6 Mistakes New Homeowners Make With Their Electrical System And How To Avoid Them
When you move into a house, whether it’s an older home or a newer home, everything about it is new to you. It can be easy to look past things, especially when it comes to your electrical system. Unless there are obvious signs of issues, such as flickering lights or a tripped breaker, you often don’t think about your electrical system. However, ignoring your electrical system can be a very dangerous mistake. Here are the top 6 mistakes new homeowners make with their electrical system – and how you can avoid them.
1. Forgoing An Electrical Inspection
The housing market is hot right now, and many homeowners waive inspections to make themselves stand out to the sellers. While this is understandable, an electrical inspection should still happen at some point. The biggest mistake you can make is not scheduling an electrical inspection when you get into your new house. Even if the home looks well-maintained, you don’t know what’s lurking behind the scenes and what kind of electrical problems are hidden out of sight.
How To Avoid This: Schedule an electrical inspection in the first few months after you buy a new home.
2. Do-It-Yourself Wiring
When you get a new home, you’ll likely have a long list of projects. If you’re handy and motivated, you may even enjoy the thought of doing it all yourself. However, unless you’re a trained electrician, it’s best you leave all wiring projects to the professionals. This includes changing outlets, installing new light fixtures, and more. Improper wiring can be dangerous, leading to possible electrocution or fires.
How To Avoid This: Hire a professional for all electrical projects.
3. Using Incorrect Light Bulbs
Even if the previous homeowner left light bulbs behind, you should still be sure you’re using the correct light bulbs per fixture. All light fixtures have a maximum allowed wattage. You don’t want to end up exceeding the wattage or you could risk it overheating, burning, or even causing a fire.
How To Avoid This: Check to make sure all light bulbs are using the correct wattage.
4. Overloading Circuits
Overloading your power strips can be damaging to your electrical system and can cause your breaker to frequently trip. Not only that but plugging too many appliances into a single outlet can cause electrical fires. If you’ve recently moved into an older home, for example, you may not realize that it can’t support the demands a newer, modern house can.
How To Avoid This: Plug each large appliance into its own outlet, and contact an electrician to inspect your electrical system.
5. Using Extension Cords For Long Periods Of Time
When you just move, you’ll likely be temporarily doing a lot of things: sleeping on blow-up beds, ordering take-out until your new stove comes in, and even using extension cords. However, extension cords weren’t designed for long-term use and homeowners should find another solution.
How To Avoid This: Avoid using extension cords for anything other than a temporary solution. If you find yourself using extension cords because you don’t have enough outlets or they’re just not well-placed, have a licensed electrician install some extra outlets in your home.
6. Ignoring The Need To Update Old Outlets
Unless you got an electrical inspection prior to moving into your new home, then you probably don’t know just how old your outlets are. If you notice an outlet that seems old, isn’t working correctly or has obvious cracks and loose parts, then you shouldn’t ignore it. It’s imperative you have new ones installed.
How To Avoid This: Go around your new home and inspect all your outlets then contact a professional to come to update your outlets for you.
Contact The Pros At [compay] In St. Louis, MO For All Your Electrical Needs!
Are you looking to schedule an electrical inspection, service, repair, or replacement in your St. Louis, MO home? [compay] is here for all your electrical needs! Give us a call today at 314-668-2333 or contact us online here.
