Home remodeling refers to more than new kitchen countertops or a different front door. Sometimes you need to have your residential electrician in San Jose offer electrical remodeling services. This might include replacing electrical panels that have become faulty or dangerous, changing the wiring in your home, or adding a couple of extra circuits to avoid power outages and increase convenience. Keep reading to see why you may need electrical remodeling services .

Fixing Faulty Electrical Panels

Older homes tend to have older fixtures and appliances, which means your electrical panel might not be up-to-date. We use different practices and materials today than we did in the past, and there are reasons for the changes that have occurred. As we learn more about the materials and methods we use, we find out which ones are safest and most effective. If you have an older home, your electrical panel might be outdated. This can be dangerous for your home, but electrical remodeling can help. Call your residential electrician to discuss having your electrical panel upgraded.

Rewiring Your Home

Just like how older houses may come with outdated fuse boxes, they may come with older electrical wiring as well. If you want to minimize your risk of electrical problems—and the hazards that are associated with them—you can always consider electrical remodeling services. Make sure you talk to your electrician about electrical remodeling before you take on any remodeling projects so you can be as safe as possible during the process.

Enjoying More Circuits

From your kitchen to your bathroom to your garage, every area in your house has its own appliances that need outlets. If you don’t have enough outlets for your appliances, you might want to talk to your electrician about electrical remodeling services. This can make it so you don’t have to constantly switch out appliances from your outlets when you want to turn them on. In addition, it can prevent you from stretching a wire across the room to make it to an outlet. In this way, adding extra circuits can improve efficiency and convenience.

Whether you have recently purchased an older home, or you want to give your current property a facelift, you may be planning ahead for a residential remodeling project during the upcoming summer season. With services from a residential electrician in San Jose , you will be able to safely update your electrical panel, light switches, and other household electrical components. To help you determine whether your home is a good candidate for an electrical upgrade, here are answers to some common questions about residential electrical remodeling.

Do I need to rewire my entire home?

A household rewiring project can be a major endeavor, but replacing your old wiring can dramatically improve the performance and safety of your electrical system. To determine whether it is time to completely rewire your home, you can start by considering the age of your property. Older homes may have outdated electrical outlets, old wiring components, and other electrical components that pose safety hazards. By including a rewiring service in your remodel, you can rest assured that your electrical system will be safe for your use.

Are dedicated circuits necessary during my remodel?

Dedicated circuits provide power to larger appliances, such as washing machines, dishwashers, and refrigerators. If you are planning on replacing your old appliances with new units, it may be necessary to remodel your electrical system to include additional dedicated circuits. Replacing your dedicated circuits will help to prevent common electrical hazards, such as fires or overloaded circuit breakers.

Should I renovate my electrical system prior to selling my home?

When you are planning on selling your home, it is a great idea to perform an electrical system renovation before you place your property on the market. A potential buyer will see added value in your property if its electrical systems have recently been upgraded. Your local electrical contractor can provide you with additional information about the types of home electrical system renovations that will be necessary before you are able to sell your home.

When you are considering purchasing an older home, you may want to hire an electrician to come and inspect the home’s electrical system. From the fuse box to the electrical panel and more, there are many potential sources of electrical dangers in older houses. Fortunately, with services from a residential electrician in San Jose, you can remove your old and damage electrical wiring and install a brand new system. To determine whether you need to embark on a re-wiring procedure , it is important to be on the lookout for certain signs and symptoms. Here are some electrical red flags that could indicate that you need to re-wire your home.

Scorched or Burned Sockets

To determine whether your home is ready for electrical re-wiring, you will want to evaluate the condition of your outlets and electrical sockets. If your outlets are overloaded with electricity, they may begin to scorch, smoke, or spark. In the event that you notice smoke emerging from your outlets, it is time to set up professional re-wiring services with a licensed electrical contractor.

Flickering Lights

Your home’s lighting may provide you with an indication of whether or not you need to re-wire your electrical system. When your lights flicker on and off, they may be overloading your home’s current wiring design. If your lights continue to flicker after you replace your light bulbs, this is a sure sign that your home is in need of a wiring upgrade. You can also check the safety of your lighting installation by inspecting your circuit breakers.

Tripped Circuit Breakers

The circuit breakers in your home are designed to trip when the wiring system experiences a surge in power. After the circuit breaker has tripped, its power will be shut off until it is manually reset. When you find that you are resetting your circuit breakers all the time, this is a sign that your home needs to be re-wired. Rewiring your home can improve the safety of your electrical system, and can also provide you with improved convenience and efficiency.

