There are a number of benefits of having your home wiring inspected, repaired, and installed by a professional electrician. One of the many benefits is avoiding electrical code violations. Often, we may try to do our own electrical wiring repair, or we may even own an older home that is currently violating a number of electrical codes. Peterkin Electric will share some of the most common electrical code violations found in homes today and what is the proper correction for these violations.

Common Electrical Code Violations

Knob and Tube Wiring – During the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s, knob and tubing wiring was used and considered to be state of the art electrical technology. However, that is no longer the case. Today knob and tube wiring is considered dangerous. Since areas of California have very old homes such as those in Tustin and Placentia that was first established in the early 1920s. Many of these homes will have these old and hazardous electrical systems. If you’re living in a home that was built during the 1950’s or older you will want to have your home wiring system inspected and updated if necessary.
Installing Lights with Old Wiring – Most homeowners will hang their own light fixtures since the task generally isn’t that complicated. However often new lights are connected to old wiring. This is a violation since many light fixtures cause the wiring to run hotter than the wiring is able to withstand. If your home wiring system was installed in 1987 or older, chances are your wiring is inadequate to handle modern lighting. You can check to see how old your wiring is by looking at your insulation jacket which should have the date stamped. If there is no date stamped, then your wiring was installed before 1987. If your wiring is outdated, again, you will want to have your home wiring updated.
Wires that are Overcrowded – Sometimes a homeowner may have a tried to cram four or even five wires into a 7/8-inch hole. This is considered overcrowding. Simply overcrowding your home wiring system doesn’t just cause an electrical violation, it also can be dangerous. Overcrowding wires can and often does lead to electrical fires. Wires that are tightly compacted together can overheat. Electrical wires require some space to prevent overheating. If you have discovered some wiring that is overcrowded, you can either make the hole wider or remove some of the wiring.
Illegal Splicing – Sometimes the easiest fix isn’t the safest or is legal. Splicing two or more wires to connect to each is one of the worst code violations that, unfortunately, frequently occur. Splicing wire is only allowed in a temporary situation and not for permanent solutions. If you have discovered multiple wire splices in your home, contact an electrician to come and reroute proper wringing.

Electrical Code Violation Corrections & More in Laguna Woods, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Irvine, Lake Forest & Orange County, California

Especially if you’re living in an older home or you have discovered an electrical violation in your home, you will want to correct the problem quickly. Most violations are in place for a number of safety reasons. To avoid putting your home and those inside at risk, contact Peterkin Electric. We can do a full inspection of your home’s electrical system, emergency repairs, and if necessary, rewiring of your home. For all of your electrical needs, contact Peterkin Electric today!