While you might not give it much thought, your home’s electrical system is an imperative part of your everyday safety and comfort. However, electrical system components don’t last forever, and they must be replaced when they start showing signs of excessive wear and tear or malfunctioning. When it comes to living in an older home, there are many different electrical hazards that you want to keep an eye out for.
Two-Prong Receptacles
It wasn’t until the beginning of the 1970s that the National Electric Code started to mandate electrical grounding in residential settings. If your home was built before this date, you may still have ungrounded two-pronged outlets. On a standard modern-day electrical outlet, the bottom prong is the electrical ground to ensure the safe dispersion of electricity in the event of an overload.
If your home still has two-prong electrical outlets, it’s time to upgrade your wiring to include a ground wire. It’s also important to note that it’s not uncommon for home renovators to swap out two-prong plugs for three-prong plugs without hooking up a ground wire. An electrician can assess your outlets and determine whether or not there is a ground wire going to the three-prong outlet.
Missing GFCI Outlets
GFCI outlets are specifically designed to have an extremely fast response time in the event of an electrical overload to prevent electrocution. Because water is very good at conducting electricity, GFCI outlets must be installed in all the major wet rooms of your home. These include your laundry room, bathrooms, and kitchen. GFCI outlets are square outlets that have test and reset buttons in their middle.
100-Amp Service Panel
Another problem that many older homes have is that they only have 100 amps of power going to them. While this still works to power various items throughout the home, it’s typically not enough to meet our modern-day electrical demands. Residents of older homes often end up overloading their circuits because they simply don’t have enough power for their needs. If you have a 100-amp electrical panel, consider upgrading to at least 200 amps to help keep up with all your electrical demands.
Cloth Wiring
It was standard practice in homes built before the 1960s to use wiring that had cloth insulation on it. While this certainly was effective for many years, the cloth material has been shown to get super brittle and break off over time. This leaves the wiring underneath it exposed, which can lead to electrical fires as well as electrocution. If you still have cloth wiring, you should consider rewiring your home to increase your safety and greatly reduce your risk of experiencing an electrical fire.
Aluminum Wiring
Aluminum wiring is another material that can pose various safety risks to your home. It deteriorates much more quickly due to the large amount of expansion and contraction of the wire as it heats up and cools off. Furthermore, movement can cause the wiring to become loose from the screws on your receptacles and light switches, which can lead to dangerous arcing. Aluminum also overheats more readily than other wiring materials like copper. It’s best to upgrade any aluminum wiring that you have with newer copper wiring.
Not Enough Outlets
Probably one of the most common problems that people have with older home electrical systems is that there aren’t many outlets. It was pretty standard only to put one or two outlets in every room, which simply isn’t enough for our modern-day electrical needs. This forces many homeowners to use power strips that can lead to overloading of your electrical circuits. It’s best to have an electrician upgrade your electrical panel and install new wiring and outlets in the various rooms of your home.
Faulty Outlets
Most receptacles will have a lifespan of anywhere between 15 and 25 years. If you live in an older home, your electrical outlets will eventually reach the end of their lifespan. In most cases, they either quit working altogether or you’ll notice that any item you plug into them seems to fall back out. This will necessitate replacing the outlet or upgrading it to ensure continued functionality.
Exceptional Electrical Rewiring Service
Paragon Electric offers exceptional electrical rewiring service to the Plantation, FL community. We can also help with all your commercial, industrial, electrical repair, electrical panel, installation, wiring, remodel, surge protection, indoor lighting, outdoor lighting, and EV charging station needs. Simply call us today to book your next consultation with one of our friendly and knowledgeable electricians.
