Your home's electricity doesn't need to fail altogether for the house to need the services of an electrician; as a matter of fact, it's good to call an electrician before the power goes out or there are signs of electrical damage in order to avoid the risk of electrical fire. Note when you want to call a contractor to your home for residential electrical services and why this can be important for your home's electrical safety.

1. Your breaker box is more than a few decades old

The breaker box, also called the circuit box or service panel, can get rusted over time, and the lettering that identifies each circuit can fade from their labels. In turn, you may not be able to properly switch off certain circuits as needed; the rust and other damage this box suffers as it ages can also mean that those switches don't move as easily when there is a surge of power, and they won't stop that surge as needed. That can be very dangerous, allowing for more power and electricity to flow through the lines than is safe. If you know that the breaker box is especially aged, have an electrician test it for its overall condition and replace it if needed.

2. You need more outlets

If your home needs more outlets, don't assume that you can or should just keep stringing extension cords across rooms; this is dangerous for the items plugged in and can cause a tripping hazard. You may also be overloading an outlet without realizing it, and this can be a fire hazard. Rather than relying on cords and multi-outlet plugs, have an electrician add some outlets in your home where needed.

3. Your home hasn't passed an inspection

If you've planned on doing some renovation or remodelling work and your home didn't pass its electrical inspection, you want to call an electrician even if you've scrapped those renovation plans. This is because electrical wiring that is not up to local building codes can be a hazard; those codes exist to ensure that your home is safe from the risk of electrical fires. If your home is not compliant with these codes, you want that matter addressed. An electrician can update your wiring as needed, cap off exposed wiring, remove wiring that isn't connected to anything, or otherwise correct problems that have caused your home to fail this inspection, so you know you're safe no matter your plans for renovation work.