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Posted by volts500 on March 17, 2007, 9:06 pm
On Mar 17, 2:59 pm, business...@nomail.com wrote:
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> >business...@nomail.com wrote:
> >> On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 22:39:09 -0400, "MiamiCuse"
>
> >>>I had an electrican inspect an old house I bought and he said the wirings
> >>>and everything are fine and great. But many of the outlets and switches are
> >>>getting flaky and sometimes the switches don't work. We decided to replace
> >>>all outlets and switches. He told me to be on the safe side I should get 20
> >>>amps switches and outlets.
>
> >>>I went to Home Depot and found the normal 15 amp switches are $0.89 a piece,
> >>>the 20 amp switches are $5.89 a piece. Big difference. I counted that I
> >>>need about 70 outlets and 45 switches so this adds up. Plus 3 way 20 amp
> >>>switches are even more expensive!
>
> >>>I called him and he said if I have outlets I might plug in a saw or vaccum
> >>>cleaner than I should get 20 amps if it's a desk lamp 15 amp is enough. So
> >>>what is the basis for determining this if I have these switches:
>
> >>>For activating garage door openers.
> >>>For plugging in a central vac system.
> >>>For high hat lights (10 of them with one switch)
> >>>For high hat lights (a single one)
> >>>For outdoor dusk light
> >>>For a series of 5 florescent tube lights
> >>>For ceiling fan that has a light attachment
> >>>For a hallway a set of two high hat light
>
> >>>Can I use some 15 amps and some 20 amps, would really like to avoid the
> >>>expensive one if not really necessary.
>
> >>>Thanks,
>
> >>>MC
>
> >> You're being robbed......
> >> If you have a few outlets where the plugs seem loose and fall out,
> >> replace THOSE. If you have swithces that make the light flicker and
> >> pop internally when turned on, replace them. Leave the others until
> >> they are needed. You only need 20A ones on 20A circuits for large
> >> appliances, such as the kitchen.
>
> >It might be possible that ALL old outlets and switches are due for
> >replacement. that is the case in my house.
>
> How do you know they ALL need replacement?
>
> If you are talking about visual appearance, they might need
> replacement for cosmetic reasons. If you are talking wear and tear,
> there is no way they all need replacement, because there are outlets
> in every home that never or seldom get used. Why replace what is not
> broke? If for some reason the outlets are all bad, possibly because
> they were installed 100 years ago, then the wiring also needs to be
> replaced. The only time I can see where it would be needed to replace
> ALL outlets is when a home is completely rewired, or when it's done
> for cosmetic reasons such as during a complete house remodel job.
> Otherwise, replace the ones that are used regularly, such as the
> kitchen counter, bathroom outlet where the shaver, hair dryer, etc are
> always plugged and unplugged, and maybe a few others where things are
> regularly plugged and unplugged such as the ones used for the vacuum
> cleaner, and those used for a workshop. Outlets dont wear out just
> because a lamp is plugged in a couple times a year when cleaning the
> house. Switches on the other hand take more abuse and wear out more
> than outlets. But there too, they wear at different rates. The
> bathroom, bedrooms, and kitchen lights are likely used often, but the
> switch for the seldom used walkin closet or attic are probably fine.
>
> I think this electrician is just trying to generate work for himself.
> The OP would be better off having the kitchen and bathroom outlets
> changed ONLY, or to really save some money, change them himself, one
> room at a time, starting with the kitchen and bathroom. Personally I
> dont understand why anyone would do any of this. Change them one at a
> time when they get bad. In other words, dont fix what isn't broke.
> He should replace all those that are worn now, and deal with the
> others as needed in the future.
I guess it's just how one looks at it. As an electrician, when
someone calls me to inspect their wiring, in such cases as the OP, as
soon as I see things that the OP described (it only takes 5 minutes to
make this determination), I recommend replacing all the switches and
receptacles simply because it going to _save_ him money. The only
real way to provide a _thorough_ inspection is to pull all of the
devices. If one is going to do that, one may as well replace them
while he's at it. An experienced and knowledgable person can also
find improper wiring, incorrect grounding, outlets that should have
add-a-depths installed, overheated connections, check splices, etc.
It's not out of the DIY realm, though.
Additionally, done correctly, along with a check of the main panel for
correct wiring, system grounding, loose connections, and exercising
the breakers, it should make for a trouble free system for at least 10
more years. Slap a one year warranty on the work, and what else do
you want?
I have done this for many people, and I almost invariably always find
at least one receptacle, if not 3 or 4 that most definitely needed to
be replaced, all which could not have been detected without pulling
the device. Remember that in residential electrical one bad device
usually effects more than just that device. It only takes an
experienced person a days work to complete the job on average size
houses. Sure beats calling an electrician everytime there's a
problem. Most electric contractors will charge you $50 or more just
to knock on the door.
Electric systems should be exempted from "If it ain't broke, don't fix
it." How many house fires do you see do to "faulty" wiring? I'm
sorry that you feel that an electrician is trying to rip someone off
by recommending changing all the devices and thoroughly inspect the
wiring. It's an effective and inexpensive job that is much cheaper
than re-wirng the house and upgrading the service, yet does provide
some confidence in the wiring.
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