If you have an older home, there’s a good chance it has aluminum wiring. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the price of copper rose considerably, and so new homes were constructed with aluminum wiring instead. A residential electrician in San Jose can confirm whether your house has this type of wiring, and he or she may recommend converting to copper wiring to reduce the risk of a house fire. Only licensed electricians should perform this conversion.

Aluminum wiring by itself isn’t risky, but the way it connects to devices is. Electricians recommend converting to copper wiring because it doesn’t expand and contract with temperature changes the way aluminum wiring does. Over time, this can loosen the connection between the aluminum wiring and the circuit breaker, electrical fixture, electrical outlet, or switch. Loose electrical connections can cause overheating, which consequently, can trigger a house fire. Hiring a residential electrician to convert your aluminum wiring can give you peace of mind knowing that your family is safer.

When you move into an older home, one of the first actions that you will want to take is to schedule an electrical inspection with a residential electrician in San Jose . During your inspection, your electrician will check the old electrical panel or breaker box to make sure that it is in serviceable condition. Older electrical panels can create significant safety hazards in the home. Let’s review three reasons why old electrical panels can be hazardous to your family and property.

Insufficient Electrical Current

The electrical panel is responsible for delivering electrical current to the various outlets around your home. If your electrical panel is old and outdated, it may not be able to put out a sufficient amount of electrical current to your various outlets. Without the correct amount of electricity, your outlets and appliances could easily become overloaded. Alternatively, you may find that you must resort to using numerous extension cords or plug-in strips to make up for your circuit panel’s lack of electrical current.

Overloaded Electrical Wiring

When your home’s electrical system experiences a surge of electricity, your electrical panel should automatically shut off your circuits. As electrical panels age, however, they may no longer be able to flip their circuits. Since your electrical panel will have no way of warning you when it has ceased to function, you may experience a dangerous overload during the next power outage or other electrical emergency.

Electrical Fires

Another serious danger that is associated with older electrical panels is the risk of electrical fires. When electrical panels get overloaded with electrical current, they may be at risk of bursting into flames. Electrical fires are among the most common causes of serious household fires in the United States. If you want to make sure that your household is protected from the dangers of an electrical fire, be sure to have your older electrical panel inspected by a licensed and certified electrician. When your electrician finds that your panel is outdated, it will be time to schedule a replacement.

Being a homeowner is a big responsibility. However, just because you’re responsible for your home doesn’t mean you have to perform every maintenance and home improvement job yourself. If fact, there are many instances in which it’s more responsible to let a professional do the job. For example, converting your home’s wiring is best performed by an electrician serving San Jose .

Wiring is dangerous work. Fortunately, professional electricians have thousands of hours of training, and know precisely how to complete wiring conversions without injury to themselves or damage to your property. Why put yourself at risk when you can leave the job to a team of seasoned professionals? Hiring trained, licensed, and insured experts to convert your aluminum wiring to copper is the only way to ensure that the job is done absolutely right. Also, your homeowner’s insurance company will likely insist that the job is done professionally—your home’s wiring is too important to be left to anyone who doesn’t have the requisite training and experience.