Is It Time To Schedule An Electrical Safety Inspection?
An older home has many charms, but the electrical system is rarely one of them. Aging houses often have flickering lights, especially when there are power draws. Worse, many older houses simply lack the capacity to handle modern HVACs, refrigerators, EV chargers, and more.
An electrical safety inspection can keep you ahead of potential risks, including fire. Here is how to figure out whether your older residence is due for an electrical inspection.
Can You Identify the Date of the Last Inspection?
If the answer is no, then that’s the end of the process. Your house is due for an electrical safety inspection.
Yes, it is possible that an older house has had significant electrical updates that nullify all of these concerns. If you can’t state the date of the last inspection, then there’s simply no way to be confident.
Notably, this information is valuable to more than just you as the homeowner. A future buyer wants clarity on this front before you sell. Insurance companies often won’t honor or even issue policies if homeowners can’t document electrical safety inspection history. Likewise, manufacturers of large systems, particularly HVAC units, are increasingly reluctant to honor warranties on systems installed in homes with uninspected electrical setups.
Visibly Old Components
Sometimes the evidence of an older electrical system sits in plain sight. Knob-and-tube wiring, cloth wiring, and aluminum branch wiring are all legacies of bygone eras for the National Electrical Code. They are also surprisingly common in aging homes.
The electrical panel needs to be modern. Older boxes may use fuses and have no support for circuit breakers. Also, outdated electrical panels frequently don’t offer sufficient amperage. The current standard for residential service is 200 amps, but many homes from past decades offer 100 or fewer amps.
The panel also needs to support modern safety systems. In addition to grounding, there should be arc- and ground-fault circuit interrupter systems. Likewise, we strongly encourage customers to install whole-house surge protection, especially here in Florida, where lightning strikes are common.
Similarly, you need to know that your home’s electrical panel wasn’t subject to a recall. The only way to know is to have an electrician inspect the make and model of the panel.
Recent Events
It is prudent to schedule an electrical safety inspection after any worrisome recent event. Nearby lightning strikes, power surges, and partial outages all have the potential to damage electrical systems. Bear in mind that not all damage is sudden and catastrophic. A melted wire can lurk inside your home’s walls for years before it sparks a fire.
New Additions
Changing your house or your household’s energy consumption often requires an electrical inspection. Suppose you purchase an electric vehicle and the corresponding EV charging station. This is a new high-draw device that can challenge your electrical panel’s capacity to keep up. Before even picking an EV charger, schedule an inspection.
The same logic applies to many household upgrades, including:
- Remodels
- Home additions
- HVAC upgrades
- Hot tub installations
- Electric stoves and ovens
Warning Signs
Even if your older home has an up-to-date system and was subject to a recent inspection, things can always turn bad quickly. Homeowners need to know the warning signs, starting with visual indications like flickering lights and discolored outlets. If you smell burning or see smoke, that should be a concern. If any outlets, switches, or panels feel hot, consider an inspection.
Note when circuit breakers trip, especially if the same breakers keep tripping. Even if the house’s electrical system is fundamentally damaged, it might not be up to certain tasks. People often don’t discover that a specific circuit is at or above the needed capacity, for example, until they run a power tool.
Corrosion is always a bad sign. If you see rust on any electrical components, request an inspection. Especially with the coastal air here in Florida, corrosion is a common problem in electrical systems in older houses.
What Does an Electrical Safety inspection Address?
Our electricians start with the electrical panel and the service entrance, particularly making sure that the current setup meets your household’s needs. We will perform load calculations to ensure that systems like refrigerators, washers, dryers, and EV chargers all have enough power to run. We test circuits for grounding and wiring, including support for AFCI and GFCI safety systems. Our electricians search for signs of pest damage, corrosion, loose connections, and failing breakers, too.
We will also verify whether your home’s wiring is up to code. Even if the house is grandfathered in by age and passed in its day, it is wise to get your place up to the current code. We can also recommend potential upgrades, particularly if you wish to future-proof your house.
Request a Professional Electrical Safety Inspection Today!
Mister Sparky of Ocala is the choice for homeowners who demand nothing less than a licensed and insured electrician. We have upfront pricing, and our electricians are on time for all appointments.
If your Ocala, FL, house is older and leaves you with worries about its electrical system, we can help. Don’t put up with any malarkey! Contact Mister Sparky right away to schedule an inspection of your older home’s electrical system.