Whether you are a first time homeowner or you have been living in your current residence for many years, it is important to make sure that you understand how your property’s electrical system works. By learning basic information about your electrical panel, breaker box, and other systems, you will have a better idea of when you need to hire an electrician serving San Jose . Let’s review some basic information that all homeowners need to know about their electrical systems.

Main Breaker Panel

The main electrical supply for your home enters your property through the main breaker panel. After the electrical current passes through your meter, it reaches the breaker so that it can transferred to the various circuits that power your house. The main breaker is located inside your home, and is designed to switch off when a surge in power is detected. In the event of an electrical emergency in your home, you may need to manually turn off the switch that is located in your main breaker.

Circuit Breakers

Once you have identified your main breaker, you will be able to easily find your circuit breakers. Typically, your circuit breakers will be located directly next to the main breaker panel. Each switch in the circuit breaker is connected to a specific room or area of the house. When a room in your house suddenly loses power, a tripped circuit breaker may be the cause. Flipping the specific circuit back to the on position could restore power to the affected area.

GFCIs

In order to protect you and your loved ones from electrical accidents, your home will also be equipped with devices that are called GFCIs. GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt, and your GFCIs can help to ensure that you and your loved ones are not in danger of getting shocked. The GFCI is designed to immediately shut off the electricity to an outlet if it senses an overload. Typically, GFCIs are installed directly within the outlets of a home.

There are many responsibilities that you face as a business owner, and one important responsibility is ensuring the proper function of your building’s electrical system. The following are a few of the things that your commercial electrician in San Jose would want you to know about electrical maintenance for your property :

Periodic safety inspections are essential.

No matter the age of your building or your type of business, scheduling an electrical safety inspection now and then is a must. Also, having a commercial electrician take a look at the electrical wiring before you move into a new building can help ensure that there are no problems with things like the electrical panels and underground wiring. Regularly having an electrician ensure that your building’s wiring is in good shape can help reduce hazards and protect your electrical system from damage and the need for costly repairs.

Some buildings need new wiring.

To help protect the safety of your team, as well as prevent damage to your property, it’s important to know whether your business needs rewiring. Having an insufficient number of outlets, an obsolete or malfunctioning circuit breaker, or the presence of old, ungrounded, cloth-insulated, or aluminum-containing wiring are all indications that your building could benefit from rewiring services. Having your building rewired can help ensure the ongoing safety of your employees and better electrical service capacity for your business.

Breaker and fuse replacements should be left to professionals.

It’s not uncommon for someone who has worked on a residential breaker box to assume that updating or repairing a commercial one requires the same levels of electrical knowledge, skills, and experience. However, the breaker boxes installed in commercial buildings tend to be more complicated than those used in residences. For this reason, it’s important to contact a commercial electrician about things like breaker and fuse replacement, rather than try to tackle the job yourself. Also, calling an electrician for this task will give him a chance to evaluate your breaker box and determine if it should be replaced with a newer and safer model.

Proper electrical wiring in San Jose helps to keep your home or business place safe and efficient, but it won’t last forever. If you want to make the most of your electrical systems, you will need to recognize faults and malfunctions so you can call your electrician and have them addressed. You might need new electrical wiring if you don’t have enough outlets or if the ones you do have are burnt out. A circuit breaker that trips too frequently could also suggest a problem. Here is a closer look at a few signs that you need new electrical wiring.

Insufficient Outlet Space

Misusing your electrical systems can come with dire consequences. If you find yourself constantly unplugging appliances to power different ones, consider the amount of outlet space you have to work with in the area. If you don’t have enough outlets to plug in all of the appliances you need to, you might need new electrical wiring. Some people will use extension cords and power strips to plug in more appliances, but this is only okay to a certain extent; when you plug an extension cord into a power strip to maximize your space, you could be setting yourself up for a disaster.

Dangerous Fixtures

Sometimes it is easy to tell if your outlets are in bad condition, and other times it is not. If you see black spots around your outlet, chances are it could use a replacement—or at least a look from a professional electrician. Never assume that a charred outlet will be fine just because it has not yet contributed to an electrical fire, electrocution, or other disaster. Instead, call your electrician and have your outlet replaced.

Overworked Circuit Breaker

Your circuit breaker is designed to cut off electricity when too much power is sent to any given outlet. If this occurs, the appliances plugged into that outlet will lose power and shut down. If you notice that your circuit breaker trips on a regular basis, there is probably a problem with the power distribution; this is something that should be brought to the attention of a professional electrician.

As a homeowner, you likely take great pride in tackling home improvement projects yourself. However, there are some things that are worth calling a professional for: electrical wiring , for example. If your home was built before World War II, there’s a chance that it was wired with the knob-and-tube method. This wiring method is now obsolete, and should be replaced wherever it exists.

As the name suggests, knob-and-tube wiring is comprised of ceramic knobs and tubes. Unfortunately for the owners of older homes, knob-and-tube wiring is difficult to improve or retrofit, and is considered a fire hazard—especially when the wires are surrounded by building insulation. This is because the fiber materials in knob-and-tube wiring can become brittle over time. If your home has this type of wiring, it’s possible that your insurance company will not approve fire insurance. For the sake of your own safety, it’s important to have an electrician identify and remove knob-and-tube wiring and replace it with a safer method of wiring as soon as possible.

Your home is probably one of your favorite places on Earth. As such, you wouldn’t trust its care and maintenance with just anybody. However, there are certain maintenance and home improvement jobs that are too dangerous and important to attempt yourself. When it comes to electrical wiring, for example, you’re best off turning to a trusted San Jose electrician . For help finding the right electrician for your needs, consider the following tips.

Determine What You Need Done

Before you start your search, you should determine exactly what you expect from your technician and jot down a few questions about the proposed project. Are you looking for a routine inspection, or do you have a more specific job in mind? Do you need an electrician to provide wiring for a new building, or do you need to rewire an existing structure? This is important because different electricians have different specialties.

Look at Qualifications

Once you’ve narrowed down your search somewhat, look at the remaining candidates’ credentials and qualifications. Make sure you choose an electrician that is fully licensed, insured, and bonded in the State of California. It’s also a good idea to check the license number of each electrical contractor, just to make sure it’s safe and legal for them to work on your project.

Check Out Past Reviews

Now’s the time to check out past reviews for the electrician you’re interested in hiring. If you see an electrician with a high rating on Yelp!, Google Reviews, and other review services, then you may have found your team. If an electrician has performed well for numerous past clients, then there’s a good chance that they’ll perform well for you, too.

Conduct a Brief Interview

Once you think you’ve found a suitable electrician, don’t be afraid to call them up. Ask whatever questions come to mind, discuss your proposed project, and get a feel for how the electrician conducts business. If you have a good feeling, and the credentials and reviews check out, odds are you’ve found your electrician.

Fuses, like circuit breakers, are designed to protect electrical wiring in San Jose by interrupting excessive electrical currents caused by, among others: overloaded outlets, malfunctioning devices, and short circuits. Though they may be rather simple things, fuses provide a very important service. Here’s a look at how they work.

How Fuses Work
Like the filament in an incandescent light bulb, fuses have thin wires that electricity can flow through. These wires are designed to carry a specific amount of electricity safely—the thicker the wire, the higher the current it can support. When an excessive electrical current attempts to pass through this wire, it heats up the wire to the point of melting or burning. This destroys the wire and interrupts the circuit. In the case of burning, the wire gets very hot very quickly, and it blows out, producing a loud and characteristic popping sound. When a fuse is blown, it needs to be replaced.

Which Size to Use
Fuses come in a range of sizes and amperages. Generally, you want to replace a blown fuse with one that has a similar rating—i.e. a five-amp fuse with a five-amp fuse. If you’re not sure which kind of fuse to use, you can use your discretion based on logic. Since large appliances and devices tend to need more electricity to operate, they most likely require larger fuses. Likewise, smaller devices require smaller fuses. If you’re uncomfortable making a decision, contact a qualified electrician for assistance. Using a small fuse for something that draws a large current will blow out the fuse quickly. Using a large fuse for something that draws a small current will overwhelm it and can cause a dangerous situation.

How Fuses Differ From Circuit Breakers
Both fuses and circuit breakers protect homes from electrical mishaps. Unlike fuses, circuit breakers have reusable mechanisms that, when tripped, cut-off power to outlets. These mechanisms can be easily reset once they are tripped. Circuit breakers can also be used in conjunction with ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI). Fuses are the more economical choice of the two. They are more sensitive than circuit breakers, which may or may not be useful depending on their application. They also tend to be more prominent in older homes.

If you have children, you know how important it is to make sure home is a safe place. Children are naturally curious and don’t always know about the dangers of electricity, which can easily put children in a position to become seriously injured—or worse. As a parent, one of your main responsibilities at home is to make sure your children understand the dangers of electricity. Fortunately, this video makes it easy. Watch this entertaining clip with your kids to teach them about the importance of electrical safety.

Keeping your children safe around electricity is important, but so is making sure your home is electrically sound. That’s why it’s important that you contact a licensed residential electrician in San Jose for all of your home’s electrical needs. From small jobs like lighting installation to big projects like replacing the electric panel, a professional electrician will make sure your home’s electrical system is safe and up to code.