Electrical Gremlins And Old Homes

Concealed conduit wiring is one of the two forms of conduit wiring (the other is surface conduit wiring). For the concealed conduit wiring, the conduits are hidden inside walls and are not visible in everyday use. Below is an overview of some of the advantages and disadvantages of using concealed conduit wiring.

Pros of Concealed Conduit

Below are some of the benefits of concealed conduit wiring.

Safe

As useful as electricity is, it can also be extremely dangerous. Electricity can kill, cause injuries, or cause serious fire outbreaks. Concealing electrical conductors reduces the risks of all these accidents. For example, a child is more likely to get into contact with a damaged surface wire than a damaged concealed wire.

Secure

Diagnosing and fixing electrical wiring and installations is not cheap. That is why you want your wiring to stay trouble-free for as long as possible—for its entire useful life if possible. Using concealed conduit wiring increases the chances of this happening. This is because the wiring is out of contact with the surrounding environment. For example, it won't be scratched by furniture, affected by spilled water, or experience accelerated wear and tear.

Aesthetically Appealing

Although electricity is useful and many people can't live without it, the wiring that comes with it is usually not that aesthetically appealing. Using concealed conduit wiring helps you keep the wires out of view so your house can stay beautiful.

Cons of Concealed Conduit

As beneficial as concealed conduit wiring can be, it does have its cons too. Here are three of these cons.

Expensive

You have to drill holes inside your walls or chisel your walls to install concealed conduit wiring. This increases the labor and time required for installing electrical wires. Increased time and labor leads to increased installation charges.

Difficult to Repair

Diagnosing faults with concealed electrical wiring is not easy because the visual inspection is not possible. Even if you know where the fault lies, you have to dig through the wall to reach the conduit. You end up spending more money to fix faults than you would with surface conduit wiring.

Difficult to Renovate

Having concealed conduit wiring complicates matters if you want to remodel, renovate, alter, or upgrade your existing wiring. This is because you have to cut into the wall every time you want to make a connection or disconnection.

Concealed conduit wiring can be good or bad, depending on your priorities. Talk to your electrician to help you choose the best form of wiring for your house, depending on what you value the most.