Let an Electrician Bring Your Home Up to Code

If your home is constantly blowing a fuse, it may be time to have an electrician take a look at your home’s electrical box and ensure that it has been properly wired and is up to code. Your home is wired to conduct and carry electricity to the outlets of your home in order for you to run your appliances and everything electrical and most homes won’t blow a breaker unless you are using more juice than your home has the ability to support.

Most modern homes were built and equipped to handle the modern life. This means they were intended to run dishwashers, washers, dryers, refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, and a whole slew of entertainment gadgets including multiple computers, televisions and stereos.
However older homes were not initially built or wired to handle such a massive electrical usage. Older homes were generally only intended to run a stove, house lights and maybe a television at one time. Many things that we take for granted as modern conveniences today were either not common or nonexistent when these homes were built. Hence, they are not well-equipped to handle a huge amount of usage at once and as a result will blow a fuse.

Older homes generally only have 100 and 120 volt systems throughout, while newer homes will generally have a 240 volt system. If you only have two wires entering your house as opposed to standard three wires that most homes have today you likely have a home that is only wired with 120 volts.

What this means for you is your house is more vulnerable to spikes, surges and blowouts. Not only is this an annoyance and inconvenience when you are running multiple electrical appliances at once, they can also be potentially damaging to things such as your television or your computer. Power surges can do a lot of damage to your appliances. It's a good idea to put all of your valuable appliances, such as your laptop and your television, on surge protectors. A surge protector only costs a few dollars and is well worth the peace of mind you can bring. However this should only be a temporary fix while you have an electrician give you an estimate on what it would cost to bring your home up to code.

This is definitely not a do-it-yourself project because working with electricity can be deadly and it is not something that an amateur should attempt. Home fires can start quite easily when wiring is done incorrectly. A fire that begins inside your home's walls from an electrical short may not even be noticed until your house is fully engulfed.

Your overall cost to have an electrician bring your home up to code will vary greatly by your location, the age of your home and how much work needs to be done but you should expected to pay in the ballpark of a couple of thousand dollars, including the cost of an electrician, materials and the cost of a permit.