We are so used to having good electrical service that we take it for granted, and sometimes to our peril, particularly with older homes.  Many of those homes have great locations and a good many of the amenities we want for an enjoyable living.  It is also true that professional home inspectors report that one in three of those homes has serious electrical problems that usually go undetected without a thorough inspection of the electrical panel.  Significant problems can remain even after a thorough and competent home inspection, and that is why signs of amateur electrical work should ALWAYS trigger concerns about what remains unseen. It is also true that certain electrical panels and some wiring types have been targeted as fire hazards.  In many cases, the homeowner is completely oblivious to a potential threat to the lives of their family, let alone the house itself.

Electricity has played a vital role in our daily lives. One must remember that many contractors visit your home with the exclusive intention of selling you a big ticket item that is profitable to them.  That is why many perfectly serviceable and safe distribution panels are replaced and why other unneeded expenses are forced on homeowners.  When a contractor tells you that something in your house is “not to code” you should understand that this is usually a “scare sales technique” since older homes and their systems are normally not going to conform to a building code which is used to guide the building process.