Your home office, den, or computer room may require more electricity than other parts of the house. The computer, cell phone, tablet, gaming system, and TV all need plugging in, but if you don't have enough outlets, you may be tempted to stack up power strips.
Many homes with old wiring will not handle that kind of demand, but you do have options. Upgrade the wiring and outlets in the room to give you all the power you need and keep you from popping breakers every time you plug something into an outlet.
Protecting your electronics from surges and electrical spikes is critical. A spike of electricity coming into your computer or another electronic device could damage or destroy the device. Surges do not just come from electrical storms but also the electrical system, allowing the surges to travel along the lines to your home.
One option is to install a surge protector in the electrical panel that will stop the incoming surge from hitting any circuit in the home. The surge protector can interrupt large power surges. Hiring a professional electrician to install this device is essential for your safety. This will also ensure it functions properly.
With older homes, the outlets often can't handle the large amount of power consumption that you want to put through them. Upgrading the outlets to ones that will is one option.
You can also add outlets that have USB (Universal Serial Bus) charging ports built into them so you will never have to look for your charger again. And if you want to protect your valuable electronics, you can get outlets that have a surge protection system built into them.
Operating several computers in the same space is fine, but the electrical circuit that feeds outlets might not be able to provide that amount of power you need. Hiring an electrician to add additional circuits to the room and split the outlets up will help. The electrician can help you decide how many circuits you need and how to lay out the room best.
Your electrician will check the service to ensure you can add more circuits, and, if not, he or she may suggest a service upgrade. The additional power available from even a small update can be just what you need.
While you pull wires for the new circuits, you can pull some CAT5 data cable as well. When the electrician puts the boxes in, have him or her install a second box at each location so that you can put two CAT5 data ports in the box.
Adding the data cables will allow you to locate your modem and router in another area and plug all your components directly into it via the new lines. This will increase the speed of your connection to the internet, allow you to build an internal network and make the room look a lot nicer by eliminating messy wiring.
With the addition of the networking cables, you could add a file server or a RAID (redundant array of independent disks) system, or link your PC and your laptop to share files.
When you need help updating your electrical wiring or outlets, turn to Palmer Electrial Inc. Working with clients in the Syracuse, NY, area and beyond, Palmer Electric Inc has been in business for nearly thirty years. We offer basic to advance electrical services to our clients and work in Syracuse and surrounding areas. Contact us to receive an estimate for your job or to discuss the services we offer.
