When you need electrical work done for your business, you want to call a commercial electrician and not just a residential electrician. While many electricians may work in both areas, an electrician who specializes in residential work may not be as experienced with the commercial work you need done for your business. Note how and why that is, and why a commercial electrician is often the better choice for electrical work done in a business setting.

1. Custom lighting and workstations

Many businesses have custom lighting that is used to create atmosphere or that is needed for workers, such as lighting over stations in a hair salon. Many offices and industrial areas also have custom workstations; one area may be for office work while another may be for food prep, or for production of materials. All of these custom features typically require custom electrical work, including separate circuits that can handle these increased demands of electricity, wiring that needs to work around wet areas, and larger surge protectors. A residential electrician may not be very skilled in the custom wiring required for commercial needs, whereas a commercial electrician can ensure the work is done properly.

2. Electrical codes

Very often the legal codes and requirements for commercial electricity is different than those for residential work. Large, commercial pieces of equipment often need more volts and amps; in turn, they may require special wiring and surge protectors. A residential electrician may not be familiar with the codes for such work, and you may face heavy fines if their work isn't done to legal requirements. This can also cause a problem if you should ever decide to sell your business or your property and it's discovered that the electrical work is not up to local codes.

3. Thermal imaging and other specialized equipment

If you need to find a hotspot behind the walls of your home, it may not be difficult to pull out furniture so an electrician can cut out a small hole and use a camera or other such equipment. In a commercial setting, however, it's more likely that walls are covered by large, built-in equipment such as commercial kitchen appliances, welding stations, and other pieces that are not so easily removed. A commercial electrician may work with thermal imaging and other specialized equipment that allows him or her to see behind the walls without actually accessing them. This can mean less interruption of your work itself and less risk of damage to that equipment.

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