Did you know that outdated electrical wiring could put your family and house at risk? About 6.3 percent of electrical problems are the cause of residential fires. An aging and dangerous electrical system could cost you thousands to replace. Here are five reasons why you should update your electrical system:
Improve Safety: If you live in a house that’s considered older, then you may want to check your outlets. Older homes have two prong outlets instead of three. Two-prong outlets don’t provide enough power, and it can usually result in fuses blowing out. To protect your outlets and fuses, consider hiring a licensed electrician to find out what outlets, plugs, and switches need to be replaced.
Get More Power: Upgrading your electrical capacity to 200 amps will allow you to run a high number of appliances without the risk of overloading. If you have electric ovens, air conditioners, heat styling devices, and other high-energy fixtures that are all in use at the same time, it can easily use more than 100 amps. It’s wise to have an electrical capacity that goes to at least 200 amps.
Decrease Fire Risk: Electrical malfunctions in homes account for 51,000 fires each year. These fires result in an estimated 500 deaths and 1,400 injuries. If you have faulty outlets with only two prongs and loose wiring in switches, it can cause blown fuses and potential sparks. Be sure to have a licensed electrician check out any loose wiring and switches that you might have.
Protect Yourself from Surges: Power surges can be damaging to your electrical system. Whether it is from lighting or downed power lines, power surges can cause serious damage to your appliances and devices. To protect your home, you might want to use power surges protectors. Moreover, power surge protectors can protect your home from surges of 40,000 amps or more, and it can keep your electronics and appliances safe.
Update Electrical Wiring: An upgrade to your electrical wiring can include having additional outlets installed in your home. You’ll want to make sure that you have the three prong outlets so that your home isn’t at risk for a potential fire. Adding more outlets to your home could be a great selling point to use when you decide to sell in the future.
Preventing electrical damage to your appliances and safeguarding your home against danger can seem overwhelming, it can be especially frustrating when you don’t know how to repair the electrical wiring in your home. To protect your home from electrical damage, give us a call at (239) 291-0860 .