Check Your Home's Electrical Wiring for National Safety Month

June is National Safety Month. It is sponsored by the National Safety Council, a non-profit organization focused on awareness for a safe lifestyle. American Mechanical is encouraging local residents to take the time to make their homes safer with electrical wiring upgrades. Many homes in Hampton Roads were built long before 1990 and have outdated electrical wiring which may not comply with the local zoning and building codes. Homes built in the 1950s or ’60s, for example, may still have two-prong electrical outlets. Many homeowners bypass the inconvenience of being unable to plug three-prong electrical cords with the higher voltage into a two-prong outlet by adding an adapter. While it makes the connection possible, it is also a safety risk and fire hazard. An overloaded circuit could cause a fire or a power outage. Ultimately, the wiring needs to be upgraded by a licensed electrician to make sure the home electrical circuitry is safe to use. Even when the home is full of three-pronged outlets, it is important that they are not overloaded. If they are, the number of cords and machines attached to them should be reduced. When some homeowners buy new appliances and entertainment systems, they simply run extension cords from one room to the next. This is not a safe solution to avoiding circuit overloads. Ideally, either more electrical outlets need to be added, the circuit’s load capacity needs to be increased or the load needs to be reduced.Signs that you need a professional Hampton Roads electrician to fix the problem include frequent circuit breaker interruptions and the inability to plug in new appliances or machines. Another symptom that you may need upgrades to your home’s electrical system is having to shuffle which appliances can be used at the same time.