By Joseph Sanchez
President, Rocky Point Home Builders
When building a new home or renovating an existing home here in Puerto Peñasco, it is crucial to ensure a proper electrical installation because a faulty wiring job can result in a fire and/or electrocution but a proper installation will reduce your energy costs by increasing the overall efficiency of the system saving you money over the long run.
Choosing the Right Cable
Many older homes here in Puerto Peñasco are not adequately wired to serve today’s electrical loads and that can be dangerous and cause a fire. Choosing the correct size cable for a new electrical installation or when updating an older installation is crucial to ensuring the home can handle today’s loads. The selection of an incorrectly rated cable could cause the cable to overheat, which may result in a fire. Using the correct-sized cable will make your system efficient reducing your energy consumption because good wiring systems are safe and energy-efficient. If you are building a new home inspect the cable the contractor is providing ensuring it is the proper size and that cheaper wire is not being substituted.
Updating your Electrical Panel
Many people in older homes choose to upgrade their electrical panels to meet the demand of modern electrical appliances. A panel that does not meet the demands of today or a faulty wiring job can result in an electrical fire and/or electrocution so it is important to look for the following signs especially if you live in an older home here in Puerto Peñasco. Wiring problems can be evident through the smells of ozone and burning plastic or fuses blow and circuit breakers trip often. If you see any damage or scratch marks on the surface of the electrical connections that can be a red flag as well. A major sign of a wiring and/or panel issue is a history of overheating appliances or any flickering of the lights when operating an appliance. Your home does not have enough power if your circuit breaker trips frequently while multiple appliances are running simultaneously. If you have witnessed any of these events we recommend an electrical inspection and evaluation immediately.
Looks are Everything
The worse the wiring installation looks inside the panel, the less likely the installation was completed correctly by a professional electrical contractor. When wirings are installed properly, wires are tightened up and aligned in proper places. Professional electrical contractors will follow a certain pattern or design in wiring to reflect good installations. An electrical panel installation should be clean, neat and orderly and not like a bowl of spaghetti as we sometimes witness out in the field. Open your panel and if it is not neat and orderly then we recommend contacting an electrical contractor for an inspection.
Proper Labeling Saves Time and Money
Proper installations require clear labeling on wiring with tags, connection jacks, and other fixtures. Some wires also have different colors to determine their functions. When wires are in proper places, it would be easy for the electrician to determine which wire needs fixtures using color coding. The less time the electrician spends per fixture, the less you pay especially if the electrician charges per hour.
If your home is 15 years or older we recommend an electrical inspection by a professional contractor to determine if any fire hazards exist. One of the main causes of fires here in Puerto Peñasco is related to faulty electrical installations so have your home inspected. Also if you are planning to renovate your home make sure to upgrade your electrical system. Don’t make the mistake of giving attention only to the cosmetic items while ignoring your electrical system. If your home needs cosmetic updating I can assure you it needs electrical updating as well!
About the author: Joseph Sanchez is president of Rocky Point Home Builders a design/build contractor specializing in custom home design, construction and renovations. He resides here in Puerto Peñasco with his wife and two children and is originally from Chicago. For more information email him at sales@rockypointhomebuilders.com
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