Upgrading Electrical Outlets in Your Home

Electrical outlets or wall outlets are the primary points of interaction most people have with their home electrical systems. Those of us who aren’t electricians or electrical contractors, may not ever open our main electrical panels, but we plug and unplug things from our outlets every day. Those electrical outlets don’t last forever, and they will eventually wear out. They may need to be upgraded and replaced at some point to help protect the safety and security of your home and family. Read on to learn when it’s time to make the switch.

Given their steady, reliable performance delivering electricity to our appliances and devices, it’s tempting to take our outlets for granted, but they do actually have a lifespan and can become potentially hazardous over time. Especially if you live in an older house, your outlets and the wires they are attached to may be deteriorating. What’s more, older electrical outlets might not be in compliance with your local building code standards for electrical safety.

So why should you care?

• Old outlets can turn into major safety hazards, most notably being the source of many house fires. Sometimes, the wires connected to the outlets become loose or frayed, creating an immediate fire danger. This can be prevented by installing new electrical outlets.
• When you upgrade to the latest, up-to-code outlets, you can also add safety features like ground fault circuit interrupters, which decrease the possibility of electrocutions.
• You can also have an electrician install convenient features like combo outlets that can charge your USB devices, night-light outlets or kid-safe outlets in areas that are accessible to children.

When to Call a Licensed Electrician

The easiest way to know when you need to update your outlets is to have an electrician inspect your home. There are also other warning signs that will let you know it’s time to make a change:

• You live in a home that is more than a few decades old
• There are visible sparks when you plug in your devices
• The circuits in your home get tripped frequently for no apparent reason
• Sockets in the outlet become wobbly or loose

Obviously, if you detect smoke or a burning odor coming from your outlet, you should call an electrician immediately. Fires can spread quickly within your walls before you even realize you have a problem. If you have any question about the safety of your home’s electrical system, you can call a Mister Sparky electrician for a home electrical inspection.