There are some great reasons to consider whole house rewiring. For example, faulty wiring causes many residential fires. Whole house rewiring protects your family and your investment, and is especially important to consider if your home was constructed more than 40 years ago. It may also be that your older home simply does not have the power available or the outlets your modern family requires.
Here are some signs that you may need to consider whole house rewiring:
- You have ungrounded outlets in your home (only have 2 prongs).
- You do not have Ground Fault circuit interrupter outlets in water-prone areas of your home, like the bathrooms or kitchen.
- You notice that your lights dim or flicker at times.
- You have aluminum wiring, which can loosen over time. This is most likely if your home was constructed in the 1960s or 70s.
- You have a repeated problem with fuses blowing or breakers tripping.
- You notice a persistent burning smell in your home or a prickly sensation when you touch an appliance.
If you have any cause for concern, it is best to have your home wiring inspected by a licensed electrician. If your home is older, it is more likely to have unsafe or outdated wiring, but problems can arise in homes of any age.
Whole house rewiring is a big job. It can take anywhere from several days to two weeks to rewire an entire house, depending on the number of people working and the size and complexity of your wiring job. Much of the cost comes from the intensive labor needed to open up the walls, run new wires and connect them all, and finally close up the holes and clean up the mess. It is a good time to plan for the future and make sure your wiring will last long after it is installed.