How to Know When Your Electrical Wiring Needs Fixing
What is the cost to rewire a house? Like most things in our homes, your electrical wiring systems don’t last forever, especially if you live in West Palm Beach, Florida, an area that is very prone to hurricanes.
If you living in an older house the cost to rewire a house can be significant, as this could be a complete rewire, including electric boxes, and the fitting of cable raceway to run the wiring through.
This could also need space making in the walls to put the cable raceway through to add the wiring. So in total the cost to rewire a house could be substantial.
Terrible weather leads to frequent power outages and voltage fluctuations. These cause substantial damage to electrical wirings.
Sometimes, it’s the fault of those people who installed the wirings. Perhaps they were deceitful or were not careful during the initial installation. However in an older house that needs rewiring, this would not be the case.
Make sure you only employ a recommended local electrician to do the job so that you can go back to him or her should something need adjusting or fail. A local electrician will remember what they have done and will be able to make the repair or replacement much easier than having to get someone new in.
If you do not know how to find a local electrician just follow this simple guideline.
Open a new tab in your google browser.
Write in the box either of the following:
- Electrician Near Me
- Local Electrician Near Me
This will then bring up a list of electricians in your local area. Google knows from your enquiry exactly which area you live in.
NOTE: IGNORE the ones that have AD written next to them. They will be at the very top of your page. These are PAYING to get that position and are not necessarily the best choice.
Look at the list of recommendations and find those that have the most stars and recommendations from google. Make sure they have enough recommendations and that their score is as close to 5 as possible.
Contact the one you like the most and keep a record of his or her details. You now have details of a good recommended local electrician from your area that you will be able to call should you have any issues with your electricals or electric wiring in the future.
At first, it’s tough to notice signs of damage – most of them aren’t that severe to begin with, so they are easily overlooked. These signs, however, get worse as the damage progresses within your wires.
Undoubtedly, leaving faulty wires unattended will cause significant safety concerns in the future. So, how do you tell when something is off, and what do you do about it?
Prevention is Better Than Cure: Call Your Electrician
Having a home in an area prone to electrical outages means you will need an electrician to inspect your home to ensure nothing goes is wrong.
Here is a simple example when searching locally for an electrician in Palm Beach. You will find several experienced professionals in these areas who can help fix your wirings; this is especially true for those looking for professional electricians.
You should call your local electrician when
- A hurricane has recently hit you
- You’ve experienced significant issues with faulty wires in the past
- You live in a home that’s quite old.
Remember, prevention is better than cure, so staying in touch with a good electrician for installations and routine check-ups will serve you well in the long run. Of course, you should also be alert about the warning signs we will discuss in the next section.
Warning Signs That Your Wiring Needs Fixing
The signs that you will be able to notice range from different sounds and even to smell. Let’s look at some of the common indicators of faulty wirings in your West Palm Beach, Florida house.
Damaged Wires (Torn or Chewed)
Wires can be found torn, burnt, or chewed for various reasons. Torn wires can be found on some of your electrical appliances, for example, your telephone wire.
It could be that the wire was tugged at with excessive force, which ultimately resulted in it being torn. It can also be that your pet chewed on it; cats, dogs, and rodents are notorious for chewing up wires around the house.
Another possibility is that the wire wasn’t removed when the appliance or sockets was installed in your house. It’s common for some electricians to leave some wires as is without insulating them or removing them.
In each case, these wires can give you quite the shock, resulting in serious injuries. They should be checked and dealt with immediately.
Dim Lights or Unusual Sounds
If you notice that some lights around your house are a little dimmer than the rest, then there’s a chance it isn’t receiving enough electricity. This, of course, points towards a damaged or faulty wire somewhere in the electrical system of your home.
Turning on your lights might occasionally produce loud buzzing noises. Flickering lights often follow these noises.. In some cases, your lights may explode.
That sounds a bit severe, but this happens in an event where there’s too much voltage (which exceeds the voltage capacity of your bulbs) in the wires. Excess electricity that destroys lighting is also a clear indicator of cables that need to be repaired.
Frequent Circuit Breaker Cut-Offs
Short circuits happen once in a while. In the event that it does, you may hear a loud snap, after which you might experience an outage. This is because the circuit breaker installed in your home cuts off the electricity from the main source to protect your appliances from high voltages.
While it is normal for this to occur, it shouldn’t be happening regularly. If you are experiencing frequent short circuits, it may be because the flow of electricity throughout your system isn’t uniform (it isn’t balanced).
This again; points towards damaged or faulty wires in the system, which need to be removed and replaced.
Damaged Appliances
Have you been ending up with damaged appliances now and then? A poorly constructed electrical system can cause your appliances to malfunction or become damaged.
So, if your new fridge suddenly stopped working, then you might need to call in your local electrician as soon as possible.
Damaged Power Outlets
The effects of poor, outdated and damaged wires also manifest on your power outlets. Notice if your outlets show signs of discolorations. This usually occurs due to the heat released from damaged wires (bad wires tend to accumulate a lot of heat, as the flow of electricity in them cannot be regulated).
In some extreme cases, you might see scorch marks on the outlets. This is usually when you absolutely need someone to get it checked. If there are no visible signs you may also feel the outlet (after powering it off) to see if it’s warm or not.
Moreover, the heat doesn’t just affect your outlets; it also tends to affect the appliances plugged to it. For instance, if your phone charger’s adapter gets very hot after using it for a while, then there’s a chance that your outlet needs to be changed.
Unpleasant, Burning Odors
Wires that have melted or were burnt give off a very distinct, unpleasant odor. It usually smells like burnt plastic. If you’ve never had the displeasure of running into that odor, then you won’t be able to tell right away. Just be aware of anything that smells unusual or burnt.
Keep in mind that this does not come from your walls; but the power outlets or extended outlets in your home. If something like this happens frequently during the day, contact an electrician for complete maintenance of your electrical wire system.
Faulty wiring can lead to some life-threatening consequences; what’s worse, most people don’t even know something is off until the damage is done. It might be because the electrician who was assigned to design and install the system in your home was not qualified enough for the job, which is why you should always look for licensed professionals.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, it isn’t the fault of the electricians. Living in West Palm Beach, Florida, means that you will be hit by tropical storms a few times. Even if you use some of the most advanced components to build your system, the frequent storms and constant power outages will find a way to disrupt it.
Be wary of all the signs we looked at; so that you can keep your home’s electricity running correctly and safely.