Sometimes it can be a tricky proposition: when you're confronted with a stubborn nut or bolt, should you reach for a pair of pliers or a wrench? (And if all else fails? Well, we were born with fingers, weren't we?)
There probably isn't a professional or amateur electrician in the world who hasn't debated between using one tool over another – or who has improvised when he's had to - while doing electrical repairs.
The importance of the right tools
With enough time and experience, one point becomes abundantly clear: it pays to have a proper set of electrical tools, especially if you enjoy doing electrical repairs, possess the skill and confidence to carry them out and plan to handle as many of them as you can. Just as a carpenter needs a level, a plumber needs crimpers, and a seamstress needs a seam ripper, every DIY electrician should have certain tools at his side to make electrical repairs go as easy as possible and to avoid needless injury. After all, they don't call them the “tools of the trade” for nothing.
So begin outfitting your “electrician's toolbox” with some basic but necessary tools that you may already have: a flashlight, measuring tape, socket set, and step ladder—and of course pliers and wrenches for those stubborn nuts and bolts.
If you're lucky, you might find some of the DIY electrician's tools of the trade sold together, in one package, at your local home improvement store. (From this trend, it appears that other companies besides Experts In Your Home are embracing the DIY spirit.) But you will probably have to round out your box with other tools, just to be prepared to tackle any electrical repair.
Make sure your electrical toolbox includes:
Battery tester - to do exactly as its name promises
Cable cutters - to (you guessed it) cut conductors and cable that would fold under ordinary pliers
Channel locks (in three different sizes, ideally) - to tighten conduit, conduit fittings, gang boxes and connectors
Circuit tester - to plug into an outlet to test for the presence of electricity (otherwise known as determining whether an outlet is “hot”)
Electrical tape - to cover and insulate wires
Hack saw - to cut cable, conduit and strut
Hex keys - (also known as Allen keys), to tighten electrical termination lugs
Insulated screwdrivers - to guard against accidental electrical shocks of up to 1,000 volts. (But really: is there any other kind of electrical shock?)
Lineman's pliers - to bend, crimp, cut and pull cable and wire
Long-nosed pliers - (also known as needle-nosed pliers), to reach into small, tight places and bend or cut wire
Multimeter - to test batteries, power sources and switches
Nut drivers - to loosen those nuts and bolts that ordinary wrenches cannot
Side cutters - to cut small wires and tie wraps
Tin strips - to cut straight-edge sheet metal
Torpedo level - to provide accurate readings (by way of a magnetic field)
Tri-square - to make accurate cut lines for a straight edge
Wire stripper - to cut the plastic or rubber insulation around wire and cable without damaging the infrastructure
This list may seem long, but trust us: it will properly prepare you to handle household electrical repairs with ease and precision.
Meanwhile, don't forget about another “tool” at your disposal: Experts In Your Home. We're always here to answer your questions, troubleshoot an electrical problem or just reassure you that you're on the right track with DIY electrical repairs. Our licensed Chico electricians are experts in your home. We won't “fit” in your electrician's toolbox, but our name and phone number surely will. Be sure to keep the information at your fingertips—because your fingertips shouldn't hurt any more than they have to.
Related Articles:
Electrical Repairs You Shouldn't Do Yourself
Electrical Repairs You Can Do Yourself [Series]
Stay safer with this FREE guide on electrical jobs you shouldn't do yourself:
