Wired Right: The Do’s and Don’ts of Home Electrical

Common electrical mistakes homeowners make.

One of the worst things about DIY electrical work is electrocution. Getting a second opinion.

Which electrical upgrade?

I'd have to say solar for sure.

Hey, guys, welcome to the Builder's Edge.

I'm Norm Wales from Norm Wales Constructions. Now, for me, the whole purpose of this podcast here is, is to bring a little bit more awareness around the construction industry. I've been feeling for many, many years that there's not enough helpful information out there to support you guys to make the right choice. Now, we are a smaller family independent building company and we're not here to build everybody's home, but we would definitely.

Love to be able to work with.

You to facilitate your dream home. But, but if we don't build your new home, we want you to be able to make the right decision in choosing the right builder for you. So hopefully the information that I'm able to provide through this podcast can be informative and helpful that you can now create your dream home. So hope you enjoy it and thanks for watching.

So, Anthony, mate, what are the common electrical mistakes homeowners make and how can they be avoided?

Yeah, I think planning in the future, just a little bit would be, would be probably the best way. You know, a good example. We, we did a new home and the customer said they want to maybe do a pool at the back. That's cool. We, we, you know, got a feed in. We, we got a circuit over there. Sweet. Six months later, after the house was handed over, we're there to do the pool and we get there and you know, he says, oh, we're doing this, we're doing that. We've got a pool heater now we're, and all of a sudden this, the single phase, single circuit supply that we've got is well and truly not enough. Yeah. And you know, we have to run three phase down the, down the side of the house and you know, conduit and, and you know, make it as good as possible, but just it could have been avoided.

It is. And like, I guess I, you know, from experience myself that, yes, we have come across, I guess, partly established, you know, homes or blocks there that they're going to build a new home on.

Yeah.

And if they haven't got the right infrastructure in place for what they've actually wanted because they hadn't thought ahead of that aspect of things there.

Yeah.

Unfortunately they've had to pay a lot of additional money because the services that are in there aren't adequate to, to what they've required.

Yeah. And another hard thing is that maybe they weren't given the right advice from, from the people that installed it, you know, got a bit of a cowboy in and he said, yeah, she's right.

And yeah, look mate, you're on the money there, like. Unfortunately there are a few Troy Dan's out there that, you know, are supposed to be qualified, you know, sparkies, but at the end of the day they're really not qualified, you know, and it's got to be a really big concern I guess for yourself there that, you know, running a very reputable business, doing things right, that you're coming around fixing other people's problems.

Yeah, yeah, Quite, quite often we have to fix, you know, problems and the hardest thing is maybe with, you know, the Troy Dan out there, for example, he doesn't have much left in his, in his career. Me, I'm looking at, you know, 30, 40 years in, in this industry and in this area and I don't want to fall short because of a simple lapse of responsibility, I guess.

No, very true. You know, and like, can you tell me a little bit more about that there? Like you say that there's other trades out there, I guess, that might be hanging their boots up soon. You know, is it fair to say that they're not necessarily doing things to code?

Yeah, I think it's, I think there's a mix of, of definitely laziness and the, the she'll be right attitude maybe. I think possibly too. I think the standards have changed and, and, and a lot has changed in, you know, the last, even 10, 15 years and saying that on, on that particular job it was probably a bit far out, I think.

Yeah. So unfortunately, like I said, people just aren't up, upskilling themselves with the current, I guess, code and you know, delivering the product that should be meeting code. And I guess unfortunately, homeowners that aren't aware of, you know, what, what is code, they're trusting a specialist to deliver a good product and they don't know what they don't know. And unfortunately then you'll get someone like ourselves or other reputable builders and electricians that are coming behind, you know, and seeing what's being put in. And it's actually now, you know, quite a problem and it's got to be either replaced or severely upgraded.

Yeah, very expensive, Very, very expensive. No, we had a situation there a couple months ago where I was at a commercial property. They've just had a, well, it was, it was well over a million dollar refit. They've got this mob in and we've gone to just, just add another PowerPoint in and, and you know, things, just little things that got missed and you know, we've popped our head up in the ceiling and some of the stuff we found in there was, was horrendous and, and it's very difficult because now the, the end customer's in a position where I don't want to do the work to sign off on it and have to fix it. It's obviously going to be very costly to, to do so and he doesn't want to have to deal with the previous customer to where it's his responsibility and liability and. Yeah, and his responsibility to come and fix it.

It's definitely a very unfortunate situation that, and a story that we often quite hear, you know. So, yeah, like I guess then with that, like which electrical upgrade, anything would you say would be the most significant, you know, thing to invest in to get the best return?

I'd have to say solar for sure. Solar not only offsets a lot of your power and a lot of your home, but you can get a little bit of a return back from that as well. You know, you can, you can invest in more efficient appliances and things like that. But bang for buck would have to be solar coupled in with probably just a few changes in habits and how to optimize the living with the solar system. I think.

Yeah, no, I think that's definitely a smart approach there and like jumping back like a little bit there, you know, how can homeowners ensure that the wiring and the safety standards are actually up to scratch without overspending?

