When it comes to household electrical systems, your safety is the most important thing. Flickering lights, high bills, and damaged appliances can all be signs of old house electrical problems. Whether you are dealing with an old house or an aging commercial building, there are many problems that can occur with electrical systems in older structures.
As a homeowner, you should focus on making improvements as early as possible if you really want to make your home safe and secure. In this article, you’ll find some common electrical problems you might face in your old or heritage house, and their solutions.
The kind of electrical problems that are common in older buildings can vary slightly depending on what the original purpose of the building was. An old house will have some different issues than an old industrial facility. Some of the common issues that can occur in just about any old building include:
Flickering or Dimming Lights
This could be a sign of a poor connection and can lead to eventual arcing. Loose or corroded connections can make intermittent contact that could result in sparking, overheating, and fire.
Obsolete Breakers or Service Panels
It is common to need to replace the electrical service panel of an older building completely as many old types of breakers or service panels have been discontinued and older buildings often still use fuse boxes instead of breaker panels.
Dead Faulty Outlets
Many older outlets do not have the hole for a ground wire, and many others have a poor or faulty connection. It is often necessary to replace all the outlets in an older building.
Your outlet might be dead because the fuse blew, or the breaker tripped. This can result from a tripped poor connection (and possible arcing), or a tripped breaker due to excessive heat buildup, resulting in melted wires or outlets.
Frequently Tripping Breakers
This is usually a sign that the circuit is overloaded and using excessive electricity. You may want to consider adding a circuit or upgrading your electrical service.
Light Bulbs Burn Out Frequently If recessed lights are frequently failing, nearby insulation could be causing overheating. These fixtures are designed to shut off to prevent fire. If you’re experiencing frequent bulb blowouts, it could be more serious than overuse. You may have a loose connection
in the socket or circuit.
Some safe and affordable solutions to prevent common old house electrical problems: Install GFCIs, keep extension sets safe, include more hands-on sockets, etc.
Safety around the home is of utmost importance, so get in touch with a professional to help diagnose the electric issues. The House inspection team will assess and fix your home electrical systems, giving you peace of mind and safety assurance.
