If you’ve noticed your lights dimming for no reason or you keep blowing a fuse when trying to use a hairdryer, your electrical system might be trying to tell you something. These are signs that your home’s electrical system needs upgrading.
Regardless of how old or what condition your electrical wiring is in, checking it regularly can help protect you and your family from the hazards of faulty and overloaded electrical systems. Regular checks will also help tell you when it is time to upgrade your electrical system.
Signs You Need To Upgrade Your Home Electrical System
Electrical systems in need of upgrading can have one or many symptoms. Besides from regular testing, knowing and understanding the signs will help you realize when you need an upgrade.
Your first sign of an upgrade can be your breakers are tripping or fuses are blowing. Less obvious signs include flickering lights or dimming lights. If you can’t figure out where a persistent burning smell is coming from, you should consider it might be your electrical system. If your outlets are warm or starting to appear discolored, these are dangerous signs you need to upgrade your system as soon as possible.
Why You Need To Upgrade Your Home Electrical System
Old and decaying electrical systems need to use a lot of power to charge your phone or to light a room. This results in high electricity bills for you. A new system will lower your monthly bills.
Besides high costs, when electrical systems age and are not properly maintained, the risk of electrocution increases because the system might not trip when it’s overloaded. It can also cause your appliances’ lifespan to decrease because bad power may cause them to short, therefore wearing them out quickly.
The Right Way To Upgrade Your Home Electrical System
When it’s time to replace your home electrical system, it’s best to have a professional complete this upgrade for you. During the upgrade, you should replace the existing meter and circuit breaker box, which will allow more power to flow efficiently through your home.
While upgrading, you should ask the electrician to check that you have the proper ground fault circuit (GFC) outlets in the necessary areas, and add them if necessary.
The average homeowner will spend around $500-$1,000 to complete this upgrade. However, a faulty electrical system would have resulted in much higher electrical bills. Rebuilding the system can increase your power efficiency and even increase your home’s resale value.
The Wrong Way To Upgrade Your Home Electrical System
Upgrading your home electrical system is not a project you should take on alone. An untrained person can seriously harm or even kill themselves when handling high-powered electricity. Wiring too many lights or having too much wattage pulling from one outlet can cause localized hotspots leading to circuit failure and over-heating. There are real safety issues with improper wiring!
You’ll want to pick a trusted electrician, who won’t cut any corners and follow the National Electrical Code (NEC), to complete this work. While it may be tempting to choose the cheapest electrician you can find, you’ll want a reliable source to do the job right.
Next Steps To Upgrade Your System
If you think you need to upgrade your electrical system, the first step is finding a trusted electrician, such as the professionals at Mr. Electric. Our team can test your system to evaluate its current state and then provide you with a quote and plan. Upgrading your system will provide you electrical efficiency throughout your home and increase you and your family’s safety.
