Why You Don’t Want Hidden Junction Boxes In Your Home.
A consistent problem homeowners have to deal with when it comes to electrical is loss of power. Electrical systems have a lifespan like any other system and as time goes on things begin to break down. Yes, this is easy to imagine when it comes to how many times you plug in small appliances to a receptacle, or how many times you flip a switch, but it goes even further.
The connections inside each one of the home’s electrical boxes, believe it or not, move. As the house shifts, doors slam, the floor is stomped, all those wired connections vibrate and begin to move around. Every connection is a possible issue. That’s why the National Electric Code states:
|All connections be inside a rated box. All boxes be readily accessible.|
What does this mean?
First, every splice needs to be in a box for a reason. Electrical boxes have a fire rating and have a cover to keep the potential spark/fire from leaving containment.
Next, we need to be sure all boxes can be visibly seen and opened easily for repairs to be made. If a loose connection occurred inside a box and began to slowly melt the cover, would you not want the ability to see this happening and be able to address the issue before something worse happened?
The main cause of hidden junction boxes we have found, come from two straight forward sources.
Ignorance. Usually from a homeowner or their relative who considers themselves handy and thinks saving money on home improvements is safe and simple. Heck, what could go wrong. Were selling it next year anyway right?
Cheap/Lazy Contractors. I couldn’t tell you how many times we have come in behind a remodeler in someone’s home only to find they literally just sheet rocked over all the old electrical boxes and then tried to run wiring themselves.
Usually telling them something to the effect of, “we do wiring all the time, its easy” or “my brothers an electrician, I’ve wired lots of stuff.” If they cannot physically show you an electrical license, DO NOT let them touch your electrical system. In the same way you would not call an electrician to hang your sheet rock, or a painter to roof your house.
So, in conclusion the easiest way to avoid these types of emergencies from happening all together is to know which trade should be working on or around each utility of your home. Do your homework and vet each company before you call and don’t be afraid to ask for their insurance or licensing documentation.
If you have simple questions don’t hesitate to call someone. We answer questions over the phone all the time at no cost. Also, just like grandma always says, “you get what you pay for.” If you want something done, have it done right. The costly repairs and headache of fixing poor quality is much higher than the front-end cost of a top notch contractor.
