"Old Electrical" in a home

mobile home university
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I have a mid-80s home that I’m planning on selling when the current tenants move out. I have to have an electrician out 2-3 times a year because it will lose electricity to a room or to a side of a room. They’ll replace a switch or an outlet and it works again until the next time. I don’t think they have had to replace the same switch or outlet yet. I tried to pin the electricians down today on “why” or how we could not be doing this all the time, and he said the electrical gets old. What?

I had some previous tenants in this unit that were cold all the time. So they had spaceheaters which I now consider the great evil and they are prohibited in the lease. (I think they were prohibited in those people’s lease too, but anyway). Did spaceheaters damage the electrical? Or does it truly get old? I sort of have a theory that a lot of people in a unit… specifically kids with a bunch of electronics… pushes the limits of it and causes problems.

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I know very little about this subject but I would call a different electrician to take a look at the home. Electrical fires can and do happen - better to be on the safe side here.

1 Like
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Electrical systems past knob and tube and paper insulation does not get “old”, although older aluminum wiring can have some problems.

In my very ancient past, I was a licensed electrician.

You need as Noel_S wrote, a different electrician. ASAP

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plugs and switches ware out just like everything else , most generally the wiring is good .when rehabbing a trailer for sale or rent , if we find worn plugs or switches we go ahead and replace all of them at that time . if you come across aluminum wiring make sure you us the proper updated wiring code it is very important .