Why You Should Leave Electrical Work to the Professionals

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Reasons to Hire a Professional Electrician

Considering rewiring your home? You may be wondering if it’s smart to hire a residential electrical contractor in Alexandria, VA. If your home is older, especially older than 50 years, it almost certainly needs rewiring if it hasn’t had it done already. A call to a professional is the most responsible decision you can make.

Bad wiring can be extremely dangerous. In fact, 39 percent of home electrical fires involve outlets, interior house wiring and other electrical wiring. The good news is, you can prevent many home fires by scheduling a residential electrical contractor in Alexandria to look at your electrical wiring. Look for these other signs that indicate it’s time to rewire your home.

  • Flickering lights: If your lights are flickering or dimming, this is a sign there is an issue with your wiring, and it could be a dangerous problem. Flickering lights are also a common sign your electrical wiring is outdated—in which case, it should be rewired as soon as possible.

  • Loose or sparking outlets: If your outlets are too loose to hold a plug, or they are hot to the touch or sparking when plugging in or taking out an electrical cord, you need to call a residential electrical contractor in Alexandria, VA as soon as possible. They’ll be able to diagnose the problem and fix it before it causes more damage or a fire.
  • Shocks: If you feel a shock when you plug something in an outlet or take it out, you have a major issue that should be looked it. Under well-operating wiring and systems, you should never receive a shock from your appliances, cords or electronics.
  • Blown or tripping circuits: Blowing or tripping circuits is something that can occasionally happen even if your wiring is fine. However, frequently blowing circuits indicates there is a major problem with your wiring. Wires could be touching or creating other dangerous conditions that need to be checked out by a professional.
  • Aluminum wiring: Aluminum wiring is common in homes over 40 years old. You’ll be able to tell if your wiring is aluminum if the letters “AL” are written on the wiring jacket. Failing aluminum wiring connections can cause overheating and lead to a fire. You’ll want to have your home rewired if aluminum wiring is present.
  • Discolored or charred switches: If you see discoloration on your switches or outlets, that means that there was a short caused by a loose connection or faulty wiring near the outlet or switch. This connection caused arcing and sparking that caused a small fire, which then charred the surface of the outlet or switch.

Older wiring was not meant to handle the electrical load of modern homes with today’s appliances and electronics. Since the wiring on older homes is likely to be deteriorating and not properly insulated, the heat of overloading the system causes surrounding materials to catch fire.

If you’re in need of rewiring and looking for a residential electrical contractor in Alexandria, VA, contact Walsh Electric. We have a team of experienced master electricians ready to rewire your home. Call us today!