Thinking like an Electrician

As a residential electrician in Vancouver B.C, you meet a cross-section of society. You are welcomed into people’s homes and you take a certain satisfaction in fixing their appliances, rewiring their sockets, troubleshooting their lighting systems etc. The vast majority of my experiences, I’m happy to say, have been positive.

Whereas an industrial electrician focuses on servicing the commercial and business world, residential electricians ply their trade in domestic settings; condos, apartments, townhouses, suburban homes. A residential electrician in Vancouver (just as any place else) comes in two varieties. There are freelancers and others like me who work for a company. Most of the work involves installation and repair. Replacing transformers, fixing circuit-boards, that kind of thing. Like any line of work, it suits certain personalities. I think you have to have a certain aptitude for mechanical things.

The most pressurizing situation I find can be when you are trying to locate and identify a fault. Remember, you are in somebody’s living space and time is money. You want to solve the problem as efficiently as possible and move on. So there’s definitely a benefit in having a mathematical brain. You need to be a good problem solver. Of course there’s a lot of technical knowledge, most of which you pick up as an apprentice; things like electrical codes and health & safety procedures. Electricity is the most dangerous force in your home. It demands respect. After a few years as an electrician in Vancouver, you find you have volts and watts on the brain. You don’t think the same as everybody else. You think like an electrician. You approach every problem as though alternating current were at the bottom of it.

What Services Can an Electrician Provide for Your Home or Business?

Looking for an electrician in Vancouver, BC, and feeling a little lost? What kind of services do you require? Have you identified the underlying problem or is it still unknown? What services can an electrical services company provide?

Residential Services: A good company of electricians will serve all your residential requirements. When you work long hours, you don’t have many free moments to arrange home repairs. The best electrical service providers have staff on call seven days a week to meet the demands of your hectic schedule. Shop around and find affordable solutions for outdoor lighting, service panel upgrades, fixture-installations and appliance circuits. Any electrician in Vancouver should be able to give you a free estimate before taking the job.

Commercial services: If you require electrical repairs or installments for your commercial premises, look for an electrician who has the correct experience. Have they worked with large businesses and building contractors? Have they worked with government organizations? More importantly, do they have the scope and the expertise to follow your project through from design to implementation? Every decision you make for your company (whether cosmetic or essential repairs) has a strategic business consideration. Sign repair, data-installation, systems changes and upgrades etc. Find a company that has a proven track record in commercial electronic services.

Troubleshooting and Repairs: Before you hire an electrical services company make sure that they are licensed, bonded and insured. Electrical repairs and trouble-shooting are essential undertakings.  Even an apparently minor problem might be the symptom of a broader issue. Service panel failures or faulty wiring can lead to more serious and even dangerous problems down the line. If you require energy-efficiency consultation, specific permits, work on circuit stripping or breaker issues, then you want to have the most qualified and proficient team possible. Always remember to shop around and stay alert. The right electrician in Vancouver is the one who understands your requirements and can offer you are liable and economic solution. 

More than Meets the Eye: The Work of an Electrician

As an electrician in Vancouver you often get asked about your trade. Does it pay well? Is it dangerous? Do you specialize in a certain area? Depending on the sector which employs them, an electrician or electrical worker may fill their days repairing fixtures and wiring or installing intercom systems and lighting. Basically anything in which volts, watts, circuit breakers, transformers or fuses play an essential role. Electricians are highly trained. It usually takes about four years to become qualified. The traditional method has been to serve as an apprentice, although now it’s becoming common to first attend a technical school.

Principles Duties

The principle duties of an electrician involve the maintenance and installation of complex electrical appliances and equipment. With a high degree of critical thinking they must be capable of diagnosing system malfunctions and employing correct procedures e.g. repairing or replacing faulty parts. They may be intimately involved in inspection, equipment-testing and future recommendations.

Behind the Scenes

Being an electrician in Vancouver, you realize that most of the electrical work in the city goes unnoticed by the majority of people. It happens in factories and businesses. Electricians and electrical engineers specialize in certain areas. They may focus intensively on installation or maintenance, design or application, often of specific types of mechanical and electrical systems. Every industry, from industrial production to media production employs its own specialized electrical engineers!

Independents

Of course these aren’t the electricians who normally come to your door when you have an outage. Normal commercial and residential electrical work is carried out by independent trade’s people and electrical companies. When someone needs an electrician in Vancouver to conduct panel upgrades, fixture installations, trouble shooting or repairs, they generally ring up one of their local independents. In a way, independent electricians are the face of the electrical industry. But there’s a lot going on behind that face.