5 Tips For Maintaining Your Home’s Electrical System

March 1, 2023

Keeping your home’s electrical system in good working condition is essential for your safety and comfort. Fortunately, there are simple things you can do to keep your house’s electrical system safe and functioning properly. Follow these 5 tips to maintain your home’s electrical system and you’ll be sure to enjoy a healthy and happy home!

• Inspect Your Wiring

Your home’s electrical system is a critical component of keeping you and your family safe. An electrical failure or malfunction can cause fires, property damage, injury, and even death. A home electrical system inspection can help you spot potential safety problems and prevent them from happening. During an inspection, your home inspector will check your main panel for damage and broken breakers. They will also check your breaker and fuse amperage ratings to ensure that they are safe and up to code.

• Test Your Outlets

The wiring in your home is one of the most important parts of your house and can be dangerous if it isn’t well maintained. It’s essential to test your outlets on a regular basis to ensure they work as they should. This can be done using a multimeter, which allows you to test a wide range of electrical measurements. This can include whether or not the outlet is grounded correctly, and if the polarization is correct. It is also a good idea to test the voltage on your sockets, especially if you have heavy-duty equipment like washing machines or vacuum cleaners that require 220V power supply from outlets.

• Check Your Breakers

Circuit breakers are a vital part of your home’s electrical system. They are designed to turn off power in the event of an overloaded circuit as well as protect your electric wires and equipment from damage and fire. However, these breakers can go bad over time and start to malfunction. A good way to check your breakers is to use a multimeter. Place the red positive meter probe on one of the breaker’s power supply terminals and the black negative meter probe on the other. The meter will read the voltage and resistance of your circuit breaker.

• Replace Old Wiring

One of the best things you can do for your home’s electrical system is to keep it up-to-date. This is especially important if your home is older than 40 years old. Despite this, many homeowners aren’t aware that their homes may have old wiring that needs to be replaced. In fact, according to the National Fire Protection Association, faulty wiring is the leading cause of residential fires. If you’re not sure how old your house’s wiring is, you can ask your home inspector to help you identify the type of wiring that’s in place. Knob and tube wiring is the oldest, frequently found in houses built before 1940.

• Upgrade Your Appliances

Upgrading your appliances is another way to improve the performance and energy efficiency of your electrical system. Choosing energy-efficient models will reduce your electric bill and save you money in the long run. However, you should never upgrade your electrical system without the guidance of a licensed electrician. They will be able to ensure that your new wiring and outlets are in compliance with local codes.