How do you know if your home needs rewiring? Are there signs you can see without first calling an electrician? You may brush off seemingly common signs of faulty wiring without knowing that they’re telling you something more. Here are four signs to watch out for if you’re wondering how to tell if your home needs rewiring.
How to Tell if Your Home Needs Rewiring
It’s been decades since your wiring has been updated.
Electrical fires account for an estimated 51,000 fires every year—and a lot of that can be attributed to faulty or outdated wiring. A significant amount of homes in the U.S. are more than thirty years old, including their electrical systems. Sometimes, outdated systems simply cannot handle modern-day power demands. And as our consumption of power increases, we need a system that can safely handle demand. If your home hasn’t been rewired in decades, it’s definitely something to start thinking about now.
Your lights constantly flicker.
No, your house isn’t haunted. Flickering lights are often due to loose bulbs or… dun, dun, dun… faulty wiring. Faulty wiring is a common problem that can happen over time as a system degrades—especially with older, less sophisticated systems that aren’t like the ones used today when your home does need rewiring.
You detect a constant burning smell.
What’s that smell? If you notice a faint burning smell in your home but cannot identify the source, it’s possible that it’s coming from faulty wiring. Loose connections near outlets or switches can create sparks that burn the plastic covers. This should be handled immediately, as these sparks can lead to fire. Over time, as your system degrades, these sparks can be bigger and be a risk for larger fires that do more than burn the plastic covering of your outlets and switches.
Your circuit breaker frequently trips.
If your circuit breaker frequently trips, it may be communicating that your home needs rewiring. A circuit breaker is designed to cut off electricity to prevent electrical fires caused by a surge. When outdated circuit breakers cannot accurately measure electrical flow, it’s common for them to frequently trip. Without intervention, your circuit breaker may fail entirely.
If you suspect any of these signs in your home, it’s high time you talked to a qualified electrician to assess if your home needs rewiring. We offer 24-hour service, so if you’re concerned about the fire hazards in your home or business due to a faulty electrical system, never hesitate to call Eric Krise Electric: 856.769.3932.