5 Things You Should Know About Rewiring Older Homes

Rewiring Older Homes

Written by Jaime Critchlow

Rewiring and grounding a home is vital if considering the future value and safety of your home. Ungrounded homes can leave you at risk due to stray electrical current that doesn’t have grounding to catch it and return it safely to ground. Fire safety, electrical shock or electrocution may be the most severe examples but good luck selling knob and tube homes at market value if your audience knows, or pays to know better!

Pro Tip
Low-voltage can pack just as serious a punch as high voltage appliances. As stated by The National Center for Biotechnology Information “the length of exposure (e.g., if there is prolonged muscle tetany), the size of the individual, and cross-sectional area in contact with the electrical source.” all play a role in the damage suffered by the unfortunate party. Long story short for all the short attention span types, Be Careful! Leave it to the electrically educated few and remember these 5 important things.

Amps are what is supplied to your home, Volts are what various items and outlets pull or draw. If your home has a charging station for example, they will commonly need 50 or more amps taking almost all of a 100 amp homes power to the point of having to manage how many volts are drawn by various appliances and what is ‘running’ at the same time. For this reason and depending on your personal needs, 100 amps are the very minimum recommended. 200 assures that your various appliances will run to their intended potential and lower your risk of overloading your panel, causing the home to subsequently lose power or ‘trip’ your circuits.

There are two types of circuits connected to your electrical panel.

  1. General Circuits: These are commonly wired in sequence maxing at 10 outlets per circuit in a common areas. It is worth noting that no more than 5 or 6 per circuit is usually recommended by professionals. The ‘daisy chain’ will run from one outlet to the next all the way back to the main panel supplying power to your standard low voltage appliances on its way.
  2. Dedicated circuits: These will supply power to your larger, higher voltage appliances such as your dryer or fridge. They have a singular route straight to the appliance and back to ensure a steady supply of enough energy without overloading the circuit.

Simple enough, the more outlets you have the less likely you are to need an extension cord. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International

“Roughly 3,300 home fires originate in extension cords each year, killing 50 people and injuring about 270″

This may be a little more complicated than it sounds. Two pronged plugs are considered the 2-wire system and due to safety concerns are being phased out. The shorter opening connects to the ‘hot’ wire bringing in the power, the longer opening connects to the ‘neutral’ wire with more surface space to catch the electricity and let it flow back to ground. The third, usually round opening in your outlets is for the (usually) copper wires to ground your home, meaning giving the 2-wire system a fail safe so to speak. Grounding your home is standard practice now and generally considered a must when it comes to the safety of the home.

GFCI are installed in areas with high water risk factors such as kitchen countertops. These outlets will shut themselves down to prevent an electrical shock if they get wet. “It works by comparing the amount of current going to and returning from equipment along the circuit conductors” as stated by OSCA (Occupational Safety and Health). If something does go wrong with your grounding and especially if water is around, you’ll want these around to shut off in as little as 1/40 of a second.

To eliminate electrical hazards, owners of older homes may have to rewire the entire house. Modern conveniences have put an increasing demand on our electrical needs, and modern times have called for some safety regulations. Major electrical changes are often in order to ensure safety and a well equipped older home.

The right electrical upgrade can dramatically improve the value and appearance of any home or business. You’ll be amazed at what a difference the right electrical upgrade can make for your home or business. Make sure that when you select an electrical company to do the enhancement of your home and you have decided to take your enhancement to the level where you require an electrical upgrade that the technician at the company has a good working knowledge and the experience to properly guide you in this area.

When you decide to upgrade, our well-trained and certified electricians have all the experience and training needed to complete your electrical panel upgrade project from start to finish, with a minimum of fuss or disturbance. Please contact us right away at 310-800-2401

Why Grounded Wires In Your Home Are Necessary

Residential Electrician in the South Bay of Los Angeles

Written by Jaime Critchlow

If you don’t have grounded wires in your home, you should. They are as the title suggests worth the effort. Safety standards have adapted as rapidly as our hunger for more technology and essentially, electricity. How you decide on what, when and why to ground your home will most likely depend on your understanding of the situation at hand. So let’s start with the basics.

