The Hot Wire Just Got Too Hot – Why It Happens and What You Should Do? Fort Worth, TX
Electrical systems are too complicated to be handled by uncertified and non-qualified professionals. They carry potential hazards of electrocution and fire breakout and as such they should only be inspected, installed and repaired by a certified electrician.
Sometimes, the danger they carry may not appear evident and hence, situation often go unnoticed that later manifests into a major accident. In this context, we would like to share our knowledge and experience on an important issue that most homeowners face. It is an issue that concerns with the excessive heating of home wiring, which if left unaddressed, can result in a fire breakout. And this issue is not something that is uncommon.
As a professional electrical service in Fort Worth, TX, every now and then we receive calls and queries from our clients regarding their home wiring getting all too heated. Keeping in view the ubiquity of the problem, we decided to blog on this subject and help our readers in understanding what causes home wiring to heat up and what they can do to address the issue in advance.
Please Note: The information presented in this blog should not deter the reader from consulting a local electrical service in Fort Worth, TX as situations tend to vary and an action plan need to be designed accordingly. This blog should only serve as a resource for building the basic understanding on the subject.
What Causes Home Wiring to Heat Up
There are a number of factors that contribute towards the heating of wires deployed in domestic electrical systems.
Environmental Temperature
Room coolers and air conditioning units may help you to survive in the extreme temperatures of Texas but the electrical wiring concealed behind the walls and in the attic does not have the same privilege.
Have you ever tried crawling your way into the attic during the summers? Then you surely know how hot it can get there.
Home wiring has to withstand the superheated environment and perform continuously – all the while bearing the electrical load of the air conditioning unit that is keeping the indoors pleasant. The temperature difference between the attic and the outdoor environment can rise beyond 40°F at times, thereby, causing the home wiring to heat up.
The Electrical Current Running Through the Wiring
The electrical current through the wires itself causes the home wiring to heat up. This is because as the electrons flow they come across the resistive forces of the medium’s material, releasing energy that is expended in the form of heat energy. Add to this, if the wires are single stranded, broken or twisted, the resistance of the medium increases even further. Consequently, coupled with the environmental factors the temperature of a home wiring system can rise to 194°F in the attics, which is enough to damage the insulation of the wires running through the electrical systems of your home. If you ever notice the home wiring heating up to extreme levels, immediately pull down the main circuit breaker and contact a local electrical service in Fort Worth, TX for professional address.
The Characteristics of the Existing Electrical Wiring System
Another factor that contributes to a heated home wiring is the characteristics of the existing electrical wiring installed in a building. A high percentage of currently existing residential blocks in United States were constructed before 1970s. This was a time when copper’s price in the international market was too steep for the homeowners to afford a copper branch circuit for their residential units. As a result, single strand aluminum wiring was deployed. These aluminum wires do not have the durability of the copper wires and neither are they robust enough to cater to the electrical demands of modern homes. This explains the reason as to why homeowners, who are living in these traditional homes, often complain about heated wires.
To check which type of home wiring is deployed in your residential unit, consult a local electrical service in Fort Worth, TX.
Lack of Electrical Circuits
Lack of electrical circuits is another primary reason because of which you may find your home wires all too heated up. Some homes use single circuits to provide electricity for multiple applications. Like in kitchens, a single circuit may be used for powering a microwave, toaster, refrigerator, mixer, and electric grill simultaneously. Similarly, in some homes a single circuit is used for supplying electricity to bathroom and the adjoining bedroom. This results in the overloading of the circuit that heats up the home wiring. If not addressed, it may result in a fire breakout.
Improper Grounding
Power surges are common and in a circuit which is not properly grounded, the un-routed extra energy dissipates itself in the form of heat energy causing the home wiring to get extremely hot.
What You Can Do About It?
After a brief review of the involved factors, let’s look at what homeowners can do to prevent the heating up of the wires running through their domestic electrical systems.
Rewiring
Rewiring is the preferred strategy that you can adopt to help you get rid-off the majority of factors that contribute to the heating up of the wires running through your home. You can ask your local electrical service in Fort Worth to use large diameter wires that offer reduced resistance to the current path. Moreover, if you have aluminum wiring installed in your home, replace them with code compliant copper wires. If you feel replacing the entire wiring will be too expensive for your budget, you can ask a professional electrical service in Fort Worth, TX to install copper wire connectors. But remember, this is a temporary fix and eventually you will have to replace your aluminum wiring with copper wires.
Add More Circuits
Hire a qualified electrician in Fort Worth, TX to integrate more circuits within the existing home electrical network. This would help in the prevention of circuit overloads.
Ensure Proper Grounding
Get your home wiring checked by a local electrical service in Fort Worth, TX. Ensure that your live wires are properly grounded to appropriately handle the unexpected power surges and avoid the subsequent heating up of the home wiring.
Need Our Help?
Tioga Plumbing & Electric LLC is a full service residential and commercial plumbing and electrical service company. We provide qualified and experienced professionals all across Fort Worth, Dallas, Keller, Southlake, Colleyville and Carrolton. To contact us, please click here.