5 Signs That You Need Your Home Rewired

A lot of homes out there, especially older homes built in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, need to be rewired. But many people are not aware of this and many are not able to recognize the signs that indicate that they need their home rewired, and not getting your home rewired when you need to is dangerous.

Wiring degrades over time, and as it degrades you will start to notice various signs that something is wrong with your wiring. If you ignore these signs, you are putting yourself and your family at risk because using damaged wiring can result in electrical fires. So, what exactly are these warning signs?

Blown fuses and/or tripped switchboards

Do you notice that you are constantly dealing with blown fuses or that you are constantly having to make trips to the switchboard because it got tripped? If so, then chances are you have an issue with your wiring. See, when a fuse is blown or a switchboard is tripped, then that is an indicator that too much strain has been put on the electrical system. The fuses blow and the switchboard trips as a sort of defensive mechanism to help prevent more damage being done.

So, if you are constantly having to deal with blown fuses and/or a tripped switchboard than that is a sign of two things. First off, it can be a sign that you are using too many powerful appliances at once and that your electrical system is unable to handle the strain. This is a common issue for homeowners, specifically ones with older homes. Simply put, older homes were not built with wiring that is not able to accommodate modern, power-hungry appliances.

Secondly, it can be a sign that your wiring is either damaged or just plain worn out and is thus unable to properly handle the electrical current. Either way, the problem can be fixed by getting rewiring done.

Dimming or flickering lights

If you notice that your lights are constantly dimming or flickering, then that is a sign that there is something wrong with your wiring. A lot of people’s lights dim or flicker when a powerful appliance, like a washing machine, dishwasher, or blow dryer are used. Many think that it is okay because the lights go back to normal when the powerful appliance is not being used anymore.

But, your lights dimming or flickering is never a good sign. It is a sign that your wiring is not able to get enough power to the lights, which means that something is wrong with the wiring. Now, it may also be that something is simply wrong with the light fixture, in which case it can be fixed an electrician easily enough. But, if the light fixture is fine, then it is almost certainly an issue with your wiring and you should get it fixed right away.

You notice burn marks on your outlets or you hear strange noises

Outlets are one of the major areas where electrical fires start. The issue is that people tend to be a bit too rough with their outlets. They will yank wires out, they will jam plugs in, and do other things like that. The problem with this behaviour is that can damage the wires inside the outlet, which then leads to issues like arcing. Arcing can occur when a damaged wire is used. It is possible that when arcing occurs, it can actually burn the outlet. So if you notice that your outlet has burn marks on it, then you know that there are damaged wires behind the outlet.

Likewise, if you hear weird noises when you use a certain outlet, then that is also a good sign that there is damaged wiring behind an outlet. Either way, you will need to stop using that particular outlet and get an electrician in to replace the wiring around the outlet.

Similarly, if you ever notice a strange burning smell coming from an outlet, but you cannot see any burn marks, then that is a sign that there has been some internal damage in the outlet that needs to be fixed.

You experience a shock when plugging something in

If you ever notice that when you plug in an appliance that you receive a shock (it can be either a minor shock or a more substantial one) then you have a big wiring issue. Receiving a shock when you interact with an outlet is a good sign that there is some substantial damage to wiring, so you will need to get an electrician in to locate the damaged wiring and replace it.

Miscellaneous information

There are other circumstances under which you should get your home rewired; these are not technically warning signs, but we felt we should include this information anyways.  Firstly, if your home is older; specifically if it is 20-30 years old, then you should get it rewired as soon as possible. There is no urgent rush to get it rewired, but it should be done sooner rather than later as older wiring is at a greater risk of breaking down and causing an electrical fire.

Secondly, if your home happens to be using aluminum wiring as opposed to the more common copper wiring, then you should get your home rewired very quickly. Aluminum wiring was once used very often, but it is now considered unsafe and more prone to overheating than copper wiring. If you are not sure about what kind of wiring your home uses, you can find out by finding a stretch of wiring and looking for the initials “AL” on some part of the wire.

So, if you experience any of these warning signs, make sure you call an electrician and inquire about getting your home rewired. When you ask about getting your home rewired, the electrician will come to your home and do a full inspection, this way that can determine whether your home needs to be rewired, they will then give you an estimate and start rewiring your home ASAP.