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When you’re renovating or building a house, one of the things you should be familiar with is the home wirings. It is vital because electricity is essential in every structure. When you have the wrong and outdated wirings, you may experience power outages. Or worse, they may cause some accidents like fire. With such, here are the things you should know about it:

  1. Warning Signs

Whether you think that there’s a severe or minor problem with your electrical system, you should never take the warning signs for granted. Any electrician would ask you to be very attentive to any abnormalities in your home writing as they can be threatening both to your household.

Some warning signs include a popping noise coming from any of the outlets. Or, if any of your light switches are extremely hot, this could mean a problem with your home wiring. Take the initiative of immediately seeking the help of an electrician to help you troubleshoot and resolve the issues.

While some issues may seem trivial, it’s still best to seek a professional’s help, especially if you’re not well-knowledgeable about your home wiring. That way, you can prevent such issues from worsening the condition of your home wiring.

  1. Proper Wire Sizing

Whether you plan to do the wire installation on your own or get an electrician, it’s good to understand wires of different sizes. Wire sizing refers to the diameter of the wire used in a metal conductor, and this follows the standard way for sizing home wiring. The sizing also illustrates the current-carrying capacity of the wire. Moreover, you can also see the wire’s gauge as the safe amperage handling of the wire.

For instance, if your household uses a large amount of electricity, too small of size can’t handle such a load. It means if you have a wire with higher resistance to the current flow, your wire diameter is much smaller. And this can create heat or short circuits that may result in a fire hazard.

Another importance of wire sizing is to have the capacity to perform at its best. Without the correct size, it cannot send the proper voltage required to function correctly.

  1. Know The Main Circuit Breaker

Another thing you should know concerning home wiring is the main circuit breaker, something that websites like simplybreakers.com often stress. You can do this by checking the service panel to see the large main circuit breaker. You can quickly identify this part as it’s the switch that regulates the power that runs through the entire components of the circuit breakers within the panel.

Moreover, the service panel should have the size that corresponds to the service capacity of your home. Service panels nowadays typically provide 200-amp service. On the other hand, older service panels give either 100, 150, or even fewer amperes.

AdobeStock_286722475 Home Wiring 101: 4 Things You Should Know

And you can disable the entire components in the breakers by turning off the main circuit breaker to stop the power distribution. Knowing this will help you understand the right step in case of fire or catastrophes. You may need to switch the main circuit breaker to prevent fire from spreading or disasters that may cause electrocution.

However, you should know that despite disabling the breakers’ components, the power will still run into the service panel as well as to the service lugs. Thus, you cannot eliminate the energy in the utility service lines except if the utility shuts it off.

  1. Use Tin-Coated Copper Wires

Aside from wiring size, you should also be familiar with the type of wires. That’s because there are different electrical circuits mounted in your house. These electrical circuits guarantee that you get the most efficient electricity output.

You can foolproof circuits by using tin-coated copper wires. These wires provide an excellent conductance ratio. When you have a better conductance ratio, your electrical system will have better performance.

Conclusion

These basic things about home wiring are essential, so you can better understand how your electrical system works. Without knowing them, you could end up having the wrong wiring size to operate your household. Or you may not be aware that contractors are using wires with less conductance ratio. As a result, your home could be at risk of short circuits, which could become a fire. And you wouldn’t want such things because they can negatively impact your household’s power and safety.  Thus, it’s always best to be informed. That way, you can verify if your contractors are using the best ones.

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