Are you frequently experiencing burning smells in your home? Have the sockets gone loose? Are you running out of sockets because they got burned? These are the signs that your home needs rewiring. As homeowners, we try not to dig deep into the problem and fix it on the surface to avoid extensive and unnecessary repairs.
However, the electrical wiring in our homes wears out with time and needs to be redone after a certain period to avoid fires and electrical malfunctions. According to the U.S. Fire Department, there are an estimated 24,200 fires in houses due to electrical malfunctioning. Look out for these ten signs that guarantee that you need to get your home rewired.
Outdated Wiring
The first indicator that your home needs rewiring is if you have lived in one home for the last 50 years or have moved into an old home. The electrical wired and its housing doesn’t last forever. They degrade over time due to heating and start causing several failures and reducing the effectiveness. Moreover, old wiring is not designed to support today’s technological advancements. So if you live in a decades-old home, it is a good idea to get your home rewired to save your appliances and prevent a fire.
Dimming or Flickering Lights
The fluorescent tubes and bulbs in your home can flicker if they are not properly fixed. If they do not stop flickering or dimming after you have tried turning and twisting, this means the problem lies underneath in the wiring. The wiring can be loose or worn out. If the flickering happens repeatedly, you should call for an electrical inspection.
Burning Smells
Burning smells are a sign that you should never avoid. If you frequently notice burning smells in your home but do not see any brunt socket and malfunctioning electrical appliance, it is probably happening behind the wall.
Degraded or faulty wiring can cause the outlets to short, but the effects stay behind the wall. This can result in severe electrical failure and even harm your appliances.
Burnt Outlets & Switches
Burnt outlets are a clear sign that the connection of the switch is loose or faulty. In any case, this results in sparks and small fires that burn the face of the outlet and causes discoloration. The fault might be only behind the switch, but it can also be deeper into the wiring. If the latter is the reason, it is best to rewire your home completely.
Sparking Outlets
If a particular socket sparks every time you plug in or plug out a wire could be a sign that there is faulty or loose wiring. If there is a blue when you plugin or out a wire, that is normal. On the other hand, if there is a yellow spark while plugging in or out the wire, the socket has loose or faulty wiring and needs to be rewired.
Frequently Tripping Circuit Breakers
A circuit breaker trips to cut off electricity when there is excessive power output to protect your appliances. This can be due to voltage fluctuation or faulty wiring. However, if the circuit breaker starts to trip too often, you should get your wiring inspected. It can also happen when the circuit breaker malfunctions. In any case, frequently tripping circuit breakers is dangerous for your home and can result in significant damage.
Electrical Shocks
Even a small electrical shock can be severely damaging, but damaged and loose wirings can result in life-endangering shocks that need urgent addressing. If you get a shock while plugging in a wire in a particular socket or touching the wire, it can mean that the wiring behind the socket is loose or faulty.
In comparison, the shock can also come from the exposed wiring of the appliance you are plugging in. In any case, you should address this matter immediately as it can be dangerous for everyone in your home.
Buzzing Noises
Old houses with outdated electrical fixtures usually have lights with dimmers that buzz, which is perfectly normal. However, if you have wired in an electrical outlet and it buzzes, it generally means that the wiring is loose or the outlet has worn out. Similarly, it is not normal for circuit breakers and standard switches to buzz. Try listening closely to switchboards in a quiet house to figure out where the noise is coming from. It can be loose wiring that can be fixed on the surface or an extensive problem lying underneath.
Get Your Home Rewired
You might be a skilled individual who likes to take care of their home’s repair & maintenance, which can be highly sustainable for you. However, rewiring a house completely is tricky and should be dealt with by professionals. If you notice any of the above signs, your home need rewiring. Contact us at goldenelectricalservicellc@gmail.com for an electrical inspection of your home.
