Living in an older home comes with its own set of quirks. Creaky floors and old pipes are pretty harmless, but other issues in old houses are quite dangerous. Things like lead paint, asbestos, and electrical wiring problems can all cause some major homeowner headaches.
To keep yourself and your family safe, you don’t need to move out! You just have to do some updating. Home inspections typically check out suspicious issues like the roof, paint, and possibility of asbestos. As far as your home’s electrical troubles, that’s where we come in! We will inspect your home and create an action plan to get your needs met.
Here are some of the most common electrical concerns for older homes:
Old Wiring
In houses that are over 40 to 50 years old, the wiring probably needs to be replaced. This is for your safety as well as the efficiency at which your electronics and appliances can run.
In houses build in or before the 1940’s, the wiring is prone to erosion or degradation due to age or a poor quality installation. This is dangerous and poses problems i.e. electrical shocks or arcing (which is one of the causes of house fires).
Old wiring is also not equipped to handle the capacity that most of your electronics and appliances need today. In old homes, there are fewer electrical outlets typically. These outlets are older and well past their effective use. There are also fewer circuits in older homes.
No Grounding
Current electrical outlets are grounded, which means they protect you from potential electric shock and discharge ground faults. (Grounded outlets are the outlets that have two vertical slits of different sizes and one round hole on the bottom.) Each of these holes run to a different part of your electric service panel.
In old houses, you might not find any grounded outlets. This means that there is no method to handle a ground fault. In the event where a hot wire comes in contact with the metal frame of a piece of equipment (e.g. a drill motor, electric mixer, or oven), the electricity will charge the metal surface of the appliance. It then becomes a fatal risk to those living in or visiting your home.
Grounded outlets are required for any appliances that are encased in metal. This includes kitchen appliances, washer and dryer, and computer equipment. In order to use and maintain modern appliances in an old house, re-wire the outlets to keep you and your electronics safe!
For old houses, it is better to be safe than sorry. Get your home inspected by Summa Lux Electric Company to receive a quote for a full house re-wire. At times, it is a time consuming and expensive process, but the alternative risks just aren’t worth it. We can help get your old home the work it needs!
