How Old Is Too Old For Electrical Wiring?

Perhaps your Home Inspector just told you the electrical panel needed replacement! 

But does it really need replacement, and why?

Well there may be several reasons why a Home Inspector would have stated that, and really it is difficult to cover each situation.  I already wrote a blog earlier on breakers versus fuses, and some may recommend replacement on the fact that fuses are in place versus breakers.

But there are other reasons.

Across America each year there is over $1.5 billion dollars in damage and close to 500 deaths due to electrical fires.  Now some of these could have been prevented, but others may be due to the wiring conditions of the home.

In fact many of these fires occur in homes built before 1970, which is a large percentage of homes in America, and also before many of our existing electrical codes were in place.  Now a Home Inspection is not a code inspection, and the Home Inspector likely never mentioned the word "code", but may have mentioned safety.

 First and foremost, we tend to put a lot more demand on our electrical system in homes today than was done pre-1970.  In fact many homes across the nation at that time did not have dishwashers, electric clothes dryers or air conditioners installed.  All items we consider part of normal conveniences today.

This means that one of the reasons for recommendations may simply be the demand on the electrical system due to our modern conveniences and lifestyle.

However there are other items of safety in place today that one should consider, some of which do not need a new service panel.  

The first I will mention is the GFCI or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter.  This one has been with us since the very early 1970s and is well know to us all today.  

A ground fault is an unintentional electrical path between a power source and a ground surface, essentially electricity following an path which does not lead back to the receptacle from which it flowed.

Ground fault circuit interrupters are designed to detect this flow and interrupt the circuit at a very low level, one low enough in fact that ventricular fibrillation does not occur.  If GFCIs were installed in all older homes, it is suggested that approximately 70% or around 400 electrocutions in homes each year would be prevented.  This is a simply $15 or $20 fix, that many home owners can do themselves and does not require panel replacement.  In fact a GFCI will even function properly on a two wire circuit (the receptacles without a ground conductor - although the GFCI should be labeled as not having ground).  These are particularly important in areas where a person can reach basins, sinks or outdoors, where the potential for electrocution is greater if contact with an energized source were to occur.

The next I will mention is the AFCI or Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that the use of AFCIs would prevent half of all electrical fires that occur every year.  

An arc fault is caused by damaged or overheated wiring or devices in the home.  The AFCI detects these faults, which a normal breaker can not, and will open the circuit.  If a person has an AFCI tripping often, it may be wise to have the home checked by a licensed electrician.  Originally AFCIs were recommended for use in only bedrooms, but this has been expanded to cover every room in the home.  While AFCIs can be added at the receptacle, if the intent is to replace large numbers it is more cost effective to add an AFCI breaker.  (note I said breaker - so if a fuse panel is in place this is not an option without panel upgrade)

As the number of electrical fires increases with age, and the probability of a fire in an older home with aging wiring systems is higher, these older homes can especially benefit from the added protection offered by an AFCI.

It should be noted that there are also combination protection AFCI / GFCI breakers and receptacles available.

 While not related to panel replacement, perhaps worth noting are tamper resistant outlets.  Every day approximately seven children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries caused by the insertion of an object into an electrical outlet.  When our children were young, we used plastic caps that could be inserted blocking the holes, while these offered some protection experts indicated these can also be a choking hazard.  Studies also concluded that children of ages 2 to 4 could actually remove these devices from outlets in as little as ten seconds!

However, these injuries can be easily prevented by the use of modern tamper resistant receptacles.  These are the newer receptacles with built in cover plates or internal shutters that open only with pressure equally applied to each side simultaneously.  This prevents insertion of paper clips or other small foreign objects.

And of course there may also be the dreaded aluminum wire present.  There were perhaps 2 million homes built or renovated in the time-frame between the late 1960s and mid-1970s which have aluminum wiring installed.   Having begun my career in the electrical trade in the 1970s, I know well about aluminum wire and the potential pitfalls. 

So is all aluminum bad, well the earlier aluminum wire alloy made it far more problematic and the later alloys, but all got the same negative response today, primarily because it is difficult to tell the two apart.  Later aluminum wire, if installed properly is actually as safe as copper wire.  Having said that, a study indicated that homes built before 1972 (with the earlier alloy wire) were 55 times more likely to have one or more connections reach a "Fire Hazard Condition" than homes wired with copper.  While homes with aluminum wire most likely need work done in the panel, and possibly a panel replacement, there is work elsewhere in the home that may be required as well.

What about circuit breakers themselves?  Yes all is not necessarily good even if the existing panel is a breaker panel!  Fact is pretty much everything in our world has a lifespan, including us!  So do breakers.

I mentioned this in the article on breakers versus fuses as well, but worth mentioning again.  A circuit breaker that is tripped frequently is more likely to fail earlier than others in same panel.  On the other hand, manufactures do recommend manually turning on and off on regular basis, perhaps once a year.  Even at that the NACHI chart indicates that GFCI and AFCI breakers have a lifespan of around 30 years and a report prepared for the US Consumer Product Safety Commission indicates that all breakers, including GFCI and AFCI, have a lifespan of 30 to 40 years.   Regardless I have never seen any estimate on breaker lifespan greater than 40 years anywhere  Bottom line is any breakers which have been in place before around 1980 are at or nearing end of expected lifespan.  Does it mean the breaker will not work, not necessarily so.  However, breakers have been known to fail, and the likelihood of failure increase with age.  Therefore the lifespan recommendation for replacement from all manufactures as well as the government agencies, your life is more important that the cost of a circuit breaker replacement!

Finally, and getting back to the panel.  There were a few panels, and a few breakers as well over the years which have been recommended for replacement regardless of age.  These included some well known names such as Zinsco or StabLoc, which you may have heard in past reports.  

Finally, all panels do have a lifetime or lifespan, according the the chart provided by NACHI this life expectancy is 60 years.  However, lifespan of panel can vary based upon the actual panel itself as well as the location of installation.  Panel life can be shortened significantly in a damp or corrosive location.  

Even the panel itself can impact lifespan, many manufacturers offer two panel grades, one low cost and one premium version.  The lower cost, often offered by big-box stores will carry a 10 year warranty.  The higher cost one often has a lifetime warranty.

Bottom line, sometimes electrical work needs to be done to remain safe.  Do not be an alarmist, but do inform others when legitimate risk is present and ensure you let them know the level of risk as well.  Some risk may be acceptable to some people and not to others, but they do need to be aware of the risk.  We do not have many tamper proof receptacles as an example, but neither do we have small children running around our home.  I have installed some GFCI receptacles in areas at highest risk, but not all in home are AFCI or GFCI.  It is really about understanding and managing the risks, ensuring the highest risks are taken care of.  I trust your Home Inspector is qualified and is communicating well the risk as well as level of risk which informs you while not necessarily causing undue alarm.