Local Electrician in Sheridan, CO

Common Wiring Problems in Homes Built Before 1980

Homes from the 1950s through the 1970s were built during a time when demands looked completely different from those they do today. A house that once supported a few light fixtures, a television, and maybe a window air conditioning unit now runs multiple computers, gaming systems, kitchen appliances, and charging stations for every device the family owns. The wiring in these homes wasn't built for this kind of load, and we see the consequences during electrical repair calls, where circuits are overloaded, and breakers trip constantly. Cloth-insulated wiring from this era deteriorates, turns brittle, and exposes conductors that create fire hazards inside your walls. Two-prong outlets throughout the house indicate a lack of proper grounding, which puts your electronics and your family at risk during a fault. Undersized panels with limited circuit capacity force homeowners to make choices about what they can run at the same time, and that's no way to live in a modern home. Some of these issues create emergency situations that require immediate attention, but others can be taken care of through planned upgrades. We can evaluate older wiring and check the visible components as well as what's happening behind the walls and in the attic, where deterioration usually goes unnoticed.

Risks and Remediation Options for Aluminum Wiring

If your home was built between roughly 1965 and 1973, there's a good chance it contains aluminum branch circuit wiring that needs attention. Builders turned to aluminum during this period because copper prices had spiked, but the industry learned that aluminum connections loosen as the metal expands and contracts with temperature changes. Loose connections create resistance and generate heat, which is exactly how house fires start. An electrical repair in Sheridan for aluminum wiring ranges from complete rewiring to more affordable remediation methods, depending on your situation and budget. COPALUM crimps and AlumiConn connectors are two approved methods for making aluminum-to-copper connections safe at outlets, switches, and fixtures throughout the home. A complete rewire gives you the most peace of mind for every residential and commercial property. It's important to have an honest conversation about the actual condition of your wiring and which method makes sense given your plans for the property. Electricians in Sheridan who do this work will inspect connection points, check for signs of overheating, and give you a clear picture of the risk level before recommending any path forward.

Adding Circuits to Support Modern Appliances

The original panel in your older home was sized for the appliances and usage patterns of its time, which creates problems when you want to add a modern refrigerator, an electric dryer, a home office setup, or any of the other power-hungry equipment that's become standard in residential properties. Adding dedicated circuits is one of the most common requests we handle, and the process involves more than just running new wire from the panel to an outlet location. We first evaluate whether your existing panel has capacity for additional circuits or whether an upgrade needs to happen before we can add anything new. Running circuits to specific locations requires planning the route very carefully to minimize disruption, while also meeting code requirements for wire protection and box placement. Kitchen appliances like modern ranges and built-in microwaves need their own dedicated circuits to operate safely. Home offices with multiple monitors, computers, printers, and networking equipment benefit from dedicated circuits that keep your work from being interrupted by someone running the vacuum on the same circuit. An electrical service in Sheridan for circuit additions needs to account for what's already there, and cutting corners creates problems that show up later.