commercial, maintenance, and industrial projects, there are plenty of questions clients have but often find answers difficult to come by. As certified electricians in Toronto, ON, CFI Electric Ltd., is cognizant of this shortage of information and want to assist you with the most accurate information available.

To help you to address your doubts and alleviate your concerns, we have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about hiring an electrician or electrical contractor.

1. Do I need an electrician to fix my power outlet(s)/plug(s)?

Yes, even if you watch a tutorial on any social media channels and the repair work looks easy enough, you should still consider hiring an electrician to fix the plug and here's why:

If the wires are still ‘live’ or have power running through them, you can seriously injure yourself if you handle them improperly. Electricians are skilled professionals and trained to work in safe conditions, which means they know how to cut power to the plug to fix it. Moreover, they have protective equipment that protects them from electrical shocks.

In some cases, wiring in one room of the house may also bring power to another room. In circuits like these, an untrained person may commit a fatal error while trying to connect these wires to a switch or a power outlet in order to restore power to both the outlet and the room or another electrical device.

Hiring a licensed electrician essentially gives you peace of mind that the electrical issue was correctly resolved and eliminates the harm that can befall you if you are untrained and try to fix the electrical issue yourself.

2. Should I fix an electrical issue which may be trivial right away or should multiple electrical issues be clubbed from a cost optimization perspective?

While it is recommended that an electrical issue no matter how trivial should be solved right away, you may get an exorbitant quote for an electrical issue which seems like a small problem and this may convince you to put off the issue for a while longer. If an electrical issue is not trivial the risks far outweigh the cost of repairs and the issue must be addressed immediately.

Some people who like their electrical equipment functioning all the time will address an electrical issue no matter how trivial and some people may hold off on a trivial electrical repair until two or more electrical issues are apparent to negotiate a reduced cost. Budget allocation towards electrical repairs is an aspect that customers must consider.

A recommendation to get optimal quotes for repairs is to check quotes from various electricians. Once you find a quote from an electrician within your budget, speak to that electrician about offering a better deal considering you have multiple things to fix. This approach is known to save money in the long run. It is usually cheaper to get several repairs on one bill rather than spread out the repairs over multiple bills

3. What do I do when the power to my home goes out?

It is important to identify whether the power outage in your home is restricted only to your home or to other homes as well in the vicinity. There are various types of power outages and whether repairs are within the scope of an electrician or not are listed below:

Local blackout - A local blackout is usually caused due to a power grid issue and not an issue with the electrical circuits in your home. It is also not just restricted to your home but also affects multiple homes in the vicinity. This type of power issue is not within the scope of an electrician and needs to be addressed by the electricity department of the county or state.

Your home has no power, however, your neighbors’ homes have power - In this circumstance, we recommend calling an electrician because it is highly likely that the electrical circuit in your home is the cause of the issue.

4. How do I cope when the power goes off in the months of summer and winter respectively?

If the power goes out during the summer months, it is essential to monitor your fridge and the food in your fridge because gradually frozen foods thaw out in summer heat, even if you don’t open the door to the fridge or freezer. Foods exposed to heat for prolonged periods tend to decay.

If the power goes out during winter months, keeping the home warm is a priority. It is imperative to have a back-up generator if your furnace is electric. If you have a gas burning furnace, you needn’t worry as the source of heat comes from burning gas. With inadequate heat in the winter months, you should be particularly vigilant and ensure and ensure the pipes in your home don’t freeze so that your property is not damaged

5. Should I get a back-up generator for my house or condo? If yes, what are the factors to bear in mind?

It is recommended that you have a back-up generator available to power the furnace, some lights and power outlets in your home. Unfortunately, a majority of homes do not contain electrical circuits that make using a generator at home an easy ‘plug n' play.’

In order for you to be able to power appliances from a generator, it is likely that you would need an extension cord with a power bar coming from the generator, which is located outside the house/condo. A space heater could be used to warm up an area of your home this way, but pipes can still freeze. It is important to check whether there is scope for your electric furnace to be connected to an electrical panel which can be connected to your generator. If your home is heated with an electric furnace, you need to understand that it typically receives power from your electrical panel. If you can’t connect your electrical panel to your generator, you can’t turn on your electric furnace.

For you to be able to connect your generator to your home easily, it’s imperative to have a separate electrical circuit with its own disconnect switch installed. As Certified Electricians in Toronto, CFI Electric Ltd. is trained to deal with these types of circuit installations.

6. What is the best way to pick the right contractor?

Many electrical contractors offer free estimates, so a good place to begin this exercise is to compare the price estimates provided to check whether they fall within your budget. Checking reviews that contractors might be able to offer is highly recommended because these reviews serve as endorsements of their service quality.

Many companies usually ask clients to fill out a small survey and to provide a review of their services. Finding a company with many good reviews usually indicates that clients were generally satisfied with their performance.

Last but not least, remember to go with your gut. It’s always a good idea to do some research on the electrical issue that you are facing. Even after collecting a few quotes and looking at reviews, select the licensed contractor you feel most comfortable with performing the work and go from there.

If you have any more questions about hiring an electrician or electrical contractor, get in touch with CFI Electric Ltd. As certified electricians in Toronto, ON, we provide our electrical services for home (residential), commercial, maintenance and industrial projects in Toronto, ON and the surrounding areas. We also provide emergency work (troubleshooting) as well as project completion services for each category. We consider our job done in accordance with the Ontario electrical safety code and only after the customer is completely satisfied.

To learn more about the electrical services in Toronto, ON, offered by us please click here or feel free to contact us by clicking here