electrical- common problems in older homes

Common Problems Found in Older Homes

• Inadequate Amount of Electric Service
  
• Too Few Outlets & Not Enough Circuits
  
• Few or No Grounded Electrical Outlets
  
• Worn or Undersized Electrical Wiring

WARNING: When working with electricity, removing covers, or examining your wiring, be certain to turn the power OFF first. The main power box may not have a disconnect and you may have to call the power company to pull the meter or turn off your electricity at the pole.

CAUTION: Depending on the local building codes and laws, some or all of your work must be done by a licensed electrician. In some areas, the homeowner is allowed to do some or all of the work when supervised by a licensed electrician. Most likely, the work will have to be inspected by a local building inspector and if any of the work fails to pass, it will have to be replaced and done correctly.

Inadequate Amount of Electric Service

Newer homes are normally required to have a minimum of 200 amp service. This is considered a minimum amount. If your home has electric heat, you may need a larger service. Larger homes may require 400 amp service or greater.

When upgrading your electrical service, you may need to check with your power company for placement of the service entrance. It's possible that you will need to move it from where it's located now. You may want to have it somewhere else, or the power company may require it to be located in a different spot.

The service entrance includes the masthead, conduit, and wiring from the top of the masthead into the building. The service panel or breaker panel is normally located as close as possible to the service entrance, however in some cases you may need to locate it farther away — check with local building codes before doing this.

Some breaker panels do not have as many "slots" for breakers. Normally, the price is similar no matter how many slots there are, so it's best to get one with the most slots. Be sure the brand is popular in your area. I recommend going to the hardware store and pricing different breakers. Some brands only accept one type of breaker, and they may be very expensive.

Breakers v Fuses is an old argument and modern breakers are actually better than fuses. The breaker has two protections: too much current will "trip" the breaker off, and if it fails to trip, or the current is extremely large, there is a "fuse-like" strip inside that will burn out.