Five Signs Your Home Needs a Wiring Upgrade
Electrical wiring is one of the most important aspects of your home or workplace. It ensures everything works properly, keeps you and your family safe from fire hazards, and protects against damage to sensitive electronics and appliances.
Old wiring can have serious safety issues that need to be addressed immediately. Keep an eye out for these five signs that your home needs a wiring upgrade:
1. You’re Getting Strange Shocks
It’s easy to put your home’s electrical wiring out of mind, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. If you notice that your home’s switches, outlets, or cords are hot to the touch, or that they feel a slight shock or tingle when touched, this is a serious warning sign that there may be an issue with your wiring. This is a good time to contact an electrician and have your house wiring upgraded.
Another sign that your house’s wiring needs to be upgraded is if you find yourself replacing light bulbs frequently, or if you have a higher than usual electric bill. This could be a sign that damaged or old wiring is allowing too much electricity to reach appliances and electronics, which can wear them out and cause overheating that leads to fires.
If your circuit breaker trips often, this is also a sign that your electrical system can’t handle the load you put on it. The breaker shuts off the flow of electricity to protect you from damage and prevent fires. It’s best to have this problem fixed by a professional before it gets out of hand.
If your appliances have a 3-prong plug, but your outlets and switches are only 2-prong, this is also an indication that your wiring needs to be updated. A 3-prong outlet has a grounding wire that helps to prevent electrical shocks by ensuring that any excess electricity goes into the ground instead of through you or your appliances. This can be easily solved by installing new 3-prong outlets in your home. It’s also a good idea to have your electrical system checked and upgraded during a remodeling project, so you don’t have to live with outages or unsightly holes in your walls.
2. You’re Getting Strange Smells
A strange smell in your home is a sign that something needs attention. It could be the lingering odor from last night’s tilapia or something more sinister like burning plastic or wiring. Either way, it’s a warning to contact Nashville Electrician as soon as possible to inspect your electrical system and perform any upgrades necessary.
Burning odors can signal overheated wires, faulty outlets, overloaded circuits, incorrectly sized breakers or fuses, or even a fire. You’ll want to have a professional in as quickly as possible to make sure the problem doesn’t spread to the wood and insulation in your walls.
Another telltale sign that it’s time to upgrade your wiring is if you frequently trip your breakers when plugging in appliances or devices. This is usually a sign of overheated wires that can’t handle the amount of electricity they’re being asked to carry. If this keeps happening, it’s likely that the wires will eventually melt and cause a fire.
Finally, if you have aluminum wiring in your house (which is more common in houses built before 1972), it’s important to know that this type of wiring doubles the risk of an outlet fire. If you notice burning odors from your outlets, call an electrician immediately to have them replace your aluminum with copper.
It’s easy to forget about your house’s electrical system, but this crucial component should be kept up to date. By knowing the five signs to look out for, you can ensure that your wiring is up to code and ready to keep your family safe. Contact an experienced, local electrician for the electrical upgrades your house deserves. It’s worth the investment to feel confident that your home is up to today’s building standards and safe for all your family members to enjoy.
3. You’re Getting Strange Shocks
Over time, the wiring in your home can wear out, especially if you live in an older house and use many appliances and devices at once. When your electrical system starts wearing out, it could cause fires that can put your family at risk. The good news is, you can take some proactive steps to prevent this from happening.
One of the most important signs that you need a wiring upgrade is when your lights start to dim when you turn on large appliances or high-amp electronics. Dimming lights indicate that you are using more electricity than your circuit can handle, and it is only a matter of time before it leads to a fire.
Another sign that it is time to get your electrical wiring upgraded is if you are replacing light bulbs more often than usual. This is a sign that the wiring is not properly grounded and is allowing too much current to reach light fixtures. It is also a sign that you need to install more outlets in your home.
You should also pay attention to how hot your electrical outlets, switches and wires feel to the touch. If they are hot to the touch, it is a sign that they are overheating and may lead to melted insulation or an electrical fire.
It’s a good idea to have your electrical wiring inspected and upgraded by a professional electrician at least once every decade. Doing so can help to reduce your family’s risk of electrical fires, save you money on your energy bills and help your home pass a home inspection. Contact Nashville Electrician today to schedule an electrical wiring upgrade consultation. Our team of journeyman electricians can inspect your home’s wiring, determine the type of wiring used in your house and whether it meets current safety standards, and recommend any upgrades needed to keep your family safe and your home running efficiently.
4. You’re Getting Strange Smells
When it comes to keeping your home in tip-top shape, there are all kinds of things you should keep an eye out for. You should never ignore a bad odor, for instance, as this could be a sign that there is a health or safety issue lurking in your house. A stale or musty smell can be caused by expired food in the kitchen, dirty laundry, or even a fire hazard in the electrical wiring.
If you notice a burning smell when plugging in appliances, this is an indication that your wiring is outdated or not up to code. Older homes often use aluminum wires, which are more likely to cause a fire than copper ones. Additionally, the insulators on older wiring can degrade over time. This is another reason why it’s important to replace any faulty outlets and switches in your home as soon as possible.
You should also pay attention to the color of the plates on your outlet and switch covers. Black marks indicate that the plate has been burnt by sparks from faulty wiring. If you notice this, it’s important to get a professional to check out your wiring right away.
Many homeowners don’t realize their wiring is outdated until it starts to malfunction or cause issues with their household. While it’s common for the aging of your home’s electrical system to result in problems, it’s important to keep an eye out for these signs and call in an electrician as soon as possible. You can usually have your electrical wiring upgraded during a larger remodeling project to avoid the extra cost and disruption of having it done separately. Also, upgrading the wiring can improve your home’s efficiency and reduce the risk of a fire.
5. You’re Getting Strange Smells
Despite the many advances in technology that have made our lives easier, electricity still poses significant dangers. This is especially true when wiring in older homes wears out or no longer meets the needs of your household. Fortunately, there are some easy signs that it’s time to call in a professional to upgrade your home’s electrical wiring.
If you’ve noticed that your outlets and switches have become discolored, this is a sign that they’re overheating. If left unchecked, this can lead to fires and other dangerous problems. A quick fix for this is to replace the outlet or switch with a new one, but it’s much better to have a professional take a closer look at your wiring system.
A constant tripping of your circuit breakers is another surefire sign that you need an electrical wiring upgrade. The breakers are designed to trip when the current being used exceeds what your circuit can handle safely. This helps prevent overheating, which can damage your panel and the wiring within your walls.
If you notice that your breakers are tripping frequently, it’s important to get in touch with an electrician right away. This could mean that the wiring in your house needs a “heavy up” to a higher amp service to accommodate more high-powered appliances or it might be time for an expansion. An upgraded electrical panel will be able to accommodate your growing energy needs while protecting the integrity of your wiring and preventing the risk of a dangerous fire. Aside from these obvious signs, there are many other subtle clues that your electrical wiring is in need of an upgrade. Keep an eye out for signs like flickering lights, increased power bills, and the strange smells that can often indicate a wiring problem.
Electrical wiring is one of the most important aspects of your home or workplace. It ensures everything works properly, keeps you and your family safe from fire hazards, and protects against damage to sensitive electronics and appliances. Old wiring can have serious safety issues that need to be addressed immediately. Keep an eye out for…