Older homes are often charming due to their unique attributes, and you may have recently bought yours for this very factor. However, not everything that's unique is visible—or good. In many cases, previous homeowners will have made their own changes, fixes, and what they thought were upgrades. The problem is that not all of them will have had the skills or training needed to do it right. When this situation involves electricity, it often leaves behind fire hazards, shock hazards, and breakers that mysteriously trip.

These things usually shouldn't stop you from buying your quaint older dream house. However, it’s best to have a licensed electrical contractor to examine the current work and fix anything necessary.

Have a Residential Electrician Inspect Your Newly-Purchased Old House

Having an electrical inspection done is worthwhile even if you've already moved in. This is because such an inspection does far more than provide negotiating leverage. It will protect you from shocks and fire hazards that previous unskilled work may have left behind.

Whether the electrician finds simple issues like wiring that has become brittle, or huge mistakes like ground wires connected to gas lines, it is important to find out about these issues before they make themselves obvious. When an electrical problem is obvious, it's usually because it's shocking you or threatening to burn your house down. That is not how you want to find out about the quality of the last owner's work.

Have the Recommended Repairs Made as Soon as Possible

Once you know the exact status of your older home's electrical system, it's time to correct any errors that have been found. Anything that is creating an immediate hazard should be addressed right away. It's impossible to tell when an "iffy" wiring job will reach the critical point, so fire and shock hazards should be first on the fix-list.

Next, let the electrician upgrade anything that was done to a code level that is now obsolete. Codes are updated as safer methods are discovered, so switching to the current specifications will reduce the overall risk level of your electrical system.

To get an inspection or schedule repairs and upgrades, just call us here at Harrison Electric in Plymouth, MN. We'll be glad to help you protect your newly-purchased home.