How To Ensure Your Electrical Contractor Is Qualified | Myrtle Beach, SC

3/15/2020

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Making sure electrical contractors are important to anyone who is going to get electrical work done on their house. You want someone who is trained, educated, and experienced enough to get the job done the first time. Without that extra layer of protection you put yourself up for an increased risk of damage and having to call back another electrician. There are specific requirements that electrical contractors in Myrtle Beach, SC that all should have. Proper training will let these contractors practice across the entire state.

Certification and Classes

Electrical Contractors in South Carolina must hold a license from the Labor Licensing and Regulation department. The classification of the license is called “EL” and has many steps to obtain. They must first complete these steps to get their process in motion. To begin that process they are required to document two years, an equivalent of 4,000 hours, of experience under the supervision of a journeyman electrician or master level electrician. The applicants can reduce the amount of time underneath the supervision of those to one year or 2,000 hours if they have an associates degree through a technical school in a degree that pertains to the field.

Those technical schools can give electrical contractors in training a leg up by giving them hands on training and give them knowledge in a variety of subjects. These can include basic electrical theory, a knowledge base of electrical codes that work nationwide. You will also get basic training for the current OSHA regulations. They’ll also get training on items like reading blueprints. These basics of working as a contractor are at the foundation of these training courses.

There are a lot of things that they have to know in terms of actual electrical work. Some of those include learning how to do soldering and welding, working on electric motors and transformers, and learning how electrical panels work. They’ll also work on more in home items like wiring a residence or commercial building. These will teach them all about installing basic things like lights, fans, and appliances. It will also do more advanced teachings like replacing electrical boxes and conduit control.

The Union Option

A more traditional path for future electrical contractors includes working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. They have a program with the National Electrical Contractors Association that works through an institute in Charleston. Finishing the program and doing the requisite time under a union member will automatically give you the ability to work as a union member with the IBEW.

The Examination

Following their time in their apprenticeship or training, or both, there will be a required examination through the South Carolina Contractor’s Licensing Board through the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. This step gets you a certification with the state of South Carolina that requires you to submit a lot of data to Charleston and to take an exam through PSI. The current test has a time limit listed as 300 minutes, that’s five hours.

How To Ensure You Have Licensed Electrical Contractors

Now that you know the baseline process for how people can become electrical contractors you probably want to know how to ensure people are still licensed. The State of South Carolina runs a site from the Labor Licensing and Regulation department. Submitting the information for your would be contractor is easy and makes sure the person your hiring is as qualified as they say they are.

Specialized Tasks Electrical Contractors Can Do

There is a laundry list of what these contractors can do, but what exactly do they mean? Let’s look at some of the specialized tasks these now professionals are able to work on.

• Repairing Motors and Transformers: Especially in commercial aspects, major buildings or complexes will have dedicated electric motors in equipment or transformers on premises to regulate electrical current.
• Residential Wiring and Repair: The task you are most familiar with electricians doing, they will now be able to properly run and replace wire in a house. They will also replace outlets, help install appliances and outlets, install all switches and mark them appropriately, and ensure your house is up to current electric code.
• Running Raceway Systems: Back to the commercial side raceways help keep electric cords organized and easy to access. They may include under the floor systems, along the ceiling which may include being above a drop ceiling to conceal it, or run through walls to keep it in place of a building.
• Troubleshooting Issues: This shouldn’t be too big of a surprise, the contractors at the end of the day should know exactly how they are going to fix issues that arise over time. Determining what the problem is and getting it actually corrected is essential and this step, while being possibly the most obvious, is not something that is necessarily easy. This could take a long time especially if the Myrtle Beach, SC weather gets in the way.
• Splicing Wires and Cables: You don’t always get the length of wires you want when you’re working. That’s especially true when you are working on a replacement system. When done properly electricians can splice wires in a way that is allowed by code without wasting a lot of material or causing any distractions. They can do the same thing if they are working on cables for non-electric transmissions if applicable to the general task they are working on.

 

No matter what you need from the electrical contractors you hire, you should always ensure that their license is in proper order. If you are in need of service in the area contact the experts at Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach. Their expert staff and knowledge can help ensure that your projects are done right. They work on everything from general code compliance checks to replacement services for your current house, to installing in new houses, to adding generators into your system. Contact them today to see what Mister Sparky can do for you.