I watched an episode of Hometime today where they were installing ceramic tile on the floor. They spent the entire half-hour program going into detail of each step of the way. I’ve seen that with other kinds of work too, but never with electrical. On any given program where the project involves any electrical work, they never spend more than 5 minutes describing it, and they only give an overview of what needs to be done — not how to actually do it.

5 Responses to “On home renovation shows on TV, why do they never go into detail on doing electrical work?”

1. bob
   February 25th, 2010 @ 6:57 am

   Being an electrician, I have wondered the same thing over the years. I guess they think viewers would find it boring.

2. Steve
   February 25th, 2010 @ 9:14 am

   I would assume it’s because of liability, because it takes a very small amount of current to stop the human heart, I think I’ve seen figures anywhere from 25-200 milliamps in my collection of college electronics books, that will kill you

3. woodtick314
   February 28th, 2010 @ 3:31 am

   Liability. Giving someone a little bit of information about electricity can be fatal. Electrical work is not something that can be learned from watching a 30 minute TV show. In addition, most states require that electrical work done on property other than your own home be done by a qualified electrician. Sometimes, they will show them installing light fixtures, but all of the preliminary wiring has been done to the point that the finish is as close to idiot-proof as you can get. Hope this helps.

4. Soman M
   March 1st, 2010 @ 7:46 pm

   Unlike other DIY jobs, any mistake in electrical work can be fatal. Also mistakes can destroy valuable equipments, can cause fires etc. To work with electricity requires full knowledge of electrical technology. So better leave it to professionals.

5. Kate
   March 3rd, 2010 @ 2:03 pm

   Probably think it should be in the hands of an expert. Don’t want to be sued.

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