The Importance of Electrical Safety

Unsafe electrical wiring not only poses a risk of electrical fires - one of the leading causes of house fires - but also seriously endangers personal safety, potentially leading to irreversible harm. Therefore, electrical safety is a core issue in home security, a major concern for insurance companies, and a critical focus of home inspections. Its importance cannot be overstated. Additionally, in older homes, wiring, components, and connection methods from different eras may coexist, and previous homeowners may have made multiple modifications to the electrical system. These factors make it even more crucial to pay close attention to electrical safety.

How to Improve Residential Electrical Safety

In response to the common electrical safety issues discussed in previous articles, I offer the following recommendations to enhance electrical safety in homes:

1. Having professional Inspection:
   • If you frequently experience power outages, voltage fluctuations, or sparking outlets;
   • If your home was built before the mid-1960s;
   • If the property has undergone renovations (e.g., conversion into multiple units);
   • If the wiring contains aluminum or knob-and-tube wiring;
   • Or, if you have a very small, outdated electrical panel (with only 6 or 12 circuits),

   It is strongly recommended that you hire a licensed electrician to inspect the entire system, and perform necessary updates or repairs to meet current Electrical Safety Code requirements.

2. Upgrading the electrical service or panel:
   • Ensure the electrical service and panel are adequately sized for your electrical demands. If necessary, upgrade service, replace panel or add a sub-panel.
   • Upgrading inadequate service (e.g. 60A to 100A) will require replacing the service entrance cables (from outdoor to panel), main disconnect and panel.
   • If the service capacity is sufficient, you can upgrade panel only to accommodate more circuits, which means the service entrance cables can remain unchanged to reduce costs.
   • The upgraded circuit breaker panel should have at least 24 circuits, preferably 30 or more, with spare capacity for future needs.
   • For some older panels, newer "tandem" breakers can be installed to increase capacity without replacing the entire panel.
   • Compared to old fuse panels, modern circuit breaker panels offer higher safety, and are more favorably viewed by insurance companies.
3. Ensuring proper panel installation and wiring:
   • Avoid "overfused" (oversized fuses/breakers) conditions.
   • Avoid "multi-tapped" (one or more circuit wires connected to a single breaker) conditions.
4. Updating or adding Internal wiring:
   • Ensure safe and logical circuit distribution, particularly in the kitchen.
   • At least two dedicated circuits should be provided in the kitchen.
   • For ungrounded circuits or outlets, add a proper ground wire or replace them with GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlets.
   • Never use "false grounding" (installing 3-prong outlets without a ground wire).
5. Reinstalling missing cover plates: Inspect all switches, outlets, and junction boxes - replace any missing covers immediately to prevent accidental contact with live wires.
6. Installing GFCI outlets in high-risk areas: Replace standard outlets with GFCI outlets in outdoor, bathrooms, and near kitchen sinks for added protection.
7. Reinstalling missing cover plates: Inspect all switches, outlets, and junction boxes - replace any missing covers immediately to prevent accidental contact with live wires.
8. Installing GFCI outlets in high-risk areas: Replace standard outlets with GFCI outlets in outdoor, bathrooms, and near kitchen sinks for added protection.

From my practice, I have found that many electrical issues stem from "non-professional work", such as "cheap renovations" or DIY modifications by homeowners. It must be emphasized that, under Ontario regulations, any electrical installation or modification must be performed by a licensed electrician and approved by the relevant authorities.

This article was originally published in "Real Estate Weekly", Issue #134, August 04, 2007.