The Lifesaving Importance of Routine Electrical Inspections

Your electrical system is one of the most important parts of your home. It’s responsible for keeping your lights on, your appliances running, and your electronics charged.

Unfortunately, it can also be a safety hazard. Improper care, storms, faulty wiring, and other issues could lead to a range of issues, from a lack of power to electrical fires.

Regular electrical inspections are some of the best ways to protect yourself. At Eco Electric & Plumbing, we’re here to explain the benefits; schedule service, and give yourself peace of mind.

Identifying Potential Hazards

Your electrical system can experience all sorts of problems that might not be obvious to the average individual. You may go about your daily life, expecting everything to proceed as normal, and then just as abruptly experience an electrical shock, electrical fire, or other hazard.

Electric system evaluations can help you find all sorts of issues before they become potentially life-threatening; just some problems they can uncover include:

• Faulty wiring: Sometimes, an electrical contractor doesn’t install your wiring correctly. Other times, something may have happened to damage it — for example, rodents could crawl between your walls and chew through it. Regardless of the reason, faulty wiring, if left alone, could present a dangerous safety hazard. Wiring inspections can help you find and address issues to keep you and your property safe.
• Overloaded circuits: Have you noticed flickering lights, buzzing noises from your outlets, or a burning smell from your switches? Any of these could indicate an overloaded circuit. Circuits may overload for several reasons, including a power surge, an overabundance of electrical appliances, or poor wiring. Circuit inspections can help you locate the problem before it becomes a disaster.
• Outdated electrical panels: How old is your electrical panel? If it’s older than 20 years old, it may not be suitable for modern appliances. Electrical inspections can give professionals a chance to check your panel and make sure it will suit your needs.
• Damaged outlets or switches: A tripped circuit breaker, blown fuse, or loose wires, among other things, could lead to damaged outlets and switches. These problems may remain hidden for a long time — until they pose a potential safety hazard. Electrical safety checks can help you find and address the problem in a timely fashion.

Ensuring Code Compliance

Because electrical systems can be a safety hazard, certain codes and regulations are in place to protect building occupants. These codes ensure that all wiring, appliances, and breakers meet certain safety standards, which can reduce the risk of electrical fires, shocks, and more.

Most building owners want to believe that they’re up to code. Unfortunately, you may have an outdated system without even realizing it, putting you in potential danger.

Unfortunately, that’s not the only problem you could face. If you don’t meet the proper regulations, you could find yourself paying expensive fines.

Home electrical assessments are a great way to ensure electrical code compliance. During these inspections, a contractor can examine every aspect of your system, from your wiring to your electrical panels. If there are any compliance concerns, they’ll let you know, and provide you with solutions to address the issues. This way, you can avoid both legal penalties and safety hazards.

Preventing Electrical Fires

A fire can be devastating. In a best-case scenario, it may cause some minor damage, leaving you shaken but mostly unharmed. In other cases, however, it may destroy belongings, cause injuries, or even burn down the entire property.

Electrical issues are some of the top causes of residential fires. These fires may spark because of loose connections, malfunctioning electrical components, or overheated wiring, among other concerns. Sometimes, you can notice the signs of an issue relatively quickly — for example, an unusually strong burning smell coming from your outlets. Other times, however, you might not notice an issue until after a fire’s already started.

Electrical inspections allow you to address these problems proactively. Inspections can unveil hidden issues, letting you schedule repair services to fix them. This way, you can pre-emptively prevent electrical fires and keep yourself safe.

Maintaining Electrical System Reliability

You rely on your electrical system to go about your daily life. Most of the time, however, you don’t think about the possibility of it failing — at least, not until it happens.

Sometimes, the power may fail because of a local outage. Other times, however, you may find yourself without power because part of your electrical system failed.

Alternatively, you may notice that your lights are flickering, that an outlet isn’t working, or that your electronics don’t seem to be charging properly, even though everything otherwise seems normal. These issues often lead to expensive electrical repairs — and in the meantime, you’ll have to figure out how to manage your everyday life without power.

It can be incredibly frustrating to suddenly find yourself without power. Fortunately, you can prevent many problems related to electrical system failure, provided you find them quickly enough.

Electrical inspections can help you make sure your electrical system is functioning properly. Your electrician can check for issues like corrosion, deteriorating electrical components, and general wear and tear.

If something seems like it’s not in good condition, they can let you know, giving you the chance to fix it before it becomes a more serious issue. This way, you can avoid expensive repairs, outages, and other frustrating problems.

Schedule an Inspection by Reaching Out to Eco Electric & Plumbing

Maintaining your electrical system is an incredibly important task if you want to keep yourself safe. Electrical inspections are a key part of that process since they’ll help you uncover and address hidden issues.

Knowing you need an inspection, however, is only half the battle. You also need to find a trustworthy electrician to perform the task.

That’s where Eco Electric & Plumbing comes in. We can provide you with thorough electrical inspections to give you peace of mind. If you’d like to learn more, just give us a call at 206-222-9640. Schedule service today.