The vast majority of people will never really pay any thought to what’s hidden behind the walls of their home. However, every time you flip on a switch, you are using your home’s internal wiring and relying on its performance. If that wiring goes bad, there are a whole lot of problems you could experience, ranging from minor inconveniences to significant safety hazards.

Here are some tips from an electrical contractor in Anaconda, MT to give you an idea of when you need to replace the wiring in your home:

• Frayed wires: If you come across any frayed or damaged wires, you will need to have them replaced. Wires get damaged in a wide variety of ways. Sometimes they simply degrade with age, while other times they have been affected by heat, corrosion or pinching. Sometimes people get too overzealous in home improvement projects and saw or nail through them. Leave the replacement to a professional.
• Heat or scorch marks: All outlets and switches in your home should be cool to the touch. If the outlets are warm, or if you see any scorch marks formed around them, these are major indications of unsafe wiring underneath, and you should have an electrician look at the problem immediately.
• Constantly tripping circuit breakers: If you regularly have to reset your circuit breakers, it could be because your circuits are overloaded. This can be a wiring issue, but you should have a licensed electrician look at the problem to assess the load on your circuits and determine the best solution.
• Smoke: If you see smoke coming from an appliance or outlet or seeping out from a baseboard, this could be a major sign of danger. Turn off all appliances immediately and look for problems. You might also be safer turning off the main circuit breaker.
• Dimming or flickering lights: If you have ceiling lights that flicker or dim when you flip on an appliance, you are probably overloading your wiring or circuits. Check the circuit breaker to that section of your home, as well as the wiring, and see if there are any improvements that could be made.
• Loose outlet or switch connections: It’s not uncommon for electrical wires to loosen over time, which could in turn cause the switches or outlets to appear loose in the walls. All of your covers and plates should be in good condition, and the wires inside should be secure. Replace missing or broken plates as soon as you can to keep the wiring underneath protected.
• Signs of rodents: If you have been having electrical problems, and have also noticed signs of rodents in your walls, there’s a very good chance the two problems could be related. You will likely need to work with an exterminator to eliminate the pest problem before you worry about making electrical repairs.

For more information, contact Colbert’s Electric Inc., your electrical contractor in Anaconda, MT, and we will be happy to work with you.