Electrical Contractors Melville NY
5 Essential Questions to Ask an Electrician Before Hiring
The first phone call Long Islanders make when they need commercial contractors is Fielack Electric. Servicing both Nassau and Suffolk Counties for over twenty years, their electricians and commercial contractors have a reputation of excellence. In other words, you can count on Fielack Electric to not only meet your electrical needs, but exceed them!
When your lights start flickering or you need to have a few new electrical outlets installed in your home, don’t make the mistake of hiring the first electrician you find. While there are plenty of electricians on Long Island, unfortunately, not all of them are reliable. The last thing you want is to end up hiring an electrician that doesn’t have the experience providing the services you need, or that doesn’t carry insurance. What happens if something goes wrong? – You could end up being seriously inconvenienced, or worse, injured, as a result of shoddy work.
To ensure you choose a qualified electrician, make sure you do your due diligence and ask the following questions before you hire just anyone to do the job.
Are you licensed?
Electrical work can be dangerous, and as such, electricians are required to carry a valid license.
A license certifies that the contractor has received the proper education and training. There are two types of licensure:
- Master, which means that the individual has a minimum of two years of professional experience and can design and install electrical systems.
- Journeyman, which means that the individual is only licensed to install electrical systems.
It’s extremely important for an electrician to hold a valid license. If he or she does not, that’s a red flag!
Are you properly insured?
In addition to holding a valid license, an electrician should also be insured. As mentioned, electrical work can be extremely dangerous. What happens if there is an accident and a worker is injured or your property is damaged? If the electrician isn’t insured, you could be held liable for the cost of repairs and medical care. In fact, insurance is so important that electricians are required to carry it!
An electrician or a commercial contractor should carry liability coverage; however, if he or she employs a crew, the electrician should also carry workers’ compensation coverage. Should an accident occur, you won’t be required to pay for any damages or injuries; instead, the electrician’s insurance will cover the cost.
What type of experience do you have?
Experience is just as important as a valid license. While an electrician can receive tons of training, nothing can compare to what is learned with first-hand experience. For example, an electrician may know all of the codes like the back of his hand, but if he doesn’t know how to implement those codes, that information is for naught. Furthermore, an experienced electrician will understand how to work with customers and best meet their needs.
Find out how many years a prospective electrician has been in business, as well the type of jobs he or she has performed. This information will tell you a lot about the type of work you can expect.
Who will be completing the work?
It’s important to know who will be completing the work that you need to have done. Will the owner of the company be doing the work, will employees, or will subcontractors?
If the owner isn’t going to be doing the job, make sure that whoever is also holds the proper licensing and be covered by the electrician’s insurance. You want to ensure that your bases are covered before you hire an electrician, so find out who is going to be performing the job before you decide to hire.
What services do you offer?
You also want to make sure you choose an electrician that offers the services you require. All electricians cannot perform all types of electrical work. For example, if you need to have an outdoor electrical system installed, if the electrician doesn’t have experience with this type of job, he or she probably isn’t the best choice.
Let the prospective electrician what type of work you need to have done and find out whether or not that type of work is within his or her scope.
Do you provide a warranty?
Find out if any type of warranty is offered. A reputable electrician will offer a warranty not only on workmanship, but on the parts that are used, as well.
In addition to finding out if the electrician offers a warranty, find out how long that warranty is good for.
As a reputable electrician, Fielack Electric can provide positive answers on all of the above-mentioned questions. No matter what type of electrical services you require, you can count on these expert electricians to meet all of your needs.
