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The Dangers of Old Electrical Wiring

The Dangers of Old Electrical Wiring

When it comes to purchasing a home, you have the option between old and new. While a new home can ensure that you are getting all new materials, it can also be well out of the price range of many people. Therefore, many opt for older homes, but you should be aware of the dangers that come along with homes that still have their old electrical wiring.

Overload Issues

One of the most common problems that you will face when it comes to old electrical wiring is overloading the system. Many homes were set up with 100 AMP service. This was traditionally more than enough to power the items that people had. However, as the years have increased, so have the number of electronics that run off our home's power source. If you have old wiring in your home, you may experience issues like flickering lights and your breaker popping on a regular basis.

Fire Risk

If you look at wires today, they are coated in PVC. This helps to protect the wires from touching one another, an object, or another power source. Pre-1980s, most home construction used wiring with a rubber protective coating. This coating has been shown to drastically deteriorate with time. Essentially, the rubber or even cloth, from back in the earlier days, will start to crumble as it ages. This will leave the bare wires exposed, which will increase the risk of fire in your home.

It Won't Pass Code

Even if you are not experiencing any issues with your home wiring just yet, your old wiring could hinder you from updating your home. Adding on additions or re-configuring the current layout of your home may require a building inspector to evaluate your home. If they notice old wiring is present, they may fail the inspection until it is updated.

Identifying Old Wires

One of the easiest ways to learn to identify old house wiring is to know what the new form of wiring looks like. As you learned above, new wiring has a PVC coating and comes in popular colors of white and yellow. Inside of the PVC sheathing, you will find that each wire is wrapped in an additional layer of sheathing indicating whether it is hot or neutral. When you look at old house wiring, you will not find this PVC or inside sheathing. Rather, you will likely find thick rubber of cloth-like material encasing the wires.

Dealing with older wiring in a home brings on the potential for many problems. Just as we have learned a lot about other construction materials of the past such as asbestos, we have learned more about keeping wires safe. If your home currently has old wiring present, it is a good idea to consult Copper Connection about getting your home rewired.

By The Copper Connection 8-31-2020