Rewiring
Why rewire?
Rewiring can involve anything from a new kitchen outlet to a remodel to a full home rewiring. Whether you’re ready to remodel or retrofit your out-of-date kitchen or finally add that guest room. Juniper Mountain Electric is your electrical contractor of choice. Our skilled professionals will work closely with you to ensure your expectations for your design are met.
No matter how big or how small your project is, Juniper Mountain Electric is ready to make your remodel a huge success. We can help with almost any rewiring project. Below are just some examples. If you have a rewiring project you need to do, contact Juniper Mountain Electric today.
Breaker Panel Upgrades and Repairs
When your home was built it probably had some kind of electrical panel; either a modern breaker panel or possibly one with fuses instead of breaker switches. At the time the panel was installed it was designed to supply the right amount of power to all the rooms in your homes. Electrical panels connect the main power line to your home and all the electricity for your home flows from there. The importance of the electrical panel cannot be overstated as without one you risk serious electrical problems and even electrical fires.
While typically reliable and safe, electrical panels can wear out. The average lifespan of an electrical panel is 25 to 40 years. In addition, if you have done or are planning any remodeling or additions to your home, the existing electrical panel may not be sufficient. This is particularly true if you are remodeling a kitchen to add modern appliances or finishing a basement which will include additional wiring and outlets for modern electronic devices. If you have plans to do any kind of remodeling or additions, contact Juniper Mountain Electric first; not just to help with your new wiring but to review your plans to determine if you need to upgrade or modify your existing breaker panel.
Additional Outlets
How many extension cords and power strips are you using in your home? Do you have to plug multiple devices or lights into a power strip because there simply aren’t enough outlets? Do you find that your overhead lights dim when you run the microwave or start the dishwasher? If any of these apply to you, it is time to call in Juniper Mountain Electric to install new room outlets or possibly upgrade to your breaker panel.
Juniper Mountain Electric will examine your electrical panel and review the number of outlets you have, and need, in each room of your home. Their licensed electrician will then give you an honest assessment and estimate of how many additional outlets you need and what type. For instance, in a kitchen you need GFCI outlets but in a living room or office you do not. In addition, the electrician will let you know if your current electrical panel can handle the new load or if it needs to be upgraded.
If you would like to know if new outlets can be installed in any room in your home, contact Juniper Mountain Electric for an honest evaluation and reliable project cost estimate.
Lighting Installation and Repairs
Many older homes did not have ceiling lights. Instead, all lights were floor lamps or wall mounted. A common and simple way to update your home is to add overhead lighting and fans to a room. However, to do that you need to run electrical wires from the wall to the ceiling and potentially install a new light switch. Although this can be done as a DIY rewiring project, it is far safer, and more likely to be done correctly, if you hire an electrician like Juniper Mountain Electric.
Kitchen remodels
It is very important when doing a kitchen to be aware of current electrical codes. Although an existing homes’ wiring may not be up to current codes, as soon you as start breaking walls and installing new appliances, your work is subject to current electrical code requirements. This is particularly an issue with kitchen remodels.
In a kitchen remodel, the goal is usually to update not just the cabinets and hardware but to install new major appliances such as a dishwasher or refrigerator. Adding new appliances to old wiring can spell big trouble if your current outlets are not up to code or your electrical service panel cannot handle the new load. Juniper Mountain Electric is familiar with all types of wiring, building codes and modern appliance needs. If you are considering a kitchen remodel, contact Juniper Mountain Electric to review your plans and help you determine the best way to safely wire your new kitchen.
Bath remodels
Bathrooms and kitchens are the most often remodeled rooms in a house. Bathrooms are one of the most expensive. Fortunately, rewiring a bathroom can be the least expensive aspect of the cost of the remodel. How expensive depends primarily on whether you are taking the bath down to the studs or actually need to rewire with the existing walls and ceiling intact. Rewiring an open framed bathroom is simply a matter of knowing what should go where and ensuring it is done properly. However, if wires need to be threaded through finished walls and ceilings that is far more complicated.
One aspect of a bathroom remodel rewiring job is that there must be a dedicated branch circuit for bathroom receptacle outlet(s). Such circuits shall have no other outlets. In older homes some circuits have been extended to the exterior or another location from one of these dedicated circuit areas. If you are doing a remodel the new construction will be subject to the current electrical code which means the bathroom must have a dedicated branch circuit.
If you are not sure what the status of the circuits are in your new bathroom or you just want to make sure the wiring in your new bathroom is done right, contact Juniper Mountain Electric.
