If you own an older house and decide to make some upgrades, chances are you or your contractor may find some unpleasant surprises — especially when it comes to your home electrical wiring or your plumbing system. Outdated or faulty utilities systems in your home not only can cost you money in the way of power or water bills, but such issues could also create a situation that puts you and your family in danger. So, if you are remodeling your Marietta home, it is an excellent opportunity to make sure your plumbing and wiring are up to date.
Home Electrical Wiring
In older homes, an electrical distribution system can look like a hodgepodge spiderweb of components, pieces and parts that have been tacked on and added to the existing electrical work by all the previous owners over the years. In many cases, some of your home’s previous owners may not have been professional electricians, yet may have undertaken electrical work on their own.
One of the first clues that your electrical system may be out of date is ceramic light fixtures. Such fixtures are not really up to modern electrical standards — let alone design tastes — and should be replaced by modern fixtures. If you have antiquated light fixtures in your house, you likely have an older electrical cable as well. If the insulation on the old cable hasn’t become too brittle, older cable can actually function for a long time. Another telltale sign of old wiring is ceramic insulators attached to the wall studs to route the wiring through the wall cavities.
Old wiring can also present a number of other safety issues. For example, outlets in bathrooms, basements or the exterior of your home may not have GFCI switches that trip when the area gets wet. Moreover, other outlets in the home may be the older, two-prong style. This means that they are not grounded and are unusable — without an adapter — for three-prong plugs. Finally, older fuse boxes use fuses with an Edison base, which are not up to the standards of modern fuses.
Many of the houses that were built in the first half of the 20th century are wired with cable that is insulated with cloth. If the cloth insulation is worn or has been chewed on by mice — or some other unwelcome house guest — a short can result. A short in your wiring can cause a house fire. If your walls are already opened due to a remodel, it only makes sense to upgrade the wiring in your home.
Plumbing
Like electrical wiring, old plumbing can also cause problems. Some older pipes may be made of — or joined by — lead, which is toxic. In addition, over time, pipes and joints can develop leaks. Such leaks can cause water damage to your home and drive up your water bills. A catastrophic failure of old pipes can result in flooding, which can result in structural damage. If you are in the middle of a remodel, check out your plumbing system to make sure your pipes are in good shape.
If you encounter out-of-date or faulty plumbing — or home electrical wiring — during a remodel, you should not leave it to become a future problem. A remodeling project affords an excellent opportunity to update a potentially dangerous situation. Call a professional electrician or plumber like those at Reliable Heating & Air. Letting it go can jeopardize not only your newly updated home, but also the safety and well-being of you and your family.
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