IS YOUR HOME A SILENT FIRE HAZARD? The Truth About Stabilizers and Old Wiring

A must-read for every Pakistani household ( this could save your family's life)

Author Name:  Kashaf Mashood Siddiqui  

Empower Gen, Research Team.

Department of Electrical Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology 

How many stabilizers do you have at home? One? Two? Three?

And the wiring in your house when was the last time anyone looked at it? 10 years ago? 20?

It might sound simple, but it's something that silently puts thousands of Pakistani homes at risk every single day; electrical fires, damaged appliances, and worse. 

Let's talk about it.

Pakistan's Electricity Problem Is a Safety Problem:

Pakistanis have always dealt with voltage going up and down, load shedding knocking out power for hours. It's just part of life here. That's exactly why almost every home has a stabilizer: to protect the AC, fridge, and TV from unpredictable electricity.

But here's the thing most people don't realize: a bad stabilizer doesn't protect you, it becomes the danger.

🔴  Over 60% of house fires in Pakistan are caused by electrical faults (NDMA data).

🔴  Voltage swings of 160V to 260V in a single day are common in many areas (NEPRA).

🔴  Hundreds of homes in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi burn down every year from short circuits.

                       [this image shows the mapping scale of flood damage in pakistan]

Three Stabilizer Mistakes That Put Your Home at Risk:

1. Buying the Cheapest Option

There's nothing wrong with saving money but electrical equipment is not the place to cut corners. A 1,500 rupees unbranded stabilizer is usually just a basic relay and a transformer with zero protection built in. When a power surge hits, it won't stop it. Under heavy load, it can literally catch fire.

📊  More than 40% of stabilizers sold in Pakistan don't have PSQCA (quality authority) certification.

2. Using the Wrong Size

Every stabilizer has a VA rating think of it as its weight limit. A 1.5-ton AC needs at minimum a 2000VA stabilizer. If you've plugged it into a 1000VA one, you're overloading it every single time you turn the AC on. Over time, that leads to overheating and eventually, a breakdown or fire.

Rule of thumb: always buy a stabilizer rated 20–30% higher than your appliance's actual power draw.

3. Holding Onto an Old Stabilizer

That stabilