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Electricity Tips for New Homeowners of Old Homes


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Electricity Tips for New Homeowners of Old Homes

Hi, my name is Henry. I grew up in an old home and saw my parents frequently tackle projects such as rewiring the home or installing new garage doors to meet updated safety standards. As a kid, it just felt like a lot of busy activity, but as I got older and began working in real estate, I could see how essential these tasks were to owners of old homes. If you are a new homeowner with an old home, you are in for a treat, but you will also face challenges inherent with owning a home with old wiring. To help you, this blog has tips on repairing, rewiring and assessing the electricity in old homes. Thanks for reading!

3 Times When It's Good to Call an Emergency Electrician to Your Home

If all the power in your home suddenly fails and there are no storms outside or other obvious causes, of course you need to call an emergency electrician to find out what's going on with your home's wiring. However, this is not the only time when you may need to call for emergency services, as there are occasions when you may need immediate electrical repair but don't realize it. Note a few times when it's good to call for an emergency electrician to your home.

1. If a circuit keeps switching off

A circuit breaker occasionally switching off is not usually an issue; this means that you've overloaded the circuit and you can simply reset the plug for your hairdryer or stop using the microwave and toaster oven at the same time. However, if you've tried these simple fixes and a circuit breaker keeps tripping, it's time to call an emergency electrician. The wiring behind the walls may be bare and frayed and not supporting your demands for electrical power, and this can increase your risk of an electrical fire. Whatever the cause, don't ignore this problem but call for an electrician and wait until they determine the problem before you use any appliances on that circuit.

2. If a plug continuously pops

When you unplug something from the wall, you should never hear a popping sound or, worse yet, see sparks. This often means that the wiring behind the walls is overloaded or may be bare and frayed. The popping sound and the spark are from electricity not completing its circuit but instead coming to that bare or frayed part. This can be very dangerous, so don't ignore the problem but have an electrician look at it as quickly as possible.

3. When wires are exposed

If you've started a home-improvement project and noticed that you've now exposed bare wires, you want to call an emergency electrician. In some older homes especially, the insulation that is placed over wires may wear away over time. If you've pulled away insulation or otherwise exposed wiring and notice that it's bare or that the protective insulation over it is compromised in any way, you need to call an emergency electrician. You don't want to risk the wires coming into contact with building materials and starting a fire or coming into contact with water and increasing your risk of electrocution. Don't assume you can just work around these wires but have them replaced or repaired as quickly as possible.