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If you’ve owned a home in Fort Myers for any length of time, you already know how fast the Florida climate can wear things down — roofs, AC units, stucco, paint, you name it. But there’s one system that hides its age a little too well: the electrical.
We’ve been in crawl spaces, attics, and breaker rooms all over Lee County, and trust us — we’ve seen just about every electrical issue you can imagine. From panels that should’ve been retired in the ‘80s to wires held together with tape and prayer, it’s all out there.
So today, we’re breaking down the Top 10 electrical defects we find most often in Fort Myers homes — what they look like, why they matter, and what you can do about them before they become a bigger (and more expensive) problem.
Let’s start with the big one.
Old or unsafe panels are at the top of nearly every inspection report we see.
The most notorious names around here are Federal Pacific Electric (FPE), Zinsco, and Challenger. These panels were common in homes built between the 1960s and 1980s, and they’ve earned a bad reputation for a reason — their breakers don’t always trip when they should.
That means when there’s an overload or short, the system can overheat instead of shutting down, creating a serious fire risk.
We still see them all over Fort Myers, especially in older neighborhoods near McGregor, Whiskey Creek, and parts of Cape Coral.
What to do: If you’ve got one of these brands, it’s time to replace it. A modern, properly rated panel is safer, more efficient, and gives your insurance company one less reason to raise an eyebrow.
In the late 1960s and ‘70s, copper prices shot up, so builders started using aluminum wiring in branch circuits. It seemed fine at the time — until electricians realized aluminum expands and contracts with heat, loosening connections and causing arcing (tiny, dangerous sparks inside outlets).
We still find homes all over Fort Myers wired with aluminum, especially in older subdivisions and mid-century ranch houses.
What to do: You don’t always need a full rewire. We often use a process called pigtailing, where we connect copper leads to the aluminum ends using approved connectors. It’s safe, affordable, and passes insurance requirements when done correctly.
If your home’s near the water, has a pool, or even just a bathroom — you need GFCI protection.
A Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) shuts power off instantly when it detects a fault, like current leaking through water or a person. It’s what keeps you from getting shocked when you drop a hair dryer in the sink.
We constantly see outdoor outlets, kitchens, and garages without GFCI protection — or worse, outlets that look like GFCIs but aren’t wired correctly.
What to do: Replace any standard outlets near moisture or outdoors with GFCI outlets. We can usually upgrade a whole house’s protection in a couple of hours.
This one’s more common than you’d think.
A double-tap happens when two wires are jammed into a single breaker slot that’s only rated for one. It’s usually a DIY “shortcut” when someone adds a circuit and doesn’t have room in the panel.
The problem? Those wires can loosen or overheat.
What to do: We fix this all the time by adding a proper breaker or installing a subpanel if the main box is full. It’s a simple fix — but one that makes a big difference in safety.
If you still see two-prong outlets in your home, that means no ground wire — and no protection from stray current or surges.
We see a lot of this in 1950s–1970s homes around Fort Myers that haven’t been fully updated. Even if the outlets look new, they’re sometimes just “faux-grounded,” where a three-prong outlet was installed without actually adding the grounding wire.
What to do: Rewire the affected circuits with grounded cable or install GFCIs for added protection. Don’t trust that third hole unless you know it’s actually grounded.
One of the most dangerous things we find inside panels and outlets is loose connections — wires barely hanging onto terminals, or multiple conductors twisted together under a single screw.
These spots create resistance, and resistance creates heat. That’s how electrical fires start.
It’s especially common in older homes that have seen multiple remodels, with different contractors “adding on” to the system without checking the existing load.
What to do: Have a licensed electrician tighten and torque-check your panel connections and inspect outlets for looseness. It’s part of our standard safety service.
We love a homeowner who’s handy, but electricity isn’t the place to cut corners.
We’ve seen it all — extension cords buried in drywall, open junction boxes, and even Romex cable stapled to fence posts. Sometimes folks mean well, but one unpermitted project can throw your whole electrical system out of code and jeopardize insurance coverage.
What to do: If you’ve moved into a home that’s been “updated” by a previous owner, get an inspection. We can tell right away which work was permitted and which wasn’t.
This one sounds small, but it’s a common find — especially in attics or garages.
Any time wires are spliced together, they’re supposed to be contained in a junction box with a cover. When that cover’s missing, those connections are exposed to dust, moisture, and accidental contact.
What to do: Replace the missing covers immediately. It’s a cheap fix but an important one.
We find a lot of older homes where the wiring for ceiling fans or light fixtures isn’t up to current standards.
Fans installed before the 1990s often used non-fan-rated boxes, meaning they’re not designed to hold that extra weight or vibration. Over time, that can loosen connections or even pull the fixture down.
What to do: Make sure any ceiling fan is mounted to a fan-rated electrical box, not just a standard lighting box. It’s a simple upgrade that keeps everything secure and up to code.
Fort Myers storms are no joke. Lightning strikes, grid surges, and utility fluctuations can fry appliances in a split second.
We still see homes relying only on power strip surge protectors — which are fine for small electronics but won’t protect your HVAC, refrigerator, or generator transfer switch.
What to do: Add a whole-home surge protector at your main panel. It’s a one-time install that shields everything inside from power spikes.
If you’re anywhere near the Caloosahatchee or the beach, salt air is working against your electrical system. It corrodes connections, rusts screws, and even eats away at panel components.
We always recommend annual maintenance for coastal homes — tightening connections, cleaning corrosion, and testing breakers. It’s simple, cheap insurance against bigger problems.
Electrical defects aren’t always obvious until they cause trouble — and by then, you’re looking at repairs that could’ve been avoided with a simple inspection.
We’ve seen Fort Myers homes pass every visual test, only to find serious issues once we opened up the panel. On the flip side, we’ve also seen homeowners catch small defects early, fix them right, and never worry again.
If you’re buying, selling, or just haven’t had your home checked in a while, it’s worth taking a closer look.
👉 Call Coharbor Electric today to schedule a full home electrical inspection. We’ll identify potential defects, explain what’s urgent (and what’s not), and make sure your home’s wiring is safe, up to code, and ready for Florida weather.
We make electrical safety simple, practical, and built for Fort Myers homes that have stood the test of time.
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At Coharbor Electric, this is what to expect when entrusting us with fixing your electrical issues.
The first step is to get all the information we will need so that we can correctly assess the problem or situation. The photos or videos you send will be sent directly to the electrician.
Once our electrician has the info he needs, we will dispatch one in the next available spot–armed with expertise, equipment, and the parts he’ll most likely need.
Our Promise is to to You is to perform the job completely, efficiently, and to the Florida electrical code standards. We are committed to fair and honest pricing.
We offer flat rate pricing for service calls, so you always know the price up front. Simple to understand. Flat-rate fixed price so you can be confident you’ll get what paid for.
As a Florida homeowner, you have an endless list of choices for electrical contractors to hire…some great, some good, some bad.
At Coharbor Electric, our benchmark is to be “great”. If you decide to hire us for your electrical service, here’s what you can expect from our electricians:
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