Residential electricians are skilled workers who repair and install electrical systems and electrical components in and around residential dwellings. The scope of work can include lighting, surge protection, panel changes, outlets, electrical wiring, breaker boxes, and much more.
Due to the nature of the work, the job of an electrician isn’t for everyone. For example, becoming a residential electrician in Ohio involves specific licensing requirements and in-depth training. Furthermore, safety should always be a top priority when it comes to electrical work. Therefore, our expert local electricians here at Five Star Electrical Group meet education, licensing specifications, and in-house training standards to ensure the highest quality of workmanship. Because of this, you can always count on us to get the job done right.
Residential Electrician Job Description
Electricians are highly skilled, licensed professionals who work in customers’ homes, outbuildings, and garages. These experts inspect, repair, install and maintain electrical systems throughout a house or building. Depending on the electrician’s experience, they might also lead entire teams for bigger projects.
A residential electrician’s duties include the following:
- Installing new lighting
- Installing new wiring and power outlets
- Interpreting blueprints and technical drawings
- Inspecting electrical components
- Ensuring safety and correct installation
- Diagnosing critical power problems in the home
- Maintaining home electrical systems
- Replacing broken parts
- Knowing all local and federal regulations for safe electrical systems
Beyond the role of the “residential electrician” itself, we classify electricians by their training and experience:
Apprentice: Apprentice electricians are technicians who train with an experienced professional for supervision. They do this for years before advancing to the next tier as a journeyman electrician.
Journeyman: Once a new technician has completed an apprenticeship, they are approved as competent in their trade. Provided they’ve learned everything they need to learn, they officially become a journeyman electrician.
Master: After journeymen, electricians gain years of experience and, during that time, are able to demonstrate a high level of skill and competence; they become master electricians.
Licensing Requirements
In order to become licensed as a residential electrician in Ohio, you must have your high school diploma or GED.
Additionally, qualifying as an electrician requires gaining a certain number of hours on the job. In Ohio, an electrician needs 8,000 hours of training and experience on the job to become a journeyman electrician. There are two ways to gain this on-the-job experience: applying for an apprenticeship program or enrolling in a trade school that enables you to transition to an apprenticeship program. In addition to these 8,000 hours on the job, in Ohio, you also need 180 hours in the classroom. Hence, why it can take years to become an electrician.
Nevertheless, all this training benefits the customer and protects the electrician. Remember, we said safety should come first.
In the classroom, an electrician learns about:
- Local and federal electrical codes
- Electronics for electricians
- Fire alarm and security
- Conduit bending for electrical
- Grounding electrical
- Tech electrical
- Fiber optic electrical
- Programmable controllers
- Standard first aid
In a trade school, an electrical student also has the opportunity to gain supervised on-the-job training before working in a home. Working with a licensed professional, you can maintain systems, install new components, and complete wiring. On top of that, you will study and learn about all the various systems commonly found at home.
Skills Needed
As much as trade schools offer, there are specific necessities to the job that can’t be taught in the classroom. However, much is learned by working with an expert electrician in the real world. For example, the following skills help guarantee safety:
Problem-solving skills: Most electrical work involves diagnosing and repairing electrical problems in the home. After the apprenticeship is complete, you are on your own to perform these tasks. Therefore, understanding how to investigate and overcome problems is essential to succeeding as a residential electrician. It’s also essential to know how to identify alternative solutions. At Five Star Electrical Group, our electricians are trained to find the most affordable long-term solution and do the job right the first time.
Reading comprehension: Most work orders are made in written format, whether via email or printed out on paper. The ability to interpret these orders is crucial to the job, and summarizing your work succinctly and accurately helps make it easier for electricians who may work on the system after you. Communication is key. As such, reading comprehension is a must.
Mechanical aptitude: If you grew up taking things apart around the house and putting them back together, you might enjoy being an electrician. Confidence and comfort are musts when it comes to electrical work. As such, a strong sense of mechanics and mechanical aptitude is a must.
Customer service: Most electricians are required to interact with customers on a daily basis. Because of this, it is essential they are able to talk to them and help them feel reassured that they are able to help with their electrical problems. Our electricians at Five Star Electrical Group are not only trained to be able to do all types of electrical work but also to treat customers in a friendly and professional manner with the utmost honesty and courtesy.
Work Environment
Maintaining electrical systems can be a task that’s demanding and requires physical labor. While electricians usually work indoors, air conditioners, swimming pools, hot tubs, and solar panels are a few examples of equipment found outside the home. This work can be required in extreme temperatures. Sometimes, an electrician has to work in tight spaces. Sometimes, they have to lift heavy objects. Protective gear, eyeglasses, and protective clothing also help protect against burns and shocks.
Being an electrician is a full-time job. As such, few electricians work part-time. As a result, it’s not unusual for an electrician to have to drive out during the night or on a weekend or holiday for emergencies. Ohio weather can also lead to the need for overtime, especially if it’s new construction.
Tools & Duties Involved
The tools of the electrical trade help define what it means to be an electrician. Here we will pull an example from a real workday at Five Star Electrical Group, where our electricians wire a new house. Each electrician follows a standard sequence while following regulations that consider safety, efficiency, code, and aesthetics:
- Primary connection to the building
- Connections to overhead lines and underground lines
- Light fixtures in the home
- Closet lighting
- Exterior lighting
- Light switches in each room
- Electricity powering ceiling fans and ventilation
- Electricity powering air conditioning, and heating
- Breaker boxes
- Power outlets and ground connections
- Circuit for HVAC units
- Circuits for water heaters
- Washing machine, dryer, and stove, each needs their 220-volt circuits
- Low voltage wiring for cable/video, data, and voice
Finally, electricians install components to the multitude of systems in the home according to electrical theory. These concepts, which electricians learn while in trade school or in an apprenticeship, include:
- Voltage
- Current
- Grounding
- Circuitry
- Resistance
- Amperage
Conclusion
As long as the world runs on electricity and our lives revolve around power, we will always need electricians. Our lives wouldn’t be the same without them. Five Star Electrical Group meets all the licensing requirements. In addition, we keep ourselves aware of all the current local, state, and national codes. So choose Five Star Electrical Group as your residential electrician and schedule a visit from one of our expert electricians today. Call us at (844) 397-4664, or schedule an appointment online now by clicking here! We look forward to serving homeowners with all of their residential electrical needs.
