Faulty electrical wiring is one of the world’s leading causes of house fires. Old, damaged and improper electrical work can cause sparking and build ups of heat, which can lead to life-threatening fires. And if you don’t know there’s a problem hidden in your walls, you may find out the hard way.
You can avoid that by investing in regular maintenance and an electrical home inspection from electricians in Brisbane.
Professional electricians have the right equipment to inspect the wiring in your walls. They can assess its condition, create an up-to-date electrical plan, and provide peace of mind that your home is safe from fire.
Booking a whole-home electrical inspection might seem like overkill, but it’s the best way to keep your family safe. In this article, we’ll discuss why you should get an electrical home inspection from a qualified tradesperson.
1. Electrical Safety
There are over 12,000 house fires in Australia every year. About half of these are caused by faulty electrical work and appliances. When wiring is old or damaged, it has the potential to start a fire that you may not notice until it’s too late.
This is especially common in older homes that were built before modern wiring standards. As wiring gets old, its plastic shielding and connectors can weaken. This causes the wiring to split and fray, which increases the danger to the occupants of the home.
An electrical inspection can check the condition of old wiring and identify problem areas. These areas can then be rectified, reducing the risk of fires and accidents and improving the reliability of your electrical services.
2. Preparing for New Electrical Work
If you’re renovating your home, adding new powerpoints, or getting ready for power-hungry appliances, an electrical home inspection provides the information your electrician needs.
For example, older homes typically don’t have the correct wiring or switchboards to support appliances like air conditioning and EV chargers. Before you commit to a major installation project, having your wiring inspected will tell you its condition and whether any upgrade works are required.
You can also use the wiring diagram to plan for the future.
Will you want to renovate your home in the future? Are you planning to purchase any appliances? Want to upgrade your home theatre?
An electrical inspection allows you to plan for all of these things. Plus, having detailed information about your wiring will also help the electrician quote your project, and it may even bring their total price down!
3. Negotiating the Purchase of a Home
Buying a property is a major investment. If you want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth, you need to know the condition of the home before you sign on the dotted line.
An electrical home inspection provides a detailed report on the condition of wiring, appliances, switches, switchboards and other circuitry. This is important because updating or replacing these elements can be costly, and the current wiring may not support your needs.
Having an up to date electrical report tells you exactly what work your new home needs. You don’t need to let the results of the report dictate whether or not you buy. All faults can be repaired. But it gives you a rough idea of what’s required and how much it will cost if you decide to purchase the home.
4. Preparing Your Home for Sale
Following on from the above, faulty wiring in a home can be a major turn-off for potential buyers. Fixing outstanding issues can be a major expense at a time when they’re already purchasing a property.
You can increase the saleability and asking price of your home by completing an electrical wiring inspection. Your electrician will provide a report with their findings, and you can decide whether you want to repair or upgrade any of the wiring in your home.
As a bonus, you can also supply the electrical report and wiring plan to the new buyer. That’s a good way to earn some good will, and it will help them plan for any renovations or upgrades they have in mind.
5. Understanding Electrical Wiring & Layout
All homes are wired according to an electrical engineering plan. These plans are useful, but you may not have a copy, or the actual wiring in your walls may not align with the original plan.
When that happens, an up-to-date electrical inspection can help you update your plan and prepare for new electrical work. As part of the inspection, your electrician will assess and test each component (including wiring, powerpoints, switches, appliances, switchboards, and more).
They’ll draw up as-built plans that show how the electrical circuits in your house actually function. That way, all future electricians will understand the circuits in your home, allowing them to install more effective solutions.
