Making Sure Your Home’s Wiring and Fixtures Are Up To Our Electrical Contractors Standards | Arlington, TX
At Tioga Plumbing & Electric, protecting families from electrical fires and risk of shock in Arlington, TX is a top priority. Our electrical contractors know that tens of thousands of homes catch fire each year due to electrical problems. Some of the most common dangers come from faulty circuit breakers, old, miswired, or insufficient outlets, and power problems that lead to surges and “brownouts.” When we’re performing new wiring and fixture installation in your home, we follow professional standards and check our work. When we’re dealing with existing wiring, even in a new home, our habits continue as we check that work, too. If you, as a homeowner, want our electrical contractors to explicitly review your home’s wiring condition for major issues and minor but dangerous flaws, we can perform a professional electrical inspection that is likely to open your eyes.
Outlet Issues, Old and New
Electrical outlets are designed to take a lot of use as your devices are plugged and unplugged. They started as a simple power source with two equal openings for two prongs on the plug. Over time, standards led to polarized plugs, the third prong for ground protection, better ways to connect the wires to the outlet, and requirements for more outlets so each one wouldn’t get overloaded. Materials improved to last longer, and the latest outlets that our electrical contractors now install even include a mechanism that blocks kids probing with a piece of metal, holding out until they detect a proper set of prongs indicating that a real plug is being connected. In an older home, original outlets can have unreliable or corroded connections, damaged plastic allowing short circuits, plus a lack of grounding that can lead to fire and other risks.
In newer, or even brand new homes, wiring problems can include improper connection of wires to the outlet so they have a tendency to get loose and heat up over time, nicks in the wires so they have a tendency to break, and insulation damage that could result in a short circuit. Outlets that aren’t properly installed can shift and loosen wires, or cause intermittent and dangerous contacts. When our contractors check out the whole circuit, the outlet, wire, and circuit breaker should all have compatible ratings, so the circuit breaker doesn’t allow more current to be drawn than the circuit components are designed for.
Past Damage That Was Never Attended To
In addition to nicks and insulation damage that can create risks in recently installed wiring, older circuits in your home may have hidden problems that may or may not result in overheating or fire, but definitely aren’t worth the risk. One of the more common problems our electrical contractors find is damage from plumbing leaks, where water has traveled through walls and into outlets, fixtures, junctions, even circuit breaker panels. Water can also be absorbed into the wire’s insulation, causing corrosion and, over time, even significant damage to the wire. Wires can get damaged from cuts and nails in the wall or work in the area where someone pulls on the wires and damages either older wiring or connections. Moisture in the air or on the wire itself can conduct some amount of power, leading to stray current problems that can be challenging for our electrical contractors to resolve and cause hazards as well.
Old Appliances and Special Appliance Outlets
Electric stoves can last, with a few burner replacements, for dozens of years, there are some homes that still have early electric stoves dating back nearly a century. They can be a fun curiosity as well as a functional cooktop and oven, but they come from a different time with limited electrical standards and there has been plenty of time passing to cause damage to the wiring in the unit and the connection to your home’s high powered stove circuit. Our electrical contractors can check various characteristics of your wiring to see if it’s still in good shape, but ultimately the best way to know that your wiring is good is to visually inspect or simply replace it. Other older electric stoves have outlived their usefulness, with rust, grease, and wiring damage that strongly suggests it’s time for a newer model. How about an induction cooktop that makes it hard to burn yourself? Or a modern stove with high-performance burners and electronic controls and timers, and a convection oven. Our electrical contractors can update your wiring and install a new appliance for your safety as well as convenience in cooking.
Switches and Lighting Fixtures from the Past or Poorly Wired Present
Our electrical contractors often find hidden electrical problems in light fixtures, especially from water damage, and worn-out switches that arc and spark are disasters waiting to happen. Those wonderful silent mercury switches that were popular decades ago are quite durable, but a modern understanding of the health risks of mercury has led to their being treated as hazardous waste when they are replaced and disposed of. Switches can hide poor wiring jobs, and they receive even more physical force than electric outlets that could displace wires or cause damage. Light fixtures need to be firmly mounted and properly wired, electricians find way too many ceiling fixtures and even fans that are loosely wired or even tugging on or suspended by wiring.
Your Safety-Minded, Quality-Focused Electrical Contractor in Arlington, TX
Our electrical contractor team at Tioga Plumbing & Electric aims to leave quality wiring when a job is done in Arlington TX, both new wiring that we perform and upgrades or corrections to existing wiring that has aged or never quite met requirements. With proper care, your home’s wiring can be reliable, low-risk, and long-lasting, taking advantage of modern protective technologies to further reduce the chance of electrically related harm. Call us for high-quality electrical contractors who focus on high electrician standards, and also for careful inspection of your existing electrical wiring, fixtures, and circuit breaker panel.
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