Picking up the Pieces

The outdated electrical wiring in your home may be a hazard. Electrical repairs and improvements will help to reduce the dangers in your home. Some of the improvements that may need to be done include replacing wiring that is different or expanding the electrical service. You may also want to consider installing ground fault outlets to protect against electrical shock and fire hazards. Here are some electrical repair tips to help make your outdated wiring safer after an electrical fire:

1. Hazards of Old Electrical Repairs and DIY Wiring Projects

Old electrical wiring is often the source of electrical fires, especially when DIY repairs are done. If there are several types of wiring in your home, they should be updated by a professional electrician to avoid problems like shorting and sparks that happen when different materials are connected doing DIY electrical improvements and repairs.

2. Installing Meters and Breaker Boxes to Expand Electrical Service

Another problem that you may need to deal with when updating your wiring after a fire is an undersized electrical service. Not having enough electrical breakers for circuits leads to problems like extension cords and gang plugs being used and overloading an electrical circuit. This is often the cause of household electrical fires and can be prevented by updating the meter and breaker box to allow for more outlets to meet your electrical needs.

3. Updating Outlets with Modern Ground Fault Installations

Not having the proper ground fault outlets is another problem that may need to be addressed when updating wiring. If your home has outlets that are not connected to ground, this can allow for circuits to easily become overload, wires to become hot and potential to start fires. In addition, outlets in areas like kitchens and bathrooms where moisture is present, should be modern GCFI outlets that protect you from electrical shock hazards.

4. Automation and Energy-Efficient Lighting Upgrades for Your home

Energy-efficient improvements could also help to prevent electrical problems. As lights stay on, they produce heat and could start a fire. Consider updating lighting with more energy-efficient LED or CFL fixtures. Adding motion detectors, timers and other automation will help you save energy and ensure lights are off when you are not at home.

These are some electrical wiring improvements that will help make your home safer. If you need help with some of these improvements after an electrical fire, contact a fire damage repair service and talk to them about these and other improvements that could protect your home from fire.