Basement finish wiring
Whether you are starting from bare studs or trying to wire within existing walls, your basement wiring must be up to code. If you are a dedicated DIY’er it is possible to wire a basement yourself if you are starting from bare studs. However, project costs include not just the material costs but your time. It will probably take you much longer to do it yourself than if you just hire an experienced electrician like Juniper Mountain Electric. Our certified and qualified electricians have done hundreds of jobs like these and will do it right in a reasonable amount of time for a good price. If Juniper Mountain Electric wires or rewires your basement you can be sure that your electrical system inspection will pass every time.
So if you are considering finishing your basement or rewiring your basement to accommodate a new bedroom or office, contact Juniper Mountain Electric to make sure it is done right.
Appliance circuits
Finally ready for that new, modern dish washer or refrigerator? Modern appliances like these draw far more power than their older counterparts. If you are considering updating your kitchen, contact Juniper Mountain Electric for an evaluation of your current power production and the needs of your new appliances. They will give you an honest evaluation and reasonable estimate for any new wiring or circuits that may be necessary. Before you install any new appliances, especially in an older home, contact Juniper Mountain Electric and let us ensure your new appliances will work with your home electrical system and not against it.
Wine cellar chilling systems
Are you an Oenophile? Do you love and collect wine? If you are, you know that a wine cellar must be kept at a constant temperature and humidity which means installing a wine cellar chilling system. Most of these systems are high voltage but the temperature sensor is a low voltage system. For this reason, the high voltage wiring will probably have to be run through a conduit. It will need to be placed far enough away from the low voltage temperature sensor so the magnetic field of the high voltage wiring won’t distort the temperature readings. If this sounds a bit complicated, don’t worry! Juniper Mountain Electric will be happy to ensure that your climate control system is installed properly. Contact Juniper Mountain Electric for your installation so your precious wine collection can be maintained properly for years to come.
When should I consider rewiring the entire house?
There are some older homes that actually still have outdated wiring. One way to determine if the wiring in your home is outdated is to look in your attic, basement or crawl space. Older wiring was what was called knob and tube wiring. The key features of knob and tube wiring, and the easiest thing to see, are the porcelain knob insulators. These porcelain knobs were nailed to the joists and the wire was wrapped around them to keep the wire off of the wood. Where wires had to pass through studs the wire is protected by insulating material. When the wire was attached to a lamp or switch a cloth insulating sleeve was used. In much older homes when electrical repairs were required, more modern wiring may have been spliced into the older knob and tube wiring but that probably won’t be up to code. The cloth insulating sleeves may also have deteriorated. If your home still has the old knob and tube system, for the safety of your home and family it may be worthwhile to upgrade it. It can also be harder to get insurance coverage for homes with older wiring.
In addition to the safety issues, there are practical considerations. Most of the older electrical systems (those prior to 1940) are not compatible with modern electronics. This includes everything from your refrigerator and dishwasher to your coffee maker to your computer and phone. If you are having to use multiple power strips or running your dishwasher and fan in the summer trips a breaker it is time for an electrical assessment. If you notice that outlets are getting hot, you definitely need to contact Juniper Mountain Electric. We will come out and assess your whole house and give you a reasonable and honest estimate of what needs to be done.
Do I actually need to rewire the whole house?
In most cases probably not. Depending on when your home was built, you may not need whole house rewiring. As a general rule of thumb homes built after the 1950’s may need partial rewiring. If your home was built after 1965 you might just need an upgraded electrical panel and additional, modern outlets. The reason for this is that many older homes have had prior renovations and some or all of the wiring might have been updated then. If your home is more than 40 years old and has never had the wiring updated some or all of it may need to be rewired.
An important factor to consider when trying to decide if your home needs rewiring is if the original cable used was aluminum, as opposed to the standard copper. Now having aluminum cable doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to rewire the whole house! However, you will want Juniper Mountain Electric to come in and look for corrosion and loose connections at outlets, and light switches and anywhere else such problems may exist. Corrosion and loose connections create resistance in the wire. Too much resistance and you get too much heat, which presents a fire hazard. Juniper Mountain Electric has all of the tools and experience need to determine if the problem can be solved without rewiring.
Overall, the best way to know whether rewiring is necessary is to have a respected and experienced electrician, like Juniper Mountain Electric, come out and examine your home’s wiring and electrical panel. We will give you an honest appraisal of what, if anything, needs to be done.
Don’t get scammed by a disreputable electrician. Contact Juniper Mountain Electric today and become one of our happy customers.
