Your home is supposed to be your safe place, your sanctuary, but if you have an older home, it can quickly become a nightmare. Old home wiring, especially if the wiring is 50 years or older , can put your home and everyone it it at risk for an electrical fire. While wiring doesn’t quickly age, it does age, it does break down, and it does carry risks. Keeping an eye on your home’s wiring and the way that it behaves is one of the best ways to avoid an electrical fire and protect your home. Your home is trying to tell you exactly what it needs more often than not, so keep an eye out for some of the following signs that your home’s wiring is too old and needs to be replaced by a professional electrician.

While there could be a variety of reasons you might have dimming or flickering lights in your house, if it becomes a regular occurrence, it’s time to get an electrician out to your house. These kinds of symptoms are your house telling you that there is something going on in your electrical system. Whether it’s that there is too much power being drawn at one time or that the wiring is failing, a licensed electrician can help to diagnose and fix the issue.

If you’ve had a rodent problem in your home at any time, it’s exceptionally important to have your electrical system evaluated. While rodents would prefer to munch on the cereal in your cabinet, there is something about home wiring that is exceptionally appealing to them. While they’re burrowing around in your walls, there is a high chance that they either chomp through wiring or knick it enough to expose the wiring to the insulation in your walls. Both scenarios can put your home at risk for an electrical fire at any time.

If you’ve never had a circuit breaker trip on a regular basis, then you probably don’t know how absolutely frustrating it can be, especially when the problem is probably hidden somewhere behind the walls. A circuit breaker that continues to trip is a big indication that something is wrong with your wiring. Instead of trying to force it on, make sure to call your electrician to help root out the cause of the problem in order to fix it.

If you’ve ever gone to plug in an appliance and been shocked, that’s probably not a good sign. However, if this happens regularly where you get shocked or your switches and outlets start to look discolored from burns, you have a big problem on your hands. These signs are indicative of a wiring problem and wiring shorting from the energy heavy appliances that are more common today. Don’t just hide the problem with a new outlet cover, have the problem checked out and repaired.

Lastly, don’t dismiss random burning smells or the sharp smell of burning ozone. Both could be indicators that something is going on behind your home’s walls that you can’t see. When you flip a light switch, this connects a live electrical wire and allows power to continue into a light fixture or appliance. If there is burning when the switch is flipped on, the odds are the problem is in the wiring that connects the switch and the light fixture. However, a licensed electrician can determine the extent of the damage and what the problem is.

A master electrician is the highest level certification an electrician can have. In order to earn this designation, an electrician must not only be licensed by their state or the District of Columbia, but also complete extensive training and testing as well as meet experience and on-the-job requirements.

When you hire a master electrician for your project in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, you can be assured that you’re getting the best of the best!

It takes time, experience, education, and commitment to become a master electrician. While the exact requirements vary slightly between Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, all master electricians must typically:

When you hire a master electrician, you know that you’re getting service from a contractor that’s experienced, knowledgeable, and fully trained and licensed. Getting and keeping this designation shows this person’s commitment to his or her trade and to doing the best possible job. A master electrician has experience in a wide variety of projects and is able to supervise a team of journeyman electricians, so you can be assured that, even on a large, complex project, you’re getting the best and safest electrical work possible.

To hire a master electrician to work on your Maryland, DC, or Northern Virginia home, we invite you to call Kolb Electric at 877 287-1179. We’ve been helping local homeowners like you with their electric needs since 1925. We offer same-day service, seven days a week and have master electricians on staff to guarantee you the best possible service.