5 Things To Ask Your Electrician During an Electrical Inspection.

1. Are my Extension Cords or Power Strips Overloaded? Overloading power strips or extension cords can easily result in fire or electrocution and should never be used to serve an excessive number of high powered appliances (microwaves, space heaters or refrigerators) or plugged in multiple numbers to one wall receptacle.

2. Is My Electrical Wiring Old or Faulty? While not always the choice of the homeowner, owning a home with old or faulty wiring is like a ticking time bomb of sorts and should be addressed by a professional electrician immediately when discovered. Wiring of the past is not equipped to handle the modern demand of appliances and could very easily be overloaded, tripped or start an electrical fire or electrocution. Your home and family's safety could very well depend on a thorough and comprehensive wiring inspection if you live in an older home.

3. Does My Home Have Aluminum Wiring? Usually going hand in hand with older wiring, aluminum wiring presents a danger through oxidation (which is the damage that occurs to aluminum wiring similar to what rust does to copper), thermal expansion (causing the wiring to shrink and expand with colder and warmer weather) or nicking (aluminum is a very thin and fragile wire, one nick could cause an entire electrical fire throughout your home and presents a real danger).

4. Are My Circuit Breakers Overloaded? Each circuit breaker in an electrical panel should have one wire leading to it only. Electrical panels should be neat and tidy. All GFCI and AFCI circuit breakers should be tested for proper functionality and panels from the brands Federal Pacific Electric (FPE), and Zinsco should be replaced (Zinsco panels were also known by the names of Sylvania, Kearney, and GTE).

5. How Often Do I Need Electrical Inspections? Some electrical issues can be avoided and even proactively treated if, as a homeowner, you schedule regular electrical inspections. As professional electricians, that gives us and you the advantage of knowing the situation up front and attacking present problems or what may present future issues – head on.

If you need an electrical inspection contact the licensed and insured experts at In Charge Electric. 

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