Unless you have knowledge and experience of electrical work and wiring, it is always better to hire an electrician to take care of any electrical installations and repairs. Even minor installations could cause big problems if they are not done correctly. In spite of all the videos online that encourage DIY work, things like electrical or plumbing work usually require the skills of a trained professional. Make a mistake with plumbing work, and it could cost you thousands of dollars in damage due to a leak. But if you make a mistake with electrical work it could cause great bodily injury from electric shock or even cause a fire due to bad wiring.
What Could Go Wrong?
If you are thinking about doing a landscape lighting installation yourself using low voltage installation tips that you found online or got from a friend, you might be wondering, what could go wrong? The truth is that even with low voltage installation for outdoor living spaces, such as walkway lighting or focal lighting features, it can still be complicated and dangerous. If you don’t know what you are doing, there could be overloaded circuits, faulty grounding, and even poor wire connections, all of which can be extremely hazardous to your home and everyone in it.
Installing Circuit Breaker Upgrades
If it is determined that you need to increase the capacity to accommodate your new outdoor living space, you will need to work with more than a simple low voltage installation. In fact, you will absolutely need to hire a qualified electrician to do the work. Adding new appliances or fans, outdoor televisions, increasing outdoor lighting, and adding extensive landscape lighting installs to your property will require an upgrade to the circuit breaker panel. This is especially true if your home is more than 20 years old, or if you have already done major remodeling, such as adding on a room or extending indoor living space.
In some situations, you will only need to add more outdoor outlets and ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), which are the outlets you usually see in the kitchen or bathroom that have grounding built right in for extra protection. These GFCI outlets will shut off immediately if water comes in contact with them, which is why they are great for covered outdoor kitchens and dining areas, just in case your new space springs a leak. They will also shut off automatically if the electrical load becomes unbalanced to prevent anyone from getting a shock. Only a licensed and certified electrician should install a GFCI plug or add more outdoor outlets. This is definitely not a DIY project.
Outdoor Lighting Options
So if your main goal is to add outdoor lighting for your new outdoor living space or patio, you might think that the guy at the hardware store was right, that you can install this lighting yourself. The truth is that any ambient or security lighting should be installed by a professional electrician. While many products state that they are a simple low voltage installation, every situation is different, and there is always a chance of shock. An electrical contractor can help with all of the wirings for your landscape lighting install, ensuring that everything is properly grounded for outdoor use.
If you want to install outdoor lighting or an outdoor television in the Dallas Fort Worth area, give Speedy Electric a call. Our crew of highly trained and experienced electricians can help you with all of your landscape lighting install needs. We have been providing quality services to homeowners and commercial property owners for many years. So whether you want low voltage installation assistance or need a more extensive type of electrical work for your new outdoor living space, we can help you achieve your goals!
