How old is your home or business building? 20 years? 30 years? 40 years or more? When was the last time you had your wiring inspected? If your building is older than 25 years, you could be at risk for an electrical fire. Electrical fires are frequently caused by old components wearing out and failing, but these things can be hard to detect since so much of it is hidden from sight behind your drywall. So how do you know if you are at risk? Here are a few factors that frequently cause fires in older buildings.

From the 1880s until the mid-1930s, knob-and-tube wiring was the standard in running electricity lines through homes and businesses. Today, these systems are not permitted under business code except in extremely rare circumstances. If your home or business has this old system of wiring in it, odds are you should consult an electrician about replacing it with a modern system as soon as possible. Rodents have a thing for chewing on these exposed wires, making them tremendous fire hazards.

Modern appliances and equipment sometimes require a much higher amperage draw to function than old wires are rated to carry. When you overload a wire with too much amperage, it can get extremely hot, which can start fires inside your walls. If your electrical system is old, consider having it inspected by a professional who can tell you whether or not you should upgrade to wire rated for a higher amperage.

Part of being a home or property owner is improving your property. Those who have a knack for handiwork (or at least think they do) may have tried to modify their wiring in the past. This means there could be shoddy connections, loose live wires, and other serious fire hazards hidden behind your walls. Be extremely careful when cutting into drywall in an older home.

Over time, insulation on wires can age, become brittle, and crack. In other cases, the wires may have been chewed by rodents or screwed or nailed into by accident. This can leave the core of your wire exposed, which leaves it prone to sparking and potential fires.

The wires aren’t the only part of your home that’s at risk for starting a fire; old breakers can malfunction and overload if they are not maintained or upgraded every few decades. Have your old circuit breaker inspected by a professional who can test to make sure everything is still functioning properly, as well as replace any breakers that may not be working correctly.

Today’s electrical code is far more advanced and rigorous than it was in decades’ past. With new technology has come new safety standards. However, older buildings were not required to adhere to these new standards, and many of them have not been properly retrofitted with the latest in electrical tech. Odds are, if you have an older building, your electrical system would not pass inspection today. Let a professional take a look and work with you to eliminate the fire hazards and protect your property from a devastating fire.

Older homes have a very distinctive look and feel and some people prefer to invest in older properties, rather than in a newer one. These homes have an old world charm and offer great value too. But most of these homes also have older installations and some basic upgrades and improvements can give them a new lease of life.

While most property owners do get the house painted, add new features and furniture etc. very few consider getting the extension cord doesn’t have the capacity to power multiple devices simultaneously. The safest thing to do is to get more powerpoints installed at the time you get the rewiring done. When you are planning this installation, take into account the number of appliances used in your home and get that number of (or more) power points fitted in the different rooms.

We talk often about how electricity can be a double-edged sword that can help and but also harm. While making sure your house is wired correctly it is also important that you have put safeguards in place to protect yourself and your valuables from accidents. Surge protectors do just that, and they can be applied to an entire house as well for extra protection. Let’s get into more detail about how surge protection applies to you.

A surge happens when there is an excessive flow of electricity through a circuit or electrical connection. Devices will take in electricity they need to function properly, but in certain cases such as electrical storms or problems in your home wiring, too much electricity will be pumped through the electrical system. Much like taking too much water can be harmful to us, the electrical device will “drown” in the excess electricity and become damaged. This is why we use power bars on many of our larger electronics like computers and TV’s.

Surge protectors will help keep your electronics safe as well as yourself. If there is excess electrical flow, the electricity could jump to a nearby person and seriously injure them. Being smart with your protection and guarding your valuables can prevent you from needing to purchase a new TV or computer after a night of lightning. While we do use surge protectors around our home, it is important to have layers of protection. Similar to a car’s metal design and airbag system, there are layers to protect the person or item behind them.

Entire home surge protectors can be applied to the home’s breaker panel to protect specific circuits from surges. For example if you have an entertainment system on one circuit that requires a lot of electricity to run, it would be a good idea to connect a surge protector on this circuit in the breaker panel. This would add a first layer of protection to the electronic devices, and if a surge does trickle through the first line of defense, the power bar surge protector will protect from the second.

While the home electrical system is designed to protect you and your valuables, accidents happen when you least expect it. Protecting yourself against these situations is important. Contact your local Expert Electrician to find out more about how you can protect your family and your belongings with home surge protectors.