3 Home Repairs Only a Professional Should Make

Most home repairs are a judgment call. These three aren't. Each one can hurt someone or fail an inspection if it's done wrong, and the danger isn't visible from the outside.

1. Work inside the electrical panel

Turning off the main breaker doesn't make a panel safe. The service cables coming in from the meter stay energized, and they carry enough power to kill. Panel changes, service upgrades and most new circuits also need a permit and an inspection. A licensed electrical contractor knows which parts stay live, sizes each breaker to the wire it protects, and closes out the permit.

Breaker keeps tripping, or the panel feels warm? See electrical repair or panel upgrades.

2. Gas lines

A small gas leak can start a fire or cause carbon monoxide poisoning, and a bad joint can look fine on the day it's made. Gas work requires a licensed contractor, a permit and an inspection. If you smell gas, get everyone out, don't touch switches on the way, and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.

Our plumbing license covers gas work. See plumbing services.

3. Replacing a water heater

A water heater looks like an appliance swap, but it ties into the water supply, the electrical or gas supply, a temperature-and-pressure relief valve and, on gas units, the venting. Get one of those wrong and the result can be a leak, a failed inspection or a voided manufacturer warranty. Whether a permit is needed depends on where you live and what's changing.

See water heater repair and replacement, including what a complete quote should list.

How to check who you're hiring

For any of these jobs, ask for the company's Florida contractor license number and look it up at myfloridalicense.com. Ask who pulls the permit, and get larger work quoted in writing before it starts.

Air & Energy holds Florida contractor licenses in all three trades: air conditioning CAC1817161, plumbing CFC1429106 and electrical EC13011350. Call (941) 778-0773 or request service online.