Everything But The Weed

Approved by:
Linda Maze, a Wedding photography Gainesville FL in Gainesville Florida

Finding just the perfect electrician to service your home’s electrical system can be a daunting and often frustrating task.  But there are a few simple things a homeowner can look for when making the decision.

First, make sure that the electrical contractor company and the electrician himself are both licensed.  For example in the State of Texas an electrical company is required to be licensed.  For the company to get the license, specific requirements must be met. One of the requirements is general liability insurance. This is very important.  In the event of a mishap at your home, you would be protected by the companies liability insurance.

Another thing to look for is an actual master electrician working at the company.  There are a few master electricians that will sell their license to a company without one.  This is illegal, but all too common.  What do I mean by sell?  Say a journeyman electrician wants to open his own business. In reality he can’t. You have to have a mater electrician’s license to get a contractor’s license.  So the journeyman calls up his buddy who has the master’s license and says, “ Do me a favor, let me use your license until I can get mine.”  The master says, “Sure thing, just bring me the form and I will sign off.” It’s that simple, bam-the inexperienced journeyman -or worse yet, a apprentice electrican is now an electrical contractor!  Run from these companies like there is no tommorow!

If the prospective company passes the license criteria, then the next thing is to look for references.  In this day and age you can learn a lot by “ Googling” the company name.  Take a look and see, are most of the comments positive?  How about the contractor’s website, do they offer a reference list?  If they do, by all means pick up the phone and call a few.  You may be surprised to find out what you learn.

Another criterion is to find a contractor that uses background screening before hiring employees.  Do you really want a child molester in your home? If the company is concerned enough to background screen its employees it is likely that they are drug tested as well.  These are two very important must haves in my book.

Last but not least when the contractor drives up to your home, he should be in a clearly marked, well maintained vehicle.  If they drive up in a beat up pickup that hasn’t been washed in six months this is a direct reflection upon their character.  The electrician that knocks on your door should be clean, well-groomed, and dressed in a company uniform.  If they are not I would send them away and look for another contractor. 

By following these small steps, you can rest assured that you will find a trustworthy and dependable electrician with whom you can establish a relationship for years to come.

This article is written by Kathy Bankston co owner of ProLectric, LLC a Houston Area electrical contractor.