Yep, I said it. Wiring as in rewiring and grounding are in fact the same. It works like this:
The Utility Company provides polarized power to your home through its vast network of high-tension surface wires, transformers and substations entering your home in 2 forms:

  1. Hot
  2. Neutral

A ‘Hot’ or ‘Live’ wire leading to your receptacles (plugs), and returning (looping) on a ‘Neutral’ wire back to your electrical panel.

The hot and neutral wires run in a loop so as to discharge the negative energy and return to equilibrium. Most people understand that electricity will travel the path of least resistance to find ‘ground’. These wires run side by side through every circuit in your home this way as a means to conduct the electricity safely.

  • A dedicated circuit will run power to a high amperage appliance and straight back to the panel.
  • Each general purpose circuit can house up to 10 receptacles, though more than 5 is not commonly recommended. In this case it will ‘daisy chain’ and run from each receptacle to the next in its given area before returning safely on its neutral wire to your main panel.

However, should some breakdown of this looped path occur on a circuit the live current will travel as mentioned through the path of least resistance flowing through:

  • Metal conduit
  • Metal Pipes
  • or, Still Water

creating a ? Short circuit ? Risking fire or shock when it strays outside its wires to take the shortest path to ground.

Safety concerns started sparking enforced regulations around the 1980’s when the pit-falls of the aforementioned 2-wire system were no longer acceptable. It started looking like this:

Hot wires looping back to Neutral wires and Grounding wires to bring your home up to code.

This effectively adds an alternate path for the electricity to run, the grounding wire provides another source for grounding stray current if your neutral wire has been compromised. In other words it creates a catch for it (should you have any breakdown channeling electricity back to the ground) before it becomes a fire or shock hazard.

Without this – If the hot lead isn’t tight or is losing power it will shut off the appliance if power is running to that receptacle. However, if the loose connection happens on the neutral side it will burn the motherboard or damage the appliance as the electricity will be traveling unchannelled and create the risk factor.

The grounding pathway usually consists of bare copper wires connecting to every device and electrical box in the home ending at a grounding bar in your main panel. This grounding bar is in turn driven 8’ft+ in to the earth to give the next best ‘path of least resistance’ for additional safety should the electricity need another route in case the 2 wire system fails you.

For this reason, everything conducting electricity in your homes wiring needs to be grounded. Usually grounding is pretty easy to spot. There will be a third (usually round) opening added below the traditional two openings of your outlets or ‘receptacles’. The third prong on grounded appliances is called the grounding prong and when plugged in is connected directly to the copper wires grounding your home.

Side note: You may want to confirm that your metal plumbing pipes or ‘cold water pipes’ have the grounding wire clamped on them as well. This will offer yet another safeguard against any stray electricity, giving it another path to follow to ground. It is worth noting that this is common practice, and may be a requirement to pass a city inspection.

While copper wiring is the standard it is not all you will see. Two things to be mindful of when you own an older home are:

Before 1988 metal conduit or cable was commonly used. This is no longer the status quo do to safety concerns.
Homes built before 1940 may have no grounding at all, commonly referred to as knob-and-tube wiring.

The safety concerns come into play when dealing with the metal conduit due to the fact that if a neutral wire is compromised in the junction box and barely touching metal or the contact is not direct (strong) enough, the breaker won’t detect enough current to trigger a short!!! Meaning the metal becomes conductive.

To recap: you will want to see that your outlets have 3-slots and while most older homes have already been updated, grounding was not an enforced requirement until we got into the 80’s. It’s worth a look. If all else fails and you’re still unsure about your home’s electric shock security system, you should call have an assessment done by a local licenced electrician.

One of the safeguards in place you may want to be aware of, as mentioned above, are your circuit breakers with two main purposes.

  • Protection against overheating due to overloading of current traveling through them;
  • Detecting short circuits, stopping the flow of current instantaneously blowing or tripping.

