Electricity is a delicate element to deal with that demands a lot of experience, right tools, and knowledge about safety measures to work effectively with it. Whether it is about making electrical connections and cutting wires to install outlets and switches both of them require skills and expertise to deal with.

Although, it doesn’t mean you need to fear from electricity but every time you work with it make sure you don’t such errors that can prove to be catastrophic.

Following are some of the top electrical mistakes which can easily happen but it’s must to avoid them.

Having Electrical Connections Without An Electrical Box

Wires should not be connected outside the electrical boxes. It is important to have junction boxes as they protect all wire connections from any sort of damage and also control sparks that are resulted due to a short circuit or loose connections.

Cutting The Wires Extremely Short

If wires are cut extremely short it becomes difficult to have wire connections and can be dangerous even. The electrical wires should be at least 3 inches so that it sticks out from the box.

Using Unprotected Plastic-Covered Cables

 This is also a major electrical issue that can turn out to be hazardous at some point of time. If plastic cables are left open or exposed in between framing members should be protected else they can be dangerous. If the cables are run over or under wall to the framing of the ceiling it can cause damage. Therefore, the best way to protect the cable is by attaching a small board next to the cable to prevent damage from stored items.

Replacing The Slots Without A Ground Wire

This is often ignored while replacing a wall outlet. Many people consider replacing two slot outlets with three slot outlet for plugging in three pronged plugs. But before making the replacement one needs to check whether the outlet is grounded or not. In case you don’t know much of it then you can choose to replace the outlet with another two slot outlet. Even you should test the outlet for proper wiring with special testers before you replace them.

Connecting Hot and Neutral Wires

If you connect the black hot wire to the neutral terminal it can prove to be potentially dangerous. Although lights and most of the electrical devices will still continue to work but the system is in danger. So, make sure whenever you change a switch or outlet connect the white wires to the neutral terminal. You can identify this as a silver or light colored screw and the hot terminal will be darker gold. The grounding wire will be of bare copper color with green terminal.

It’s advised hire a professional electrician to avoid theses electrical mistakes at your home.