As licensed electrical contractors, the electricians at Wirenuts Electric Services have come up with some of the most frequently asked questions from their customers in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Harford County.
Q: Is knob and tube wiring safe? I’ve heard it can cause fires.
A: Knob and tube wiring was the original wiring method found in many older homes, and was installed from the late 1800’s until approximately 1947. The extreme age of the wiring can lead to deterioration, cracking or loss of insulation at outlets. All of those things can lead to fires.
Q: Does that mean my whole house needs to be re-wired?
A: Not necessarily. If you have knob and tube wiring, you may want to have a licensed master electrician from Budget Electric do an inspection of your electrical system. Any deterioration or damage would be repaired, replaced and updated. But it’s important that any repairs or updating to a knob and tube system be done by a licensed electrical contractor, because an amateur may improperly connect new wiring, resulting in dangerous conditions in the form of shock hazard, reverse polarity problems, switched neutrals, overloaded circuits, and fire hazards, to name just a few.
Q: What is a master electrician? Couldn’t I just hire a handyman?
A: A master electrician is an electrician with many years of experience who has passed a state exam testing his knowledge of applicable electrical codes, laws and principals of electrical installation. A master electrician provides safe, quality and up to code installation and repairs. Your average handyman just does not have the knowledge to do electrical work safely, and may cut corners.
Q: What is a GFCI?
A: GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter. It is an electrical device electrical contractors commonly install in kitchens, bathrooms and outdoors, or anywhere electrical appliances or products could come in contact with water. The GFCI detects potentially hazardous ground faults and quickly disconnects power from the circuit. The problem must be cleared and the GFCI manually reset before power may be restored. This may involve resetting them from your circuit breaker box.