Yeah, that can be a very difficult one for the homeowner to check. Obviously electrical is one of the only trades that is self assessed. We don't have a third party inspector checking us, which on a side note I think probably would be good for the industry. I think if, if the customer does have concerns, I think it's probably worth getting a second opinion. I think that can just help give the, the customer just a second view of maybe what's, what's happening in the house and how it's done.

And I guess like if we're just talking just electrical, like I guess if you're going down the, the building aspect to be a matter of engaging the right builder that's employing the right trades, electricians to start with. But if it's just the electrical side of stuff there, it's really a matter of choosing that right trade and you know, asking around a bit more, I guess.

Yep, yep. Asking questions. I Think.

And yeah, and like how Anthony, like with the potential dangers that, that are obviously there with electrical, you know, like it's, it's not a, a small fit of any means. You know, like you're dealing with some pretty serious stuff there. Like the dangers of like your DIY electrical sort of guys out there, your Troy Dan blokes that you're talking about there. Like what are the actual potential dangers around this for this home consumer?

I'm not going to say DIY is bad because I'll let you in on a little secret. I do electrical work at my house. But, but one of the worst things about DIY work is, one of the worst things about DIY electrical work is electrocution. You know, a good electrician is all over the rule book and knows his field, knows his area and knows why we do certain things and how to do certain things. The other risk is, and people don't really realize this is, is warranty and insurance. If there's been DIY electrical work done in the house and it's, it's sort of found and, and a problem is caused or found because of that, you good luck in insurance or getting your insurance to cover that and, and you know, warranties covered by.

Yeah, that's what I like I guess like with people doing DIY electrical like, like you said. Yeah, you may do it but you're lucky enough you're like electrician, you know, but not everyone's, you know, got that skill or ability to do that. But it's a potential like fire safety. Like you know, people lose their homes or just simple things like this like, you know, like we've been on job sites ourselves that, you know, you've actually had a PowerPoint there that were supposedly meant to plug into that has been connected with an extension lead.

Yeah.

So you know, it's just a no go zone, you know, so. And you know when it comes down to the safety of electrical, like there should be no shortcuts whatsoever.

No, no, none at all. And it's, you know, you might save a call out fee, you might save a bit of markup or, or you know, all of that, but you're not really saving anything. You know, it's the risk, the potential, it's, it's, it's not worth it.

No, it definitely isn't worth the risk there mate, that's for sure. And look, I guess Anthony, with families choosing the, the right sort of lighting, you know, to create that ambience and you know that enjoyment in that zone or that space what sort of advice would you give people when trying to take that approach? You know, is it down lights or pendant lots that use, like how do you like, I guess help the customer to choose that right product.

I, I'll sort of just veer off a little bit. I never really considered how lighting affects mood and, and things like that until my wife actually brought it up. You know, just even the difference of a warm white, sorry, a warm light in, in the lounge room or, or in a, you know, ambient sort of room. How that helps you relax at night helps little things just easier I guess. A white light to help focus in an office area or a bathroom. We. I like the idea of pendants and wall lights as a bit of a feature in say kitchens or entries or out the front of the house.

And sometimes like you say too, like those wall lights could be a nice little softer light there. Just something just to make something pop there.

Yeah man, you know, you have, you have the rest of the lights off in the lounge room, leave the pendants on in, in the kitchen and it, you know, bit of warm white with some shadows sort of flow through and.

It'S, it's, yeah, perfect. So I guess they're like, you know, wrapping up their little bit like with the experience that you have. You know. What would be a bit of advice that you would give homeowners if they were considering, you know, doing some DIY electrical or engaging a electrician. How, you know, can they make the right choice?

Yeah, again it, it can be, it can sometimes it can be difficult to, to know you're using the right person without I guess that experience, without seeing their work and seeing how they work. And sometimes you, you're just going off their word. Sometimes that can be very difficult. I think a good indicator is, is, you know, how people present themselves, you know, do they, you know, again, it's, it's a simple thing as even I'm a big fan of how people dress or show themselves. For example, you have a tradesman rocking up in board shorts. Not saying they're a bad tradesman or a bad person, but it's a bad indicator of how they present may conduct themselves.

Yeah, no, fair enough. So I guess there might like, you know, a bit of advice there for home is like, you know, it's really not worth taking that risk through any DIY stuff there. Like that's a bit of a no brainer really. Let's you know, be honest about that. But when it comes down to picking the right sparky, you know, for yourself there, make sure that, you know, they are a reputable, you know, know, business themselves, you know, present themselves well. But I guess the biggest takeaway I took away today was actually listening to your wife and understanding, you know, the ambiences and the lights and that. So I think if we all do that, we all should be in the safe zone then, I think.

So. I think things would be a lot easier if we just step back a bit and listen.

No? Wonderful.

All right, mate, well, just before I wrap up, just got one last question there for you.

Yep.

Okay. What have we got here today? All right, Anthony. So, mate, if you had to choose three foods to live off for the rest of your life, what would they be and why?

Oh, geez.

This is three foods.

You know, what's. I'm not a huge fan of cooking, so it's easy to cook and prepare.

Steak, eggs.

Steak, eggs. Maybe a bit of salad, I think. I think would just be a nice little staple diet, I think.

Perfect. Steak, eggs, and a little bit of salad.

Yep. Wonderful. Y.

Love it.

All right.

Anything? Always a pleasure, mate.

Yep. Thank you very much.

Cheers, buddy.