Electrical fires accounted for 13% of home fires between 2015 and 2019, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. Aging electrical wiring, lighting, and overloading circuits are just a few ways electrical fires can start.
Electrical wiring that has aged or has had a lot of wear and tear can lead to arcing, resulting in fire. Appliances that are newer can put a greater demand on older electrical systems and cause stress on the circuits.
This is true of appliances or electrical items that are all running on the same circuit, causing them to overload.
In the winter months, portable heaters can be a fire hazard. Portable heaters that are plugged into extension cords, can easily overheat the cord and result in a fire. Space heaters should be plugged directly into the wall. Nothing else should be plugged into the same outlet as the heater so the circuit is not overloaded or stressed.
Consistently blowing fuses, hot electrical outlets, lights flickering, buzzing and odd odors can all be signs of electrical issues. These can all result in an electrical fire if they are not dealt with by a professional. This is Asher’s story from College Park, Maryland.
Asher’s Story
Asher is a 53-year-old registered nurse in College Park, MD. He has lived in his current home for the last 30 years but really wants to save for something smaller. Recently Asher has noticed when he comes home from work a weird smell around his stove. Since he has been working the night shift the last few weeks, he chalked it up to just being tired or something he had not cleaned up yet.
He had also noticed that several of the outlets in the kitchen had stopped working. After his nap, Asher checked the fuse box and found that several of the fuses had blown. The house being older, Asher replaced the fuses and didn’t really think about why they had blown.
One morning when Asher arrived home from work, he decided to make some food. When he turned around and grabbed the skillet handle, it sent a shock through him. Stunned Asher let go and turned the skillet off. He put a potholder on the handle and moved it to another burner.
He thought maybe he was shuffling his feet because he was tired and the static electricity had caused the shock. Asher started to reheat his food again. He turned around long enough to put something in the sink when he heard a loud pop and smelled melting plastic. When he turned around the stove was in flames. Quickly he grabbed the fire extinguisher. When the fire was out, Asher went to unplug the stove but the whole outlet had melted. Instead, he went to the breaker box and pulled the fuse for the stove. Immediately Asher called an electrician to assess what needed to be done.
The Inspection
The electrician came to inspect the stove and wiring the next afternoon. Asher explained what happened with the pan and then the stove in flames. The electrician began to check the wiring and the breaker box. Asher told him about the funny smell he had noticed coming from the kitchen area. The electrician found that the load on the aging wring from the stove had just been too much. It caused the wiring to arc, the outlet to overheat, and led to the fire starting,
The electrician asked Asher some questions to see if there had been anything else odd going on. Asher mentioned the flickering lights and numerous blown fuses that he had recently noticed. After further examination, the electrician recommended to Asher that he needed to get the entire house rewired. Since the house was over 30 years old, the wiring needed to be completely upgraded to be able to handle the electrical load in the house.
Asher decided to do some more research online. The cost to rewire the house was going to cost up to $20,000. He would also have to relocate while the rewiring was being done and look at purchasing a new stove.
The Solution
Asher was starting to feel overwhelmed. These were not the repairs he was thinking he would need to do so soon. He decided to research and see what solutions online he could find that would help.
While researching, Asher came across Akin Developers. He saw that Akin offers a no-cost, no-obligation offer for homes in almost any condition. Asher decided to reach out to us and see if Akin could help him. After his initial phone conversation, we set up a meeting to take a look at his home. We met with Asher and after inspecting his home, we offered a fair price for the home in its current condition, which Asher accepted. Asher’s house closed in about 14 days. He was able to take the money from the sale and find a smaller house that better fit his needs.
Conclusion
Faulty wiring can be hard to see in your walls or appliances. If you notice sparking, constant blown fuses or you are getting shocked by your appliances, it’s time to call an electrician. If you notice something unusual going on with your lights, odd odors or you need to unplug one appliance to use another, these are all signs you have a wiring problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. These are only a few signs of faulty wiring. If your house is over 25 years old, it’s a good idea to have your wiring checked.
Should you find yourself in Asher’s situation and need to sell your home quickly for cash-whether with fire damage, electrical issues, structural damage, distress, or in perfect condition-contact us here at Akin Developers and see what we can do for you too.
