Rewiring a house is something that generally only needs to be completed once or twice in a house’s lifetime. But knowing when a home should be rewired isn’t always so clear to homeowners and property owners alike.
Signs that a house needs rewiring
Faulty wiring: Issues with the current wiring in a home can include flickering lights, prematurely burned out lightbulbs, flying sparks when plugging into an outlet, and an electrical panel that’s consistently becoming over-amped.
Tripped circuit breakers and blown fuses: When a home’s circuit breaker is frequently overloaded and tripping, this is a larger sign that something is wrong with the home’s wiring. Especially for older homes, these instances could be signs of an overworked electrical system that’s more likely to cause major damage, even an electrical fire.
Burning smell: This is a potentially dangerous sign that rewiring a house is necessary. Electrical fires can start with little warning other than a burning smell in the home. Call an emergency electrician immediately if your electrical outlets have a burning smell.
Even if you haven’t experienced major electrical issues like the ones above, there are still special considerations to make before deciding to rewire a house or not:
- Major home renovations: Older
homes aren’t built for the electrical capacity that modern appliances and technologies require. - Aluminum wiring: Aluminum wiring was popular in the 1960s, but has since been discontinued since the turn of the 21st century. These older types of wiring aren’t necessarily proof that you must rewire a house, but aluminum is more likely to cause issues down the road, so it’s useful to be aware of when deciding whether or not to rewire a house.
Dangers of not rewiring a home
By far the biggest danger in not rewiring a house, especially older historic ones, is electrical fires. State Farm has found that nearly 40 percent of all home electrical fires stem from internal wiring or electrical outlets. In addition, the U.S. Fire Administration says that more than 24,000 house fires are caused by electrical malfunction. It’s a practical investment to rewire a house because it increases the value of your home as well as protects you and your family from a potentially devastating house fire.
Special considerations when rewiring an older home
The electrical capacity of historic homes simply isn’t up to par with the needs of modern technology. Owners of older homes often find themselves splitting electrical needs between two electrical panels, usually a main panel and subpanel in a different area of the house. When rewriting an older home, take extra care to not cause unnecessary damage to the walls. The best way to ensure your historic home doesn’t undergo expensive damage is to hire a professional electrician. They are trained in how to ensure the integrity of your historic home remains intact during the home rewiring process.
Rewiring a house with a Vancouver electrician
Prairie Electric is committed to providing the best quality electrical services for your home or business. Give us a call or send a message through our online form and one of our professional electricians will work with you to determine the services, repairs or installation you need.
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