I’ve worked on dozens of homes near West Magnolia Blvd and Chandler Bike Path over the years. The same electrical issues keep showing up. Most of these problems trace back to one thing: age.
Magnolia Park homes have character and charm. They also have wiring that’s older than your parents. I see this every week when homeowners call about breakers that trip or lights that flicker.
Why Magnolia Park Homes Experience More Electrical Issues
Magnolia Park sits in one of Burbank’s older neighborhoods. The homes here weren’t built for modern appliances and electronics. Back then, families didn’t need power for microwaves, computers, TVs in every room, and phone chargers.
Age of Homes Built 1940–1965
Most houses in this area went up between 1940 and 1965. That’s 60 to 85 years of electrical wear. The original wiring wasn’t designed to handle today’s electrical demands.
I inspected a 1948 home near Buena Vista St last month. The owner kept blowing fuses every time she ran the dishwasher and microwave together. Her kitchen circuit couldn’t handle the load.
Outdated Panels (60A–100A)
Many Magnolia Park homes still run on 60-amp or 100-amp panels. Modern homes use 200-amp service. This creates an overloaded circuit situation almost daily for some families.
Your breaker trips because it’s doing its job. It shuts off power before wires overheat and create a fire hazard. But constant trips mean your electrical system needs an upgrade.
Aluminum Wiring in Older Streets
Some streets near Hollywood Way have aluminum wiring from the 1960s and early 70s. Aluminum expands and contracts more than copper when electricity flows through it. This movement creates loose connections over time.
Loose connections generate heat. Heat damages insulation and increases the risk of electrical fires. I always check for aluminum-to-copper transitions when I inspect older homes here.
Most Common Issues We See in Magnolia Park
Every neighborhood has patterns. Magnolia Park’s electrical issues fall into three main categories. I can usually guess the problem before I walk through the door.
Flickering Lights on West Magnolia Blvd
Homes along West Magnolia Blvd often have flickering lights. This happens when voltage drops from an overload or loose connections somewhere in the circuit.
Sometimes the bulb’s just loose or old. But if you’ve replaced the light bulb and it still flickers, call an electrician. Faulty wiring behind the fixture could be the real issue.
One customer near Chandler Park had flickering in three rooms. We found corroded wires at the main panel. The insulation had cracked from decades of heat cycles.
Overloaded Kitchen Circuits Near Hollywood Way
Kitchens near Hollywood Way weren’t designed for modern appliances. These homes typically have one or two circuits for the entire kitchen. You need at least four circuits by today’s electrical code.
When you plug in a coffee maker, toaster, and microwave on a single outlet, you’re asking for trouble. The circuit breaker will trip to protect the wiring from overheating.
I rewired a kitchen last year where the homeowner couldn’t use two appliances at once. We added three new circuits and installed GFCI outlets. She hasn’t had a single issue since.
Faulty Outlets in Older Single-Family Homes
Two-prong outlets are still common in Magnolia Park single-family homes. These outlets don’t have grounding, which protects you from electrical shocks and reduces fire risk.
Outlets that feel warm, spark when you plug something in, or don’t hold plugs tight need immediate attention. These are serious electrical problems that can cause electrocution or start a fire.
I replaced 14 outlets in a 1952 home last month. Half of them had charred wiring inside the wall. The homeowner had no idea there was a fire hazard behind every outlet cover.
Repair Examples From Real Burbank Customers
Real cases tell the story better than theory. Here are two jobs I completed in Magnolia Park this year.
“Home Near Chandler Bike Path” Case
A family called me because their bathroom and kitchen outlets stopped working. Their circuit breaker kept tripping every morning when they made breakfast.
I found an overloaded circuit feeding both rooms plus the garage. The previous owner had added outlets without upgrading the circuit capacity. This is a common problem in california homes from this era.
We split the load across three circuits. We also added ground fault circuit interrupter protection in wet areas. The inspection passed, and they haven’t called me back.
“1948 Home Near Buena Vista St” Panel Upgrade
This home had a 60-amp fuse box that was a blown fuse away from being a serious fire risk. The wood framing near the panel showed heat damage.
We upgraded to a 200-amp breaker panel with proper grounding and bonding. The project took two days. We also rewired the main service line from the street.
The homeowner’s electric bills actually dropped after the upgrade. Old, inefficient wiring wastes power as heat. Modern wiring delivers electricity more efficiently.
Recommended Fixes for Magnolia Park Homes
You can’t turn back time on your home’s age. But you can update the electrical wiring and components. These three fixes solve most common electrical issues here.
Panel Upgrade
Upgrading from a 60-amp or 100-amp panel to 200-amp service gives you room for modern electrical demands. This single change prevents most breaker trips and reduces fire hazards.
A licensed electrician needs about 6-8 hours for a standard panel replacement. We shut off power at the street, swap the panel, and reset all your circuits.
Grounding + Bonding
Proper grounding protects you from electrical shocks and helps prevent ground faults. Many Magnolia Park homes have partial or missing ground connections.
We add a grounding rod outside and bond all metal components. This creates a safe path for fault current to flow. It’s required by current safety standards.
Aluminum-to-Copper Transition
If your home has aluminum wiring, we install special connectors where aluminum meets copper. These connections prevent loose joints that overheat.
Some homes need complete rewiring if the aluminum insulation is cracked or damaged. A professional electrician can inspect your wiring and tell you what you need.
Need help with electrical problems in your Magnolia Park home? Contact a licensed electrician who knows these older homes. We’ve fixed hundreds of common electrical issues in Burbank’s historic neighborhoods.
Don’t wait until you smell burning plastic or see sparks. Many appliances plugged into outdated wiring create potential fire hazards every day. Time to call an electrician before a small issue turns into a big repair.