When the word electrician comes to mind, most people only think about electrical installations and repairs. However, there are several types of services provided by an electrician that people rarely use. In most cases, if you live in an old home, your electrical system may be outdated. As a result, you might need various electrical services that you are not aware of.
Thus, here are three types of services provided by an electrician that you didn't know you needed.
Adding Appliance Lines
If you live in an old home, chances are the electrical wiring in your house lacks the adequate amperage required by modern appliances. If your television and microwave appliances are working, it's well and good. However, other heavy-duty devices may require you to install new appliance lines in your home for them to work.
For instance, appliances such as laundry washers and dryers require high amperage wiring to function properly. Therefore, if you are planning on buying such machines, it is advisable to ask an electrician to install dedicated lines for the appliances that match the required amperage.
Thus, if you live in an old home and don't want or have the finances to conduct a complete electrical system upgrade, you need to have an electrician install dedicated appliance lines before buying such a heavy-duty appliance.
Replacing a Fuse Box With a Circuit Breaker Panel
A fuse box and breaker panel are the components in your electrical system that prevent a power overload. Both these components are the safety measures in your electrical system that prevent the start of an electrical fire.
However, fuse boxes are an obsolete technology, and as a result, they are no longer utilized in electrical systems nowadays. Additionally, most people don't know this, but fuse boxes provide a lesser safety level than circuit breaker panels.
Therefore, if you are living in an old home, chances are your electrical system is still using a fuse box. If this is the case, you need to call an electrician to upgrade your electrical systems safety measures with a circuit breaker panel. You will enjoy better safety features with a breaker panel than with a fuse box.
Upgrading Circuit Breakers
Alternatively, even if you don't have a fuse box, you may have an outdated circuit breaker panel that is unsuitable for modern electrical use. The issue with outdated circuit breakers is that they were not designed to handle the amount of electricity drawn by modern appliances. Because modern appliances need more electricity, your outdated breaker panel will frequently trip every time you have more than one appliance turned on.
Hence, if you have an old circuit breaker, you need to call an electrician to upgrade your electrical system.