- Copyright © 2024 AIbuildersinc, All rights reserved.
Sufficient wiring goes well beyond safety – it also means enhancing your home’s functionality, reliability, and ability to keep up with today’s ever-increasing power needs. The wiring in your home, seldom inspected after installation, may need an update, especially if your home is more than 40 years old. Reduce your risk of electric shocks, tripped breakers, and residential fires with updated home wiring from AI Builder Electrical.
Aluminum wiring used in the ‘60s and ‘70s, non-metallic wiring installed in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and knob and tube wiring in pre-1930s homes are well-known safety hazards, as are loose connections and frayed wires due to botched DIY alterations or wear and tear over time.
Two-prong outlets are an enormous safety hazard – for you and your electronics. Without proper grounding, electrical excesses have nowhere to go but into your devices – or you – even if you have a surge protector. Reduce shock risks by getting grounded wires and three-prong outlets installed.
Identified by the “TEST” and “RESET” buttons on receptacles, GFCIs protect against shock in high moisture areas. They are currently required in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, utility rooms, garages, spa/pool areas, unfinished crawlspaces/basements, and any electrified areas outside of your home. If you’re lacking these inexpensive, easy-to-install devices in any of these important areas, you may be in for a shocking experience.
Identified by the “TEST” and “RESET” buttons on receptacles, GFCIs protect against shock in high moisture areas. They are currently required in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, utility rooms, garages, spa/pool areas, unfinished crawlspaces/basements, and any electrified areas outside of your home. If you’re lacking these inexpensive, easy-to-install devices in any of these important areas, you may be in for a shocking experience.
Household appliances didn’t always have special plugs. But today, a 240-volt outlet is required for each oven, clothes dryer, and other heavy-duty appliance. Older 240 plug wiring features three prongs, but the most up-to-date 240 plugs have four prongs due to the addition of a ground wire for improved safety.
How many amps power your home? Just a couple of decades ago, 60-amp circuit breaker wiring may have been sufficient. However, today’s homes often need 100 to 200 amps to successfully operate all the appliances and electronics you use simultaneously, from mobile devices and flat screen televisions to your refrigerator and air conditioner. The best way to meet your home’s growing energy needs is to get upgraded breaker box wiring installed.
Your electrical panel regulates the electricity coursing through your home. If too much electricity is demanded on a circuit, a circuit breaker is tripped in the electrical panel to stop the electricity from overloading the wiring. An overload can cause a fire, so it’s the job of the electrical panel to break the circuit and regulate the electricity in the system to keep your home and family safe.
Unfortunately, as your home gets older, the electrical panel could have a hard time keeping up with the increased electrical demands on the system. Your appliances, televisions, computers, HVAC systems, lights and other electrical gadgets are increasingly energy efficient, but the average modern household uses more gadgets than ever before. If your home is more than 10 years old, your electrical system may not be able to keep up with your electrical demand. How do you know for sure?
Old electrical panels can malfunction, but most of the time the problem stems from overloaded circuits. At first you might notice flickering lights or you might have to turn off an appliance in order to use another plugged into the same circuit. But if the panel is malfunctioning or defective, the breakers will trip often, or they will fail to trip and someone might be shocked. In the worst case, a breaker that fails to trip may cause fire, smoke and melted wires from overheating.
Your electrical panel needs a checkup, especially if it’s more than 25 years old. Here are the signs to look for to see if you might need a new electrical panel:
Your home’s electrical panel might have a serious defect if it’s more than 25 years old, because there are some electrical panels from that era that have known safety issues due to poor design. Electrical panels installed after 1990 are generally well designed and safe.
If you’re in the process of building a new home, or if you’re planning on renovating the house you live in, you’ll need electrical new construction services.
Before the sheetrock goes up in your house, all of the electrical wires and hookups that will be inside the walls need to be installed. This process, in which each electrical appliance, outlet, and inlet will be installed in the walls and ceiling, is known as an electrical new construction. After the sheetrock is installed, the electrician will return to install any necessary caps, outlet plates or switches. Your builder will contact us to do the new construction on a new home build, and we are available for home owners who are renovating an existing property.
The specifics of what is including during a new construction will differ depending upon the individualized plan for the house. Generally, though, a residential electrical new construction will include electrical services for lighting, heaters, fans, hot water units, outlets, air-conditioning, home automation systems, and more. Basically, any fixed appliance that requires electricity, as well as any electrical outlets, will have the necessary electrical wiring installed during a new construction. The electrician will run cables and wires to all switches, outlets, appliances and lighting fixtures throughout your home.
An electrical new construction is a mandatory step in installing electricity in a new home and must be done according to Wichita city code. If you’re renovating a home, new construction in the electrical prior to the walls going up is much less costly than doing it after the fact. An electrical new construction should always be performed by an experienced electrician.
