Hazards of old wiring and how to fix them
Old buildings have an authentic, classy feel with history attached to them. They usually have a stable structure making them valuable; therefore, many people are choosing to invest in older properties. When it comes to doing upgrades on the buildings, the owners mostly carry out exterior improvements and most end up overlooking the electrical and wiring system. The wiring needs to be updated because the system may be defunct, making it unable to handle the demands of modern electrical appliances.
The dangers that may ensue from old circuit systems, along with their solutions, include the following.
Overlamping
Overlamping occurs when light fixtures get bulbs of a higher voltage fixed in them. The bulb's massive wattage will melt the insulated wires in the fixture, causing arcing (sparks flying from the exposed wires) that may lead to electrical fires.
The solution here is to get in touch with a commercial electrician who will proceed to change the fixtures to make them able to handle the bulbs' voltages.
Few outlets
In older buildings, there is usually the presence of fewer sockets because there was less demand and fewer devices that needed electricity. If you overburden the outlets with extension codes, it will result in overloading the wiring and may lead to a fire.
Get in touch with a trained commercial electrician and get an upgrade of the electrical system as well as additional power outlets to avoid overloading.
Aluminium wiring
Aluminium was sometimes used as a cheap substitute for copper wiring. Aluminium is not safe because it corrodes when it comes in contact with copper, which can lead to arcing and fire.
An electrician will solve this by fixing a dielectric wire nut onto each aluminium and copper connection, removing the risk of the aluminium corroding.
Rubber Coating
Rubber coating was famous in the olden days as insulation to electrical wires. The hazard here is that the rubber coating deteriorates with time until it becomes ineffective. This results to exposed wires, which may lead to fires.
When you contact a professional electrician, they can put in place wires that are insulated with a special polyvinyl chloride sheathing that does not deteriorate in the same way that old rubber coating does.
If you purchase or plan to use an older building with an outdated wiring system, avoid putting yourself in harm's way and task a commercial electrician with upgrading the system as a whole.
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