Common Electrical Issues with Older Houses
If you have older house chances are you may have to experience electrical issues at some point. With the electronics of today, many of the older homes don’t have the proper electrical to handle the devices correctly. People that live in older homes often experience problems like lights flickering, outlets getting warm, and outlets not working. There could be various reasons for each, and below, we will explore some of the common issues.
Electrical Outlets
Your home’s electrical outlets are an essential aspect that helps you power anything electric in your home. When they don’t work correctly, it can cause multiple problems for a household, mainly if the outlets are located in the kitchen. Your kitchen appliances won’t work without electricity.
A local electrician can help troubleshoot the problem and fix the issues. Usually, when there are only one or two outlets not working, it can be a relatively simple fix. However, if entire rooms are having issues, the problem may be more substantial, and more extensive repairs may be n
Electrical Panels
One of the biggest problems with older homes is the electrical panels. Fifty years ago or more homes didn’t have complicated electronic devices that we have now. Many of the electrical panels installed back then were meant to run a few appliances and some lights. Today the common room has computers, TVs, phones, radios, and other electronics plugged in.
Corey Haywood of VoltGen Electricians in Redlands explains, “Some older homes have electrical panels that are unsafe and need attention. In many cases, a replacement panel is needed, but on some occasions, the wiring could be cleaned up, and a subpanel added.”
Smoke Detectors
In older homes, many of the smoke detectors are hardwired into the house. Homeowners often neglect to test their detectors, and overtime, there could be issues. When it comes to the safety of your home and your family, you should ensure all detectors should work correctly.
Many electricians offer home safety inspections. These inspections are critical in any home but especially in older homes. Not only will an electrician text you smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, but they will perform an inspection on all your home’s electrical.
Wiring
The wiring in older homes can deteriorate over time. This is especially true if you have aluminum wiring or knob and tube wiring. Both of the older types of wiring have significant issues as they can become a fire danger. The protective casing around the wiring on an aluminum wire will flake off over time, exposing the wires.
Brian Sessions of Skycon Electric explains, “Homeowners that are concerned about their wiring should call an electrician to come out for an inspection. I’ve opened up walls and found unsafe wiring multiple times. The homes needed a complete rewire to make them safe.”
Older homes have their unique charm, but many face problems beneath the surface. Whether it’s old plumbing or old electrical, the problems shouldn’t be ignored. When you prolong issues, it can make the problems worse and more expensive to fix. This is when it’s vital to be proactive and take care of problems as soon as you notice the issues.