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Appliance installation may seem like a simple matter of plugging in your new stove, washer or refrigerator; but, depending on the age of your home, you may need an electrician to check your outlets and circuits to make sure your wiring can handle the new load. Is your Electrical System Ready for your New Appliances? Consider this scenario. You buy your first house, a charming older home that passed inspection when you bought it. You outfit it with new appliances that the store delivers. You may get lucky with free delivery and installation, but more likely you just decide to install them yourself to save the installation fee. You proceed to plug in your new refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, washer, or dryer, and the room goes dark. You reset the breaker that was tripped, and are able to get power to the new appliance, but you notice that the products do not perform as well as you hoped. Why not? Your problem could be the electrical system in your home. You wiring could be old, could be done wrong, or could be insufficient for the task. In the past, homes had 100 amps of service coming to serve household electrical needs. Today, 200 amp service is rapidly becoming the norm. You may need more power coming to the house, a new electrical panel, or grounded outlets, but whatever the case, it's critical to understand that bad or insufficient wiring and overloaded circuitry poses a risk of fire. Even though many modern appliances consume less energy than in the past, they also have advanced electronic circuitry. Plugging them into a bad system could do irreparable damage to the appliance. While this is an extreme case, a very realistic scenario is that you find that they do not operate at full power or use energy efficiently. Appliance Installation from the Store If you request appliance installation services from the store, they will send someone qualified to do the job. While store installers are often very experienced at appliance installation, they are not fully licensed electricians. Often, they have a Residential Appliance Installer license that requires less education to obtain. They physically bring the appliance into your home and do what installation is necessary amidst filling out a myriad of paperwork for the store. They are knowledgeable enough to discern major problems with the installation, but their time and scope of responsibility is limited. What can Happen if your Electrical System isn't Up to Par Before bringing new appliances into your home, it is a sound idea to have your electrician check your wiring and even manage the installation. For some major appliances, installation requires more than just "plugging them in." Built-in dishwashers, water heaters, garbage disposals, and electric cooktops require hard wiring into your home circuitry. If the wiring is not done correctly, you can put both the new appliance and your home at risk. A licensed electrician can check your system and add the circuits and outlets you need for smooth operation of your new appliance. When you are investing in new appliances, protect your investment by calling an experienced and licensed residential electrician for safe appliance installation.
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