Electrical rewiring is the one of the most dreaded tasks that any Pittsburgh
homeowner can be faced with. Rewiring a home can cost up to $20,000 and in these times when money is tight, who can afford that? But old wiring in a home can pose a fire hazard, and you can afford even less to lose everything you own, or even worse, your family.
But there is a solution that allows you to prevent home fires, but not at the enormous monetary cost of rewiring: Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs).
A House Fire Can Be A Terrible Price To Pay For Not
Being Protected By AFCI Breakers
Problems in home wiring, like arcing and sparking, are associated with more than 40,000 home fires each year. These fires claim over 350 lives and injure 1,400 victims annually. |
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Alternative to Rewiring
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Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs).
This new electrical safety device for homes, the arc fault circuit interrupter or AFCI, provides enhanced protection from fires resulting from these unsafe older home wiring conditions.
Traditional household fuses and circuit breakers don't respond to early arcing and sparking conditions in home wiring. By the time these fuses or circuit breakers open a circuit to defuse these conditions, a fire may have started.
Studies have identified arc fault detection as technology that may obviate the need to rewire a home. |
Requiring AFCIs
AFCIs are already recognized for their effectiveness in preventing fires. The National Electrical Code, the widely-adopted model code for electrical wiring, requires AFCIs for bedroom circuits in new residential construction.
AFCIs can be installed in any 15 or 20-ampere branch circuit in homes today and are currently available as circuit breakers with built-in AFCI features. Other types of devices with AFCI protection are also available.
AFCIs vs. GFCIs
AFCIs should not be confused with ground fault circuit interrupters or GFCIs. GFCI devices are designed to provide protection from the serious consequences of electric shock. AFCIs are intended to address fire hazards.
Combination devices that include both AFCI and GFCI protection in one unit are now available.
Should You Install AFCIs?
You should consider adding AFCI protection for both new and existing homes. Older homes, such as many found in Pittsburgh, with ordinary circuit breakers especially may benefit from the added protection against the arcing faults that can occur in aging wiring systems. Sometimes these components can be replaced with AFCIs in the existing electrical panel box.
Have a qualified electrician such as Ray Electric install AFCIs; do not attempt this work yourself. Installation of AFCIs involves working within electrical panel boxes that are usually electrically live, even when the main circuit breakers are turned off.
As one of the few Pittsburgh electrical contractors offering 24-hour
emergency service we are able to service your home or business
at your convenience. Call us on 1-800-851-8124 or contact us on our email form today and experience what only
the best Pittsburgh electrician can provide - the Ray
Electric Rewiring and AFCI difference.
- Licensed
- Insured
- EPA Certified
- State Certified Inspector
- Gaslines and D.O.T. Certified |
