How to Tell If Your Home Needs to Be Rewired | Rowbel Services | Maryland

Unfortunately, your home and how it’s made doesn’t have an infinite lifespan. There are certain parts of your home that need to be fixed every so often so it keeps functioning in tip-top shape. Things such as your furnace, air conditioner, dishwasher, stove, and many more need to be fixed or replaced every certain amount of years (10+ depending on the appliance) so it functions properly and doesn’t cause more harm than the benefits it provides. 

One such upgrade that not many people know about is your home’s lighting. Even though you only need your lighting rewired every 20-25 years or so, it’s important you follow that timeline and get pieces rewired or replaced when your electrician tells you to. This article will help you to understand the benefits of having your home rewired and some top signs that you may need to consider getting your home rewired.

Why Rewire My Home, Anyways?

There are many benefits of rewiring your home that you may not even know about! Keep reading to learn about all those advantages.

Improved Safety

One of the biggest advantages you get from having your home rewired is the increased safety. Old electrical components of any kind become unsafe over time and have an easier chance of sparking, starting fires, and more. Additionally, safety measures for your electrical wiring degrade and fall apart over time. Things such as smoke detectors, wire covering, grounding wires, etc. all need to be replaced along with your wiring to keep you and your family as safe as possible. 

A Lower Energy Bill

When your electrical components degrade over time, it takes more work to circulate enough electricity throughout your home. The more electricity that runs through your home, the higher your electrical bill is going to be. No one likes an unusually high electric bill!

Additionally, more modern styles of lighting and wiring tend to use the latest technology to light up your home. Newer technology is more efficient than older technology, and won’t require you to use as much electricity. 

Higher Home Value

If you ever decide to move or sell your home, having the most up-to-date appliances, fixtures, and lighting helps give your home a much higher value. If you think about it, it makes sense. The newest things always cost more money, work longer/more efficiently, and may provide more benefits to homeowners. On the other hand, having electrical wiring that’s near the end of its lifespan isn’t overly valuable and is just one more thing the new owners of the home have to think about fixing. 

Easier Remodeling/Customization

Another benefit to rewiring your home is that it makes it easy for you to remodel your home or customize different electrical zones however you want it. Simply place new outlets wherever you want them for your convenience! However, always keep in mind that your new wiring needs to be up to code, otherwise you could run into problems during the remodeling and customization process. 

Biggest Signs That Indicate You May Need Your Home Rewired

There are many signs that point towards your home needing a partial or full rewire. Here are those most common indicators.

Frequent Light Flickering

There are a few different things that contribute to flickering lights. If you see certain lights flickering in your home, don’t panic! Always try the simplest at-home solutions first before making a service call.

The first thing you should do when you notice flickering lights is to try replacing the flickering lightbulb. Ensure the light is off before you replace it and the new light is twisted into its socket fully before testing it again. If you turn your light back on and it still flickers consistently (or gets worse than before), it’s a sign that something else is causing the flickering.

If you’ve tried all the at-home fixes for your flickering lights and nothing seems to work, there’s a chance you need your home rewired. This is especially if you only have lights in a certain electrical zone that flicker or if all of them seem to flicker. 

If you have flickering lights, call Rowbel Services! We’ll conduct extensive testing and try implementing all our fixes before suggesting a complete rewire. 

If Your Home is 40+ Years Old

If your home is more than 40 years old and you don’t remember the last time it was rewired completely, chances are you’re due for a rewire. The old wiring can pose safety problems and uses older technology that’s likely been phased out of use by most modern electricians.

If you don’t know the last time your older home was rewired and are curious to see the type of materials it’s wired with now, here are a few things to look out for:

  • No ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs)
  • Aluminum wiring

GFCIs reduce the risk of shock in especially wet areas like in your kitchen, laundry room, or bathroom. They work by shutting down that circuit the instant that moisture is detected. If you don’t have GFCIs, it’s a good idea to discuss getting them installed when you get your home rewired.

Aluminum wiring was used a lot in homes in the 60s and 70s. At the time, it was cheaper than other wiring materials. You can tell you have Aluminum wiring if you see the letters “AL” on your wires. 

Discolored or Warm Plate Covers and Switches

Most plate covers and switches are white which makes it super easy to tell if you’re having problems with your electrical wiring. If your plate covers and switches are warm, discolored, or both, it’s probably time to call an electrician and discuss a rewiring of your home. This is especially the case if you have multiple plate covers and switches that are warm and/or discolored.

Discolored or warm objects point towards your wiring shorting and sparking, which discolors things (and makes them warm) over time.

If you notice black streaks or burn marks on your switches and outlet covers, call an electrician right away. That alone points towards highly incorrect or faulty wiring and needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

Burning Smells

Similar to the last point, another factor that should make you consider rewiring your home is burning smells you get from outlets or using other appliances that you plug into your wall. Aside from occasionally burning food in your microwave or on your stove, you should never smell burning coming from an appliance. 

These burning smells you experience point towards faulty wiring that results in the creation of sparks that melts components. Not only is that unsafe, it just doesn’t smell good. 

If you have any concerns about whether your burning smells are normal or due to faulty wiring, call Rowbel Services right away. We’ll get you taken care of as soon as possible!

Breakers Tripping Often

Do your breakers seem to trip often or whenever you do certain things inside your home? If that’s the case, it may be time to consider rewiring your home. While the occasional circuit break doesn’t harm anyone (or your electrical system), having it trip consistently is a sign that something isn’t wired quite correctly. This could be due to just old wiring or something may be incorrectly wired altogether. 

If you have concerns about your breaker tripping and whether it’s cause for concern, don’t hesitate to call Rowbel Services. We’ll send out a technician that’ll get down to the root cause of your problems and get you squared away. 

Seeing Sparks or Getting Shocked Plugging/Unplugging Items

Have you ever gone to plug in your phone charger or a toaster and seen brief sparks come from the electrical outlets? While this happens occasionally for one reason or another, it shouldn’t happen every time you use that electrical outlet. 

This not only harms the appliances you’re using with that outlet, but it potentially harms you too. Seeing visible sparks every time you use an outlet is an indicator that too much heat is produced and being output to that specific location which results from faulty or old wiring. If you experience this, call an electrician as soon as possible. You may need just that room rewired or your entire home rewired. 

Rowbel Services Wants to Help You Out!

If you suspect you need your home rewired and are experiencing many of these indicators, call the crew at Rowbel Services! No matter how big or small your rewiring project is, we can handle it all. We’re a full service crew that provides more than 20 different electrical services, including outlet wiring, panel replacements, appliance wiring, lighting repairs, and more!

We’ve proudly serviced your local metropolitan Maryland and Virginia area for many years and have an average of 5/5 star ratings on Google. We use proprietary technology to deliver reliable support for both our technicians and customers. Some of Rowbel Services’ core values are reliable service, clear communication, and accountability. If you have any questions about your servicing or just want to call and chat about all the options you have available to you, give us a call at 1-877-ROWBEL-1 today! We can’t wait to hear from you!

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