How to tell if unlicensed electrical work is dangerous
Unlicensed contractors often skip critical safety steps like load calculations and proper wiring, creating severe shock and fire hazards. Discovering that work was done incorrectly leaves homeowners with unverified installations that can energize metal conduits or cause catastrophic system failures.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Calling a reputable HVAC company to fix the work
- 2Demanding refunds or removal of equipment
- 3Having family members present during confrontations
- 4watching YouTube videos to check the quality of work
- 5texting the contractor to question their methods
- 6hiring another professional to troubleshoot and fix the issues
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I just wanted to confirm my suspicion that work done by an electrician on my house is less than ideal.”source ↗
“I've since watched enough YouTube videos to confirm that this is not supposed to be done and if the ground is lost or conduit disrupted then the garage conduit could become energized.”source ↗
“Looks like he was either rushing or genuinely doesn't give a shit.”source ↗
“My biggest concern at this moment is that he admitted to not being a licensed electrician. He told me what he did to the breaker box and then ran wire from the box, across the attic and down into the air handler closet in the house.”source ↗
“He admits to: not being a licensed electrician, not doing the load calculations to determine the correct tonnage for house and claims that he did it to save us money.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4How to find and hire reliable contractors after property damage
- 58How to find reliable contractors who actually show up
- 22How to get a contractor to fix damage they caused
- 2How to handle a struggling contract-to-hire employee who isn't working out
- 45How do I know if I can DIY a repair or need a pro?
- 2Contractors asking for admin access but not knowing basic IT