Problems with home wiring shouldn’t be ignored. A significant portion of fires are electrical fires with faulty wiring as the most common cause. Many of the ways wiring can be faulty will produce heat capable of starting fires. For example, electrical arcs that occur when electricity travels through the air between improperly connected components are very hot. Wiring that has too much current flowing through it will also generate a lot of heat.
Wiring can be faulty either due to poor workmanship or wear. This means you may want to have your home wiring inspected by a qualified professional even if there are no signs of a problem.
The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) recommends you have the wiring inspected if any of the following are true:
- Your home is over 40 years old.
- Your home is over 10 years old and has had major changes, like a renovation, addition or installation of a major appliance.
- You are not the original owner of your home.
If your home wiring is showing signs of being faulty, have it inspected. The sooner an inspection occurs, the sooner the electrical fire risk is mitigated.
Signs of faulty wiring include:
- Frequent losses of power due to fuses blowing or circuit-breakers tripping
- Flickering or dim lights
- Signs of arcing electricity, like sparks and flashes of light
- Wire insulation that’s cut, cracked or shows other signs of damage
- Fuses or circuit breakers that are inappropriately paired with lower-rated circuits
- You experience electrical shocks, even if they’re weak and only cause tingling
- Any component, such as a switch plate, that’s hot or discolored from heat
- There are other signs of overheating components, such as an odor of hot insulation from wires.
If you suspect your home wiring is faulty, contact the pros at Meyer’s Heating and Cooling. We’ve been serving Griffith, Munster, Highland, St John, Schererville, Gary and surrounding areas since 1951.
