Signs Your Home Needs to Be Rewired

Your electrical wiring is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure your home has, so it’s crucial to make sure it’s well maintained and in good, safe operating condition. The U.S. Fire Administration reports more than 25,000 home fires caused by electrical issues every single year, with these fires resulting in hundreds of deaths, more than 1,000 injuries and more than a billion dollars in property damage. Some 39 percent of all electrical fires in the home involve interior wiring, outlets and receptacles.

Fortunately, there are plenty of steps you can take to ensure the safety of your home and prevent an electrical fire from occurring. It might be a big investment to completely rewire your home, but if this is what needs to be done to keep you and your family safe, it’s an investment worth making.

Here are some signs you should watch for that indicate you should call an electrician in Carlsbad, NM to come out and rewire your home:

• Unusual sounds or smells: If you notice unusual buzzing or sizzling sounds coming from your outlets or smell a burning scent when you’re using an appliance or outlet, this could be a sign that you have some wiring issues. Burning smells especially should be an indication that you need to have your wiring checked as soon as possible.
• Heat or discoloration: Any hot or discolored cords, plugs or switch plates in your home could be a sign that you have wiring that’s running hot and could potentially be a fire danger to your home.
• Frequently tripped breakers or blown fuses: While breakers or fuses might trip or blow every now and then even with good wiring, repeated occurrences of these problems could be a sign that your home has some wiring issues that need to be resolved.
• Sparks: If you see an outlet spark or arc when you either plug in or unplug a cord, you should have the wiring in your home checked out as soon as possible, and avoid using that outlet until you’ve done so.
• Light bulbs that regularly burn out: If you have light bulbs that burn out very fast in a particular socket, this might mean you have wiring that can’t handle the wattage of that bulb, which could be a sign that you need to upgrade your wiring.
• Shocks: If you experience electrical shocks when you touch a cord, plug in an appliance or flip a switch, this could very well be a wiring issue, and it’s important for your own safety that you have it checked out as soon as possible.
• Other issues: Other signs of wiring problems include loose outlets, damaged insulation, dimming or flickering lights and over-amped electrical panels.

Want to know more about electrical wiring in your home and how you can tell if you have a wiring problem? We encourage you to contact JB Electric LLC today to speak with an electrician in Carlsbad, NM and learn more about our services.

Categorised in: Electrician