Electrical Problems in Old Homes
There are many reasons to move into an old home: the charm, the history, and the old-world details can be very attractive. The price might fit your budget or maybe it’s just for the adventure of a large-scale project. Whatever your reasons are, there are certain risks involved when it comes to the electrical system.
The licensed electricians at LinkNow Media are trained to assess the home wiring and electrical system in old homes. They can identify problems that amateurs wouldn’t notice. If you are moving into an old home; regardless of its age it is very important to have a professional electrician assess the quality of your home wiring.
Read on to learn about some common issues that the licensed electricians at LinkNow Media have discovered during their inspections.
Ungrounded Outlets
Have you ever looked at the outlets in your home? In modern homes, outlets have three slots: The top two are for the electricity that comes from the electrical system, into the appliance, and then back. The lower one doesn’t channel electricity, it is called a “ground” and it protects both you and your appliances from sudden surges in power. The ground wire reroutes excess electricity out of your home and into the earth. It’s one way that grounded outlets protect people from serious electrical shock or even death.
Most older homes were not built with ground wires, they just have the two top slots. With nowhere for the electricity to go, these outlets are now extremely dangerous and violate building codes: being a risk to your safety. To get around this, shady landlords and contractors sometimes install outlet covers that have the ground plug in them.
When our residential electricians inspect your home, this is one of the things they will check. If they find that there is no grounding wire, they can do the installation.
DIY Projects Gone Wrong
It should be clear from all this talk of death and injury, that DIY electrical projects are a terrible idea. We can’t stress this enough; however, if you’re moving into a previously owned home, there’s always a chance that someone went rogue and decided they didn’t need to hire a residential electrician. Poorly soldered wires, wires with bad insulation and dangerously exposed wires are some of the common things we find. The excess heat from a badly insulated (wrong gauge or material) wire can cause fires in the walls of your home.
Old Wiring
There are several possible problems with old wiring; which could be as simple as being old and having deteriorated or having pests and rodents chew through the insulation. If your home is old enough, it might be that the wiring just can’t handle the amount of current necessary to power modern appliances.
LinkNow Media offers a complete range of electrical services; including rewiring, electrical upgrades and repairing botched or damaged electrical work.
Contact us today for a free consultation and quote!