Posts made in August, 2015
Wiring Changes For Computer And Electronics Upgrades
If your house is a few decades old or has been losing power in strange ways, you may not be ready for the modern world of technology. A few electronics may be able to deal with power loss, but computers and video game consoles that need to save progress to be useful can become machines of frustration if the wiring in your home isn’t ready to keep them on constantly. Before spending too much money on a powerful gaming computer or an expensive entertainment system, think about a few things that an electrical services professional could do to make your electrical situation safer.
What Is A Wiring Problem?
Wiring is often out of sight, out of mind for most people. Unless you’ve lived in an aging building before or have had to deal with a particularly bad electrical job, some of the signs may not be obvious.
Wiring problems fall under poor placement, breaking or a combination of both. You could have wiring that was installed incorrectly or insufficiently, such as allowing some wires to stretch too tightly with the risk of breaking or not having enough wires to spread the electrical load.
The second part about electrical load is a problem because electrical demands change–often to an increase–over time. Over even a decade, there may be tons of new electronics with higher electrical demands that are far beyond what your home was designed for. An electrical services professional can expand upon the electrical design or replace it completely depending on how the original wiring was placed.
One of the most simple additions to make is more electrical receptacles (any port that delivers electricity, including wall sockets). If the current wiring is using a valid, close-to-modern design, you may simply need more electrical sockets to connect devices without overloading a single socket.
If the wiring is in the right direction but is overheating, additional wiring can be added to a single receptacle to spread the electrical load. More electricity can be pushed through the socket without causing critical heat problems or an overload at the socket itself.
With all of these extra wires being added, the distribution panel (also known as a breaker panel or breaker box) may need to be upgraded to modern electrical needs.
Other Cables Can Be Brought Through As Well
While electricians are working in the walls, why not bring your other wires and cables through as well? Instead of going around corners and wasting money on excessively long cables, an electrician can simply bring the cable through the wall as a shortcut.
This is useful for cables such as Ethernet cables for Internet, which allows people to use a consistent, wired Internet connection without having to drag cables across the entire walls. If you want, an electrical services professional can install wall sockets for the Internet or even audio/video cables in every room.
Although these cables are specific to their industries, electricians are necessary to avoid wires that may cause burning hazards. Some cables such as Ethernet cables use a plenum-shielded coating that may melt (and may create a toxic hazard, although this is still under investigation) when next to hotter wires.
Contact an electrical services professional like Meserve Electric to begin planning your next electrical upgrade for safer electronics performance.
Read More
