Des Moines Electrical Inspection
- Electrical
Is the electrical system in your Des Moines home up to date and able to safely handle your modern lifestyle? If you haven’t had an electrician to your home lately, you may want to consider doing so as a prevention strategy. This way, you can find issues before they develop into serious problems. As homes age, wiring frays and connections loosen. New appliances can strain the system. It’s important to have electricians to your home for routine maintenance. Check out our post below to see the results of a recent Des Moines electrical inspection completed by the team here at Integra Electrical, and the safety upgrades that followed.
Old Home Electrical Safety
This old home contained a multitude of out-of-date electrical systems that now posed a hazard to the family. The first thing we did was install new electrical grounding rods by the main panel to secure a grounded connection. The basement contained several live hanging wires, including a junction wire that was hanging behind the furnace.
Knob & Tube Rewiring
Knob and tube wiring was the standard way to wire homes in the past, but is not equipped to handle the electric currents of a modern lifestyle. This Des Moines electrical inspection revealed both live and dead knob and tube wiring all throughout the attic, which needed to be removed and rewired and new circuits were run to the attic.
GFCI, AFCI & USB Outlets
GFCI outlets are designed to protect against electric shock and are essential in rooms with water, such as a kitchen or bathroom. During this Des Moines electrical inspection, we replaced all existing basement outlets with GFCI outlets to keep the family safe, especially in the case of a leak or flood in the basement.
AFCI outlets protect against heat caused by electrical arcing, which can lead to electrical fire. In addition to AFCI outlet installation, we also installed AFCI breakers, which are now legally required in the installation of most new homes. For safety purposes, AFCI breakers are required in existing homes whenever a new circuit or outlet is installed, so we added them in all bedrooms, living rooms and rooms with newly altered circuits.
This Des Moines home was also modernized with new USB outlets in the bedrooms to conveniently charge electronics.
Electrical Switch Updates For Lighting & Fans
One major sign of outdated home electrical wiring is switches that do not efficiently control the rooms lights and fans. For example, if you can flip a switch to turn a plugged-in lamp off and can now no longer use the additional plug to charge your phone with unless you flip the switch back on, it may be time for an update. New lighting was installed in this Des Moines home’s bedrooms, controlled independently by new switches that are not connected to power outlets.
Two stacked switches were installed to control the new outdoor lighting and kitchen light/ceiling fan combo. Stacked switches have two switches that allow the electrical elements to be controlled independently. This family can now flip one switch to turn on their kitchen light, and flip the other switch on the stack to turn on the fan. This way, they can easily choose between the light and the fan for occasions where they do not need to use both.
Home Surge Protection
We concluded this Des Moines electrical inspection by recommending home surge protection installation. Home surge protection blocks surges caused by malfunctioning appliances, outdated wiring, tripped circuit breakers, damaged power lines and even lightning strikes from entering the circuits within your home. When power surges within the home, a larger-than-normal amount of electricity enters the electrical system and everything hooked up to it. Power surges will damage or destroy expensive devices and appliances, and can even cause electrical fires if they are severe enough.
Call Integra Today For Des Moines Electrical Inspection
Our team of expert electricians are standing by ready to provide our customers with thorough and comprehensive Des Moines electrical inspection. Keep your family safe by guaranteeing your home electrical system is up to date and can safely handle all the devices and appliances hooked up to it. Call our office today and see why local homeowners trust their electrical systems to Integra!
