What lurks in the attic?

I thought this would be a great topic to write about because I have been seeing it more frequently. Unfortunately there are people who do work in an attic and think because the Home Owner won’t go up there they can perform poor quality work or work that is downright dangerous! I will just try to explain the electrical stuff because that’s what I do. Some of the most common upgrades I see are recessed lighting, celing fans or exhaust fans. When this work is being done it would be necessary to extend electrical wires. So what we do is we install a junction box. The junction box is where we can create new connections in a safe sealed location. What I have been seeing is people not covering the junction box or not using one at all. If this box is not covered and the electrical connections are poor then they throw a spark in a very hot very dry attic well that’s how fires start. I have also seen people not using a junction box at all just wire nuts and tape this is also extremely dangerous. In this case all you have for protection is a thin layer of tape.

So what can you do?

First use a licensed contractor this will give you some recourse if the work is poorly done. If you have someone working in your attic ask them how they plan to do the job? You can ask to see how they ran there wire. If you see junction boxes with out covers buy a cover and put it on. You could hire an electrician to do a quick check for you. If you do decide to venture into your attic be sure to use the proper safety equipment and always be careful.

Thanks Baratelli Electric