Electrical wiring is by no means something that we expect everyone to understand or know about. It’s a complex and all-encompassing subject that professionals are required to attend school and get an education of. While we don’t expect everyone to have a thorough understanding of how their electric wiring works or how to make any repairs if needed, there are certain things that you should know about your wiring.

Not only will knowledge on your electric wiring system be helpful in the case of any repairs needing to happen, but it can provide quite a bit of insight on your system and the overall functionality of it. For example, outdated wiring is going to provide you with different expectations on the abilities and precautions that you need to take. 

One of the phrases that you should have some knowledge of is “grounded wiring.” This is a common phrase used to describe your outlets and whether or not they are grounded. If you’re not aware of the term or what it means, keep reading. We’re going to dive into the term and what you need to know about it.

What Is Grounded Wiring?

A ground wire is an electrical wire that extends into the ground below your home. This became a part of electrical code requirements around the 1960s. That being said, you can expect most newer homes to have grounded wiring, and a majority of the older ones (unless they’ve been rewired) to have ungrounded wiring. 

Essentially, grounded wiring was created to ensure that any excess charges that came through the wiring had a place to go. When there’s too heavy of a charge that’s coming through the wiring, and something is plugged into the outlet, that charge is going to travel through the outlet and into the appliance. Needless to say, there were a lot of appliances that were damaged because of too much electricity flowing through the wiring. 

Aside from causing damage to appliances, ungrounded wires were also to blame for serious and deadly shocks. Being electrocuted was a risk that you needed to be aware of when there was ungrounded wiring in the home, and if your house has not been updated, it still is a concern to be wary of.

Importance of Knowing This

As we just finished mentioning, having ungrounded wiring can lead to an array of additional problems. From damaged appliances and electrocution to a damaged electrical system and electrical fires, there are plenty of concerns that come with. Now that you know what the meaning of a “grounded wire” is, it’s good to know what type of electrical wiring your home has. 

Depending on the year of your home, you may be able to make an educated guess. Like we said before, most modern homes will have the updated wiring in them while older homes are more likely to be ungrounded. Though this can make it a little bit easier to come to conclusions, we always suggest testing each individual outlet in your home to determine what the case of your home is. Certain devices make this a quick and easy job to complete but, if you’re nervous about doing it on your own, you can always ask your local electrician to help you out. 

Once you’ve determined the conditions of the electrical wiring in your home, you can better prepare for any situations that may arise down the road. By taking precautions such as never going over a certain amount of voltage, you can lower the chances of any serious damage happening from your older electrical wiring. Another option is to have your electrical wiring updated, which you can also talk to your local electrician about.

Shop Breaker Outlet

When it comes to finding the high-quality pieces that you need to maintain safe electrical wiring, you can find it all at Breaker Outlet. We carry a large selection of supplies ranging from electrical panels, electrical breakers, outlets, switches and more. Browse the online selection that we have and find the pieces that you’re in need of. 

If you’re not entirely sure what piece you need, reach out to our team. We have years of experience in the industry and can help you with any question or inquiry that you bring to the table. Make sure that you check out our previous blog posts as well! We cover various topics that our customers have questions about or are interested in.