subject: Home Transformation: Lighting Edition [print this page] When you have decided on updating your new home with fresh lighting, you may be tempted to think you are handy with a paintbrush, wood, saw, hammer and nails and therefore doing a bit of wiring can be tackled in the same DIY manner.
This would be wrong. For any home lighting, especially where it needs wiring in to your electric supply, consider safety and the environment as number one aspects. You should always consult a qualified electrician in order to avoid many different complications. Without such approved professional handling you could be open to fire hazards.
Aside from using the wrong wattage light bulb in your lamp, for any wiring of electric home lighting required, the location where you place table or stand up lamps is also an important safety consideration. Beware of an unstable floor which could tilt the lamp and leave it prone to falling over. Desk or side table lamps should not be placed near childrens beds or play areas.
Of course one of the lesser known disadvantages of wrong lamp placement is that this can also waste precious resources if it does not utilise light exposure for maximum effect. When you are considering your home lighting in detail, avoid placing a lamp near an already well lit spot as you are simply wasting resources. Instead, place your lamp where it will actually be put to good use. You may also like to consider energy saving bulbs.
However, when it comes to official wiring and connecting to mains supplies, it must be emphasised that this would be a potentially catastrophic mistake. Whilst other DIY elements like putting up shelves may be fairly innocuous, electrics are not. A qualified person has had to go through years of training. An electrician with Part P qualification and experience can deal with your electrical installations safely.
Even with simple lighting at home, many of the mistakes you may make in trying to do your own electrical work will not necessarily reveal any immediate problem. However, the errors could have serious consequences some months later.
Supposing you inadvertently fail to tighten all connections properly when you are installing a new appliance or connect something badly which is not immediately seen as an obvious error. Your appliance may well appear to work satisfactorily after you have installed it, but have you thought about overheating and arcing at the loose connection? This could, over time, cause corrosion. Dont risk greater heat levels at the connection, and eventually to a fire. Call in an expert and get it right.