Short circuiting or what’s called a ground fault situation can be traced back to a sudden decrease in resistance in turn creating a surplus of uncontrollable current. This triggers the built in safety and trips the breaker to shut it off (as long as it is able to detect it).

Next up you could try plug adapters. Though these are widely used, they have shortcomings you shouldn’t overlook. Many don’t know there are three vital necessities needed to consider this a bandaid for grounding.

  • The metal loop on the adapter has to be correctly attached to the mounting screw on the cover plate.
  • That cover plate screw is connected to a metal box.
  • That metal box had better be grounded.

I wouldn’t call it a stretch to say that this is not a reliable or recommendable route. You could try installing basic GFCI switches (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter). Though most electricians don’t recommend this, some more reputable individuals won’t even do this without laying proper wiring due to the fact that while they make an under grounded outlet a little safer, it won’t actually create a grounding pathway, still leaving room for concern on work they could be liable for.

Lastly, you should keep in mind that while not all appliances have a three prong plug for grounding, the ones that don’t usually have double insulation built in to minimize the risk of short circuit. The appliances that do have the grounding prong need to be plugged into grounded outlets to be considered safe.

If you already have a grounded home but are experiencing shocks when touching electrically charged objects containing metal in your home, your wiring is faulty. It is usually not a life threatening situation however if:

  • The line is a 220 volt
  • You are standing on a wet surface
  • Or are between two metal structures

It could easily become one. In these cases burns or heart attack become far more likely, notably if you have a pre-existing heart condition. As sighted in The National Center for Biotechnology Information Epidemiology section “there are approximately 1000 deaths per year, as a result of electrical injuries” and “400 are due to high-voltage electrical”. As such, it is a time sensitive issue and locating the source of the faulty ground can be very dangerous. It should only be attempted by a trained professional.

Understanding the physics of electrical flow isn’t necessary to know the importance of a safe home wiring system. That’s why we pay trained, licensed and educated electricians when in doubt. Penna Electric has over 20+ years experience in the field and offers free estimates built around your schedule. (310) 800-2401

The right electrical upgrade can dramatically improve the value and appearance of any home or business. You’ll be amazed at what a difference the right electrical upgrade can make for your home or business. Make sure that when you select an electrical company to do the enhancement of your home and you have decided to take your enhancement to the level where you require an electrical upgrade that the technician at the company has a good working knowledge and the experience to properly guide you in this area.

When you decide to upgrade, our well-trained and certified electricians have all the experience and training needed to complete your electrical panel upgrade project from start to finish, with a minimum of fuss or disturbance. Please contact us right away at 310-800-2401

Should I Upgrade My Electrical Panel (Signs & Options)

Siemens Electrical Panel Meter Combo - Solar Ready

Written by Jamie Critchlow

Do you need a Panel Upgrade? The truth about living in Southern California is that while plenty of areas may offer new homes that come well equipped, many homes in the south bay of Los Angeles are older beach homes with outdated wiring. The internet is riddled with ads promising a quick fix and articles about how much or who’s the best. Facing this situation, at the time trying to be cost savvy and fairly unfamiliar with these myself… the first question I found myself asking wasn’t who to call but do I even need this? After reading a little about the “how much” the next question was… Do I have to?

Here are some red flags to look out for on the more dangerous side. We’ll start here.

  • Does your Electrical Panel smell? It could be that a wire isn’t connected properly, or a bad circuit breaker. Either of these can create a burning smell and are a cause for alarm as they put you at risk of an electrical fire.
  • Touch your panel and assess the temperature. At the risk of sounding bossy, go touch it! If it feels warm at all there is a strong possibility your electrical panel is busted, overloaded, or worse improperly installed. Here’s to hoping your electricians were insured and reputable.
  • Are you hearing a crackling sound or constantly tripping the breaker? If you are, you probably need to replace the whole thing. The “tripping” or power cutting off is a built in safety measure, usually happening when you plug in too many or have too many appliances running at the same time. In a nutshell, it stops the wires from overheating. The back and forth trips to reset your panel may merely be a matter of patience. However I myself wouldn’t abuse this feature as it will have its limits as well. A professional will have to assess whether or not it is as simple as replacing a breaker or adding a dedicated circuit as opposed to replacing your entire panel.

Not every situation is going to warrant life or death anxiety. Plenty of times it is really a matter of convenience or staying up with the times. Allocating enough power for all our fun toys, pretty lights and larger and larger appliances just comes with the territory of owning so many conveniences. So here are some slightly less pressing reasons one might consider consulting a professional.

  • Is your panel or home 20+ years old? Older homes tend to be under equipped to handle all those updated appliances and toys we were just talking about, many times with a measly 100 amps or less to supply your growing needs. It’s just not enough, often causing the previous issues mentioned if not addressed in a somewhat timely manner. You will more than likely need a 200 amp electrical panel installed at some point. Surge protecting power strips can only hold you over for so long after all.
  • Do your appliances seem to have trouble running at full capacity? A frequent side effect of circuits overloading or outdated panels is under performing appliances and equipment. Often preventing common use items from running at 100% capacity. No one likes an underwhelming performance.
  • Are you having flashbacks of simpler times involving strobe lights…? Of course due to dimming and flickering lights, sigh. No need to worry you’re less likely to be having a midlife and far more likely suffering from a connection coming loose or possible failure somewhere in your panel. This one may require a little investigating by a reliable source.
  • Is your home built prior to 1960? If you still refer to your panel as a fuse box it might be worth checking to see if it does in fact have fuses as opposed to circuit breakers. The main convenience here is going to be that where fuses burn out and will need to be replaced, circuit breakers rely solely on a flip of the switch.
  • Lastly, are you movin’ on up? Adding on or upgrading major appliances? Congratulations to you! Keep in mind, adding high power consuming appliances or additions that require additional amps may overwork an outdated panel. Seek a professional opinion when in doubt.

This last point brings me to another topic entirely, Sub panels. Before you go getting excited thinking there’s some cheaper version to bandaid fix the reason you found yourself here…

Sub panels are smaller versions of main panels as the name suggests. A sub panel is wired directly from your main panel. They can vary from 60 to 100 amps for residential homes. The main breaker (shut off) for these sub panels will be in the main electrical panel. Sub panels are used in large homes making distribution of power easier due to the circus being in closer proximity to the sub panels location. Also, used for detached garages where power tools or car chargers will be installed. This will mean your panel will need to have the required amperage to sustain the current draw the equipment needs.

For starters it looks like the picture in the very beginning of this post.

The electric panel is a box that connects the wires from inside your home to the outside wires that allow you to tap into your providers electricity. These may also be referred to as…

  • Electrical panel
  • Main breaker box
  • Fuse box
  • Distribution panel
  • Load center
  • Or a breaker panel

The electrical panel is essentially where you go to reset your homes power supply. If you are still wondering, it’s usually somewhere on your exterior, in your garage or utility room but can technically be connected anywhere in your home.

Electrical panels are pretty straight forward, however there are a few types:

  • Main breaker panels
  • Main lug panels
  • And Transfer switches

The Main Breaker Panel controls the power supply for the entire property. It has a double-pole circuit breaker as well as individual circuit breakers that will do two vital things for you.

  1. Protect circuits from overloading (causing tripping).
  2. Stop the flow of electricity to your home as well as individual circuits for repair or maintenance needs.

This would be in place of a main electrical panel. Line wires connect with lugs on these panels, and have a separate shut off usually located near or connected to the main panels breaker. Though it could be located near the meter to allow easier access for firefighters in case of emergency.

These will facilitate an easy switch to a backup power source when, for emergencies or otherwise, you are unable to access your main power supply. While we’re on the topic…

A few things to note:

  • The main purpose of transfer switches is to supply an alternate power source when the standard power source is unavailable. You will need to have a generator (which can very in outputs) to handle all or some of the power consumption for your home.
  • Transfer switches are becoming more popular, especially in Southern California.
  • Transfer switches are a particular type of Sub panel used to transmit generator power. All of my end of the world, bunker ready neighbors and the cautious few either have them or are already installing generators.
  • For all my level headed neighbors scratching their heads wondering why this is even in our article… because of all of the recent power outages due to extreme weather and a heightened awareness of the need for an alternate power source.
  • There are two types, Manual & Automatic. Automatic will provide a more reliable level of protection sans the need to manually switch the power, but is also the more costly of the two.

The answer to this varies from location to location, however it is always ill advised and even illegal in some areas. Home owners are not allowed to pull electrical permits in the south bay area of Los Angeles specifically, due to past incidence and current safety concerns.

Still thinking about it? 

Something to think about is how comfortable you are with a “hot” or “live” wire. While you may be comfortable shutting down power and getting to work on standard electrical needs around the house, but shutting off your Main breaker doesn’t get rid of the electrical current running through it. The top two lugs (top two horizontal rows in lamens) still carry live electricity! Contact both direct and indirect can cause serious bodily injury or death.

Let’s say you live this time.

You still managed to dig yourself into a hole, you’re far from done. You haven’t increased the power supply yet.

  • On top of your breaker box you will have to install an electrical meter
  • You will need to have new cables
  • Also, just when you thought you got away scott-free, you’ll need an experienced electrician to make sure you are compliant with the local codes and regulations.
  • Oh, and only a keen (experienced) eye will know if any of these intricate pieces to your puzzle are defective. Remember the risks listed above, don’t be that guy.

Little known fact and ironically most importantly, licensed electricians not only go through extensive training but also have ongoing requirements for continuing education. A set number of hours must be completed to renew their license. This ensures public safety and instills trust in the fact that all work done will meet all local, state and national laws as well as the applicable regulations.

Go to www.nfpa.org. The National Fire Protection Association regularly updates the U.S. records of fire, electrical and related hazards.

Most recently between the years of 2012-2016 the leading cause for electrical fires by way of electrical failure was electrical distribution and lighting equipment by a landslide at 50% of all failure cases. Cooking equipment is your runner up at a mere 15%!

  • Electrical Distribution Fires as defined by the NFPA are as follows; “ Fires in which electrical distribution or lighting equipment are somehow involved in a fire’s ignition.”

While the cases have continued on a downward trend since 1980, this is largely due to rising awareness and
evolving safety regulations. During this span of time, the numbers are still pretty alarming and warrant concern, as again these are solely one aspect due to electrical failure and I strongly urge you to investigate further.

“Home fires involving electrical failure or malfunction caused an estimated average of 440 civilian deaths and 1,250 civilian injuries each year in 2012-2016, as well as an estimated $1.3 billion in direct property damage a year.”

  • The NFPA even states my aforementioned point citing “aging electrical systems in older homes” as a high risk. Mainly due to wear, tear and increasing demands causing overloading.

Of course, owning a home has many benefits and can hold tons of value over time, maintenance is key when protecting your investments. Keeping your lighting, gizmos and gadgets running smoothly is a definite perk.

Hopefully this article has shed light on your questions and concerns, however it merely broaches the subject and nothing compares to having a trained professional at your side giving you one on one advice on your project.

If you still have questions or would like a free estimate, please do not hesitate to give us a call at (310) 800-2401. Penna Electric is highly recommended in the south bay with over 20+ years experience and all the answers you need.

The right electrical upgrade can dramatically improve the value and appearance of any home or business. You’ll be amazed at what a difference the right electrical upgrade can make for your home or business. Make sure that when you select an electrical company to do the enhancement of your home and you have decided to take your enhancement to the level where you require an electrical upgrade that the technician at the company has a good working knowledge and the experience to properly guide you in this area.

When you decide to upgrade, our well-trained and certified electricians have all the experience and training needed to complete your electrical panel upgrade project from start to finish, with a minimum of fuss or disturbance. Please contact us right away at 310-800-2401