To protect your home and family, it’s critical that your home’s electrical wiring is updated and in good condition. Faulty wiring causes a number of house fires every year, some resulting in deaths. While it may be tempting to try fixing the wiring yourself or to hire a general handyman or someone without an electrician’s license, the risks aren’t worth the potential savings. At Magic Electric, Plumbing, Heating + Air, we only hire licensed electricians with the training and experience to safely and correctly rewire your home. Here are some signs that your home needs rewiring and why you should only hire a professional for any electrical work.
When Do You Need Home Rewiring?
Many different situations call for home rewiring. Here is a selection of reasons you might need new wiring.
Older Homes
If you have an older home, it may have outdated wiring. Homes built before the 1970s could have unsafe wiring. Aluminum wiring that was common during the ’60s and ’70s can corrode and overheat. It should be replaced with copper wiring. Wiring from the ’50s and earlier carries its own serious safety issues.
Even if you have copper wiring, wiring can fray and otherwise deteriorate as your electrical system ages. In some cases, the electrical system may have inadequate grounding. As the wiring becomes more unreliable, the risk of fire increases. It also increases the risk of damage to your sensitive electronics and appliances.
Remodeling
Extensive remodeling often requires a considerable amount of rewiring. This includes home additions and converting a garage or basement. Our licensed electricians can move and add outlets and switches wherever you need them.
Frequent Tripped Breakers and Other Symptoms
If you’re constantly dealing with tripped breakers, something is wrong. Do you have to be careful about not having more than one kitchen appliance on at a time? Older wiring was not designed to meet the high electricity demands of modern appliances.
In some cases, we may be able to update your electric panel and install some additional circuits to get your home functioning efficiently. In other cases, if bad wiring is causing the electrical fault, you may need an entire rewiring service.
Dimming lights, a burning smell, and warm outlets are all causes for concern. In some cases, for example, rodents may have infiltrated your walls and chewed on the existing wiring. Regardless of the cause, any of those signs means you should schedule an electrical inspection.
Keep Up With Modern Electronics
Home automation can reduce energy consumption, and many new electricity systems have built-in energy-saving modes. But with smart TVs, smart refrigerators, computers, and mobile devices, our demand for electricity seems to constantly be growing. Even though these individual appliances have seen increases in energy efficiency, we seem to accumulate more of them.
It can be tempting to load up extension cords and power strips. However, this is not the safest solution. It could be time to upgrade if you never seem to have enough outlets.
Start With an Electrical Inspection
If you have concerns about your home’s electrical system, it’s best to start with an inspection. Even if nothing is wrong, it’s recommended to have a safety inspection every three to five years. This will catch any developing problems before tragedy strikes. We also offer inspections if you are buying or selling a home.
At Magic Electric, Plumbing, Heating + Air, we offer detailed safety inspections. Some of the things we check during an inspection include:
- Outlets and switches
- Wiring
- Outdoor lighting and power outlets
- Electrical panel and breakers
- Carbon monoxide detectors
- Smoke detectors
Once we have a clear idea of the condition of your electrical system, we can make recommendations to correct and improve it.
Why Should You Hire a Professional Electrician?
When it comes to electricity, you can’t be too careful. The risk of electrical shock and fire is too great to leave to the uninitiated. Here are some reasons why you should always call a professional, licensed electrician for any electrical work.
Safety
Safety is perhaps the number one reason to hire a professional electrician. This applies to safety during the rewiring project and your safety after. During an inspection, our electricians have the proper training, tools, and knowledge to assess your electrical system. When they begin work, they understand the circuitry and will properly disconnect power to the area when they are working. Not knowing exactly which circuits to disconnect can spell disaster if you’re trying to do the work yourself.
When our professionals rewire your house, you know your electrical system is safe. We know how to properly connect, insulate, and ground all wires. We will listen to your needs and ensure you have enough outlets and circuits to fully utilize all the appliances and gadgets whenever you want.
Building Codes
We keep current on all building codes in the area. This is too much for a layperson to keep up with. When you have a professional electrician rewire your home, you won’t have any surprises when it comes time to sell it.
Time
If you get someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, your home could be torn up for weeks or longer while they try to figure it out. Our trained and licensed electricians will quickly and accurately assess and repair the wiring or rewire your home. This lets you get back to business as usual in as little time as possible.
Tools
The average homeowner simply won’t have all the tools required to safely rewire a home. From non-contact voltage testers and clamp meters to insulated tools and earth ground testers, our electricians have all the tools to properly and safely carry out any electrical job. Trying to make do with tools not designed for working with electricity can lead to shocks or worse.
Cost
While you might think you can save a few bucks by hiring a non-licensed person to work on your wiring, it can end up being quite costly. If you try to do it yourself, you’ll have to invest in tools and invest a considerable amount of time trying to figure out what to do. Sometimes, you’ll end up having to hire a licensed electrician to fix the work you or an unlicensed person did.
But the biggest costs come after. If your home is not properly wired, it will be prone to electrical arcs and surges. This can damage appliances and other home electronics, which are expensive to replace. If the worst happens and sub-standard electrical work causes a fire, your home, belongings, and the lives of your loved ones are in jeopardy.
Unfortunately, electrical surges are common even in properly wired homes. Consider getting whole-home surge protection to protect your home, appliances, and other electric devices. These are typically attached to your electrical panels and stop surges and spikes before they enter your home.
Rely on Our Professional Electricians
When you need rewiring or any other electrical work in your home in Jerome, ID or anywhere in the Magic Valley or Treasure Valley, you can rely on the licensed electricians at Magic Electric, Plumbing, Heating + Air. We also serve the Boise area. Our business was founded in 2013 with a focus on providing customer-focused services. Perhaps that’s why we’re one of America’s fastest-growing privately-held companies.
We believe in giving back to our community. We organize Back-to-School backpack drives and support the Twin Falls Education Foundation. We also believe in continuing education for our staff by keeping up with the latest advancements and equipping them with the best tools. We offer electrical, plumbing, heating, and cooling services. We keep our vans fully stocked with everything our electricians, plumbers, or HVAC technicians need. When you need home rewiring or any other service we offer, call Magic Electric, Plumbing, Heating + Air, and we’ll be there.
