Electrical Box Regulations – Is There a Fire Hazard in Your Walls?

It can be very easy to take your home’s electric system for granted. However, it is a lot easier than you probably realize for something to go wrong, especially with your home’s electrical box. This box contains the grid that connects electricity to every part of your house. Be mindful of regulations and the age of your box, so you know when to get it looked at by a professional.

First, you need to be aware of how old your home’s electric box actually is. In general, you want to get an upgrade if your box is older than 15 years. The reason for this is that a general household’s needs have changed so much in that amount of time. Most households today are using far more electricity because there are so many more electrical devices people are using on a daily basis. Another reason why you want an upgrade is that it can help with your home’s insurance costs. If you show you have a much safer system in place, then you could qualify for better rates.

The risk of not upgrading your house’s electric box is that there is a greater potential for a blowout to occur. If your house was built decades ago, then it was built with the idea that it only needed to handle a refrigerator, washer, dryer and maybe a couple other appliances in the kitchen. Today, people use so much more. People have personal computers, smartphones, video game consoles, multiple television sets and many other devices. Your house’s system needs to be capable of handling all that or else a blowout is going to happen eventually.

Have an electrician take a look at your home’s electrical box to see if an upgrade is recommended. Upgrading now could end up benefitting you for years to come, so it is extremely worth it to look into it.