How To Know If Your Home Wiring Needs Repair

Your home wiring can be considered as the power highway through which electrical impulses are fed to various electrical appliances in your home. However, home wiring is not a one-time thing. You must keep checking for faults and defects to make sure that there are no potential hazards that might damage your appliances or cause short-circuit.

If you think that electrical wiring deteriorates with age, you might be off the mark. Old wiring is not the only reason why it becomes possibly unsafe. If you have old electrical wiring at your home that does not automatically mean they have to be replaced. Unless there is a performance of safety issue, you can continue with the existing system. Which brings us to the question – How to know if a house needs new wiring?

The best way is to call in an electrical expert. They will be able to do a physical and technical assessment of your home and give you an opinion. However, you too can do some basic checks to determine when to go for rewiring of your home. Look for these tell-tale signs of bad wiring and call a professional electrician proactively before any disaster strikes.

Before you start, consider a few things.

Never tinker with the wiring in your home. Hire the services of a licensed electrical professional to do the work. A trained eye has the ability to locate faults that you might not be able to detect.

Frequent Tripping of Circuit Breakers

Sleek, advanced circuit breakers can be seen in almost all modern homes. These stylish switches have replaced the archaic fuse box. When there is a problem with the electrical circuit, the circuit breaker will trip to turn off current supply automatically. The supply can be restored by flicking the switch back. If your circuit breaker is tripping frequently, it could probably indicate a problem with the wiring. Do not ignore this sign as this may lead to a bigger mishap if left unresolved.

Flickering Lights

Does your household light flicker or dim frequently. This is a problem faced by many homes that use heavy appliances that draw a considerable amount of power. If your wiring is not up to the desired standards, you might experience flickering and dimming. A qualified electrician should be called in to run a check before the problem escalates. The electrician will be able to decide if your home needs rewiring.

Abnormal Functioning of Appliances

All modern electrical appliances including light fixtures are designed to work smoothly. If any of your appliances behave abnormally, it could be because of two reasons – either there is a defect in the appliance or the wiring is bad. A vibration, buzz or a slight shock on turning on an appliance is a clear sign of a serious electrical problem. Your electrician is the right person to find out is there is a problem with your appliance or if the wiring needs an overhaul.

Marks Around Outlets

Do you have any electrical outlets that overheat or have marks around them? Do any of them make a buzzing sound? A sound electrical wiring system will never give rise to such conditions. Heated outlet is a signal that the wiring around that outlet is suspect. Dead outlet is also a sign of bad or defective wiring. It might seem to be a minor issue but the problem could easily flare up.

Damages or Cuts in Wires and Cables

With time, even the best of electrical wires and cables can develop faults. Splices in cables, damaged and frayed wires and exposed insulations can create risky conditions within your electrical system and put lives in great danger. Many times, such problems go unnoticed because the wires are cables are generally concealed. It is prudent to get your electrical system including wiring and cables checked by a qualified professional and the fault, if any, rectified.

Aluminum Wiring

Do you have aluminum wiring in your home electrical system? Your home could be at a greater risk of electrical mishaps than that of your neighbors having copper electrical wiring. Aluminum wiring is susceptible to even seasonal temperature changes which can lead to loose connections and potential short circuits. The concept of Aluminum wire can also be a fire hazard. If your home wiring is still made of aluminum, change to more stable and efficient copper wiring. It could cost you money but it will make your home safer.

Create a checklist and find out if your home has any of these issues and upgrade your electrical system accordingly. The main benefit of doing this is that your home will be well protected and the risks associated with a faulty wiring or electrical system will be hugely mitigated. You can feel reassured that your home, family, and expensive appliances are well protected. Updating your electrical system also can also help increase the value of your home.