Bringing Your Home's Electrical Wiring 'Up To Code"

With a large number of homeowners working on renovating their older houses, it is fairly common to hear discussions about making sure home electrical wiring “up to code”. While not many people would argue with the suggestion that bringing a houses’ electrical wiring “up” to national standards and local area building codes would be a good idea, many such people still don’t have an understanding of what the phrase “up to code” means exactly. And since the original electrical installations in individual homes can vary, so too will the work requirements vary from house to house in order to bring each one “up to code”. Consider the following common wiring issues that may need to be upgraded when you are planning to bring your home’s electrical “up to code”.

Wiring Upgrades in the Basement

Most old homes will not have basement electrical wiring that is current with today’s codes. One frequent issue involves the standard electrical outlets that are typical in older homes. Whether or not you have a finished basement, you should protect your home by replacing standard outlets with GFCIs. Since basements are often damp, GFCI outlets are very significant matters.

Wiring Upgrades in the Kitchen

Kitchens are other common areas of older houses where electrical wiring may be in violation of current codes. Since microwave ovens are known to generate electrical surges, sparks, and sometimes overheat, it is recommended that they have their own circuit as a safety precaution. In addition, due to the potential moisture near sink areas, any electrical outlets that are reachable from the kitchen counters and are near the sink should be converted to GFCI outlets if they are simple standard outlets.

Wiring Upgrades in the Bathroom

Like kitchen outlets, bathroom outlets usually need to be upgraded to meet current code standards. Since they are also in close proximity to potential moisture, any standard outlet needs to be converted to a GFCI outlet. An alternative solution would be to upgrade the whole bathroom circuit with a GFCI breaker. Installations of light fixtures in the bathroom should all be with #12 gauge wire to be sure they are “up to code”.

Wiring Upgrades in the Attic

Surprisingly, attics may also have issues that need to be addressed in order to meet current code requirements. For instance, if the house cooling or heating system is located in the attic, it is recommended that a light fixture also be connected there. The same is true if the attic is used as additional storage space for the home. Planning the light installation in closer proximity to the hearing/cooling systems and storage area will decrease risk and increase the safety of your home.

Additional Upgrades to Improve the Safety of Your Home

It is clear that safety is at the heart of most requirements of current electrical codes. This should not be surprising since electric and other building codes were initiated for the purpose of protecting the public and promoting safety. For your own safety and that of your family, you should consider hiring a licensed Rocklin electrician who will know how to perform the upgrades needed to bring your home "up to code". Also, If you decide to bring your home’s electric service “up to code” you may want to also improve your home’s fire protection system at the same time. To be safe, it is recommended that each bedroom have a designated smoke detector. If the home has more than one floor, each floor should also have its own detector. For maximum safety, while you are upgrading the wiring anyway, you might want to join all the separate smoke detectors into a comprehensive fire protection system.