Category: Wiring

Does Your Home Need Rewiring?

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does your home need rewiring

According to a study by the National Fire Protection Association, local fire departments responded to an average of over 44,000 home fires involving electrical malfunction between 2012 and 2016. Electrical fires have resulted in civilian deaths, injuries and billions of dollars’ worth of damage. Issues with electrical panels or wiring around the home, can cause these types of fires. If your home is older, chances are you might have some worn-out, frayed wiring which can potentially be dangerous. If you’re not sure whether your home needs rewiring or not, don’t worry! The pros at Roman Electric will help you figure it out!

1. Does Your Circuit Breaker Trip Often?

The circuit breaker is a great component of your home’s electrical system. It is essentially a safety component, which can prevent potential electrical fires. Whenever electrical wiring has an excess of current flowing through it, the circuit breaker detects it and trips—which means it basically cuts the power. If your circuit breaker has a tendency to trip often though, you might be dealing with a greater problem. Your circuit breaker could be tripping because of the overheating of an electrical appliance, or a short circuit which is the result of improper wiring. Contact your local electricians to learn the source of this problem—it might be because your home needs rewiring!

2. Charred Outlets

If you notice several discolored or charred outlets around your home, you might be looking at the visible effects of a short circuit. Short circuit occurs when a hot wire touches another hot wire or another neutral wire. This creates more heat than the circuit can handle, causing it to shut off. As we mentioned above, short circuits and charred outlets can be the result of loose wiring, causing electrical arcing, which results in a quick spark.

3. Older Wiring

If your home is older, chances are you have old, frayed wiring. You might also have aluminum wiring if your home was built between 1965-1973. It is estimated that 2 million homes built in this time frame have aluminum wiring. This kind of wiring increases the likelihood of electrical fires and other safety concerns. Get in touch with your local electricians to discuss rewiring your home with a safer material!

Benefits of Rewiring Your Home

There are several benefits of rewiring your home:

  • Increased safety

You don’t have to worry about your circuit breaker tripping often or your outlets sparking suddenly. Rewiring your home and replacing any old, frayed wires decreases the chances of electrical fires.

  • Save Money

Believe or not, rewiring your home can save money in the long-run! Replacing faulty wiring with newer wiring can increase overall efficiency.

  • Increase Home Sale Value

By rewiring your home, you can increase your home sale value. Potential buyers could be put off by any issues with the wiring or electrical systems.

Rewire Your Home with Roman Electric

If you are looking for qualified and knowledgeable electricians to rewire your home, look no further than Roman Electric! Call us today at 414-369-3798 or schedule a service online!

 

 

Do Your Circuits Need Upgrading?

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upgrade your circuits

Do your circuits need upgrading? Does your home electrical system need a few updates? Find out from the pros at Roman Electric! It is best to upgrade your circuits sooner than later, as putting it off can cause more issues.

Why Should You Update Your Circuits?  

Before you figure out how you can tell if your circuits need to be upgraded, it is important to know why they should be upgraded. The most important reason is that updating your circuits is a safety issue. If you live in an older home, it is important to know that most old homes were designed to handle 30 to 60 amps with fewer circuits. A circuit is often operated by a single fuse or circuit breaker, which protects the wires originating from the electrical panel from catching on fire. However, some older circuit breakers might not trip or turn off, increasing the likelihood of overheating and electrical fires. Circuit breakers also won’t trip if there is a loose connection in the wire or circuit. To prevent any safety issues and electrical problems, there is no harm in checking to see if your electrical system needs to be updated.

Ways to Update Your Electrical System

You will need to hire a reliable electrician to upgrade your circuits or electrical systems. It can be potentially hazardous to update your electrical system on your own. Below are the most common ways your circuits, breaker box or electrical panel will be upgraded:

  • Upgrade your electrical panel in order to bring more power into your home.
  • Replace the circuit breaker box so it can handle more amps of electrical current.
  • Replace the circuits that are loose, frayed, damaged or not in use.
  • Add any additional circuits to power different rooms, devices or appliances.

How to Tell If Your Circuits Need Upgrading

Here are some ways you can tell if your circuits need upgrading:

  • Lights Dim or Flicker

If you turn on a major electrical appliance in your home such as the washing machine or air conditioner and your lights dim or flicker, you might need to upgrade your circuits. This can often happen because of loose, faulty or old wiring. Flickering once in a blue moon is fine, but if this happens consistently after you turn on a large appliance, you might need your electrical system inspected.

  • Circuit Breaker Trips

If your circuit breaker trips often, meaning it shuts off electrical power when it notices the circuit being overloaded, it might need to be replaced. Try resetting it on your own first—if it continues to trip after this, your home might need a larger supply of power on a single circuit. Get in touch with an electrician to discuss replacing your circuit breaker or adding any more circuits.

  • Excessive Use of Extension Cords

If you find yourself using many extension cords, in order to power additional appliances, you might need to update your circuits or electrical system. Using power strips to create additional outlets is a sign that you need more power for your home.

Upgrade Your Circuits with Roman Electric

If you want to learn more about how you can upgrade your circuits or electric system, get in touch with Roman Electric. Call us today at 414-369-3798 or schedule an appointment with us online!

 

Is My Home’s Wiring Safe?

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Given that we use the electricity in our home all day, every day, we don’t always take into account the state of the wiring that gives us power. For the most part, we assume that it’s functioning as intended. However, there’s a chance that underneath it all, your home’s wiring could be a hazard waiting to happen.

How can you tell? Instead of continuously using electricity and hoping that nothing will go wrong, keep an eye out for a few telltale signs that your wiring needs to be replaced. Some are easily observable, while others you wouldn’t notice unless you’ve got a keen knowledge of the history of your home. Let Roman Electric help you determine if you’re good to go or not, and give us a call if you think you’re at risk.

Home-Related Factors

This is one of those things we mentioned above that you wouldn’t be able to notice unless you know the information ahead of time, and you should. The wires that are installed in homes built more than 40 years ago have run their course. Eventually, they will break down and be more susceptible to sparks and fires, so we recommend having your home rewired if it fits that criteria.

Also, if you’ve recently had your home remodeled, it might be a good idea to have new wiring installed. For instance, if your home remodel included installing more heavy appliances or electrical additions, then your existing electrical grid might not be able to handle the extra strain.

What Type of Wiring?

Even if your home doesn’t fit one of those criteria, it might still be unsafe if you’ve got aluminum wiring. Homes were built with this type of wiring for a few years in the 1960s and 70s, but that was quickly abandoned once people realized that aluminum wiring oxidizes easily and can become exposed at connection points – which leads to fires.

If your home was constructed during that timeframe, it was likely outfitted with aluminum wiring. Although it probably isn’t an immediate danger, we still recommend having a rewiring job performed so you can put that concern to bed for good.

Everyday Visible Signs

Other reasons you’d need new wiring involve things you might encounter as you go about your day at home.

  • Arcing, or a visible current when you plug or unplug something from an outlet
  • Faulty lights, or ones that dim unexpectedly or flicker on and off without you doing anything
  • Frequently tripped breakers or blown fuses
  • A noticeable burning smell coming from electrical components

This isn’t a comprehensive list, so there are other things that would warrant a professional inspection. But these are particularly worrisome – should you notice them, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!

Roman Electric’s team of expert electricians can come up with the ideal rewiring solution for your home. We’ll work with you to figure out how to best support the electricity you need to power your appliances, and we’ll make sure it’s all safe.

Give us a call at 414-369-3798 for more information or to speak with one of our team members!

4 Common Thermostat Problems

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No one looks forward to the day their thermostat stops working properly. But it’s important to identify when your thermostat runs into a problem. Doing so allows you to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, which helps to restore your HVAC system back to a working condition.

We recommend learning about some common thermostat problems to give you a better understanding of what to look out for. Roman Electric has detailed 4 of them below for your Milwaukee home.

1. Thermostat is Too Dirty

When a thermostat gets too dirty, it’s function can be affected. Build ups of dust and dirt can prevent certain parts from working properly. This can lead to incorrect thermostat readings, as the dust can obstruct the thermostat’s measuring tools.

To avoid dust affecting your thermostat, you’ll want to give it the occasional cleaning. This can be done by removing the thermostat’s plastic casing using a screwdriver, and gently scrubbing the insides with a dry cotton swab.

2. Thermostat has Faulty Wiring

Thermostats rely on wiring to receive the required power to function. And when a thermostat doesn’t have suitable wiring or connections, its performance can be severely affected. Faulty wiring is a known thermostat problem. But it’s causes aren’t always straightforward.

For example, faulty wiring can happen if the wiring wasn’t installed correctly. Having an inexperienced person install your thermostat can lead to loose and frayed wiring, which can cause issues with your thermostat as well as lead to a safety risk. Additionally, faulty wiring can be the result of a thermostat being old.

3. Thermostat Reading Temperatures from Other Sources

While the thermostat might be working correctly, it may be reading the incorrect temperatures. For example, if sunlight is directly hitting the thermostat, it may mess with its temperature readings. This can also happen if the thermostat is close to a heat source or window ac unit. Therefore, you’ll want to be sure your thermostat is installed in an area away from any other item that can affect temperature.

4. Thermostat Reaches the End of Its Lifespan

Eventually, your thermostat will reach the end of its working lifespan. When this happen, it can cause a variety of problems. And while you may think repairs are the cheaper solution – you may be paying more for repairs rather than getting a replacement. Therefore, you’ll want to know some of the signs that can indicate your thermostat need a replacement. We have listed them below:

  • Thermostat Always Reading Incorrect Temperatures
  • Thermostat Requires Constant and Reoccurring Repairs
  • Thermostat Begins Sparking or Has Burnt Smell
  • Thermostat is Over 10 Years Old

If your thermostat begins running into any of these issues, we recommend consulting with Roman Electric to determine if your thermostat is reaching the end of its lifespan.

Better maintain your thermostat by knowing of these common thermostat problems! And if you requires any services to be done on your thermostat, contact Roman Electric for our HVAC services. Call us at 414-369-3798 to have Milwaukee’s leading technicians service your home.

Electrical Wiring Tips: What is Hot, Neutral, and Ground

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Before you perform any project or home improvement on your electrical system, you must have some understanding of how it works. Wiring is how electricity is distributed throughout your home, arguably making it the most crucial part of your electrical system. But how does wiring manage to transport electricity?

The answer becomes clearer when we look at the three roles wiring must fulfill: hot, neutral, and ground. These three components work in tandem to distribute power throughout your home, as well as help maintain electrical safety. It is recommended you understand each component’s capabilities.

For Milwaukee homeowners seeking electrical wiring tips, Roman Electric has assembled a guide on hot, neutral, and ground wire. Follow our guide below to better understand your electrical system!

Hot Wire

Hot wire is used as the initial power feed to a circuit. It carries the current from the power source to the outlet. Acting as the first instance of a circuit, they are always carrying electricity, meaning it is dangerous to touch a hot wire while there is a power source feeding it.

Hot wire is identified by its black casing. This is the main color of hot wire for most homes. However, other hot wires can red, blue, or yellow, although these colors can indicate a different function besides powering an outlet. Regardless, all hot wire should be treated the same: do not touch hot wire unless there is no connected and operating power source.

Neutral Wire

Once hot wire has initialized the beginning of a circuit, there must be another wire to complete the circuit. This role is filled by neutral wire. Neutral wire carries the circuit back to the original power source. More specifically, neutral wire brings the circuit to a ground or busbar usually connected at the electrical panel. This gives currents circulation through your electrical system, which allows electricity to be fully utilized. Additionally, this prevents faulty or excess currents from residing in your outlet.

Neutral wires are identified by their white or gray casing. Although they may not always be circulating an electrical current, they should be handled with as much caution as hot wire.

Ground Wire

So, with hot and neutral already being used to make a circuit, what role is left? The answer is safety of course! Ground wire acts as defense against unstable electrical currents. Under normal circuit conditions, ground wire isn’t carrying any current. But when an electrical accident such as a short circuit occurs, the ground wire takes the unstable current away from your electrical system and sends it toward the ground.

Ground wire is easily identified by its green casing. But not all homes may have it. Although it is a requirement by the NEC for newly-built homes, older homes don’t always have a ground wire. To tell if your home has ground wire, check your outlets. If your outlets have three prongs, then your home has ground wire. If there are only two prongs, then ground wire may not be utilized. If the latter is the case, we recommend consulting with Roman Electric to help determine if your home can be retrofitted with new ground wire.

Check back at Roman Electric for more electrical wiring tips! And contact us for affordable and quality wiring and rewiring services. Give us a call at 414-369-3798 for Milwaukee’s leading electrical experts.

Related Links:

Electrical Grounding Made Simple – The Spruce

Upgrade a 2 Prong Outlet with a New GFCI – The Spruce