Sometimes statistics don’t tell us much at all while other times they can be highly revealing.
Here’s a case in point for “highly revealing.” On average, American home owners hire a licensed electrician for service about once every six years. Sound about right to you? Actually, that’s not nearly often enough to maintain full electrical capacity and maximum safety as we’re about to demonstrate.
Think for just a moment about the new electronics you’ve purchased just over the past few years, and by electronics, we mean anything with a built-in microprocessor. So, in addition to computers, High Def TVs, stereo equipment, and the like, you also need to include your newer heating and cooling system, stove, oven, water heater, and all the rest.
Is your electrical system up to all that extra capacity? Not if you still have a 60 amp fuse box system, and probably not if you still have a 100 amp circuit breaker. So there’s one good reason to contact a licensed electrician: to replace or upgrade your electrical service panel.
Next, let’s say you were to lose power and then regain a short time later without having turned any of your high end electronics off. The kind of power surge that often accompanies such an event could be powerful enough to damage or destroy some or all of that equipment and, unfortunately, the loss most likely would not be covered by your homeowners insurance policy. There’s a second reason to contact an electrician: for a whole-house surge protector.
One more example should suffice: have you recently updated your kitchen or bathroom but, in the process, didn’t replace outlets near a water source with GFCI outlets? If not, you continue to run the risk of electrical shock or electrocution in those locations. The risk is real enough that GFCI outlets are now required in all new home construction anywhere water can come in contact with electricity inside or outside your home. Don’t have a brand new home? Then the safe, smart thing to do is have any such outlets replaced just for the pure safety of it.
Here at Burton, we work hard to help all our customers live as comfortably and safely as we know how. But there’s not much we can do for the people who don’t call us. Our advice? Waiting six years at a time between visits from one of our licensed electricians is way too long. Instead, call Electrician Omaha today and ask for a whole-house electrical wiring and safety inspection so we can properly assess your home’s electrical system and make recommendations, as needed, for its improvement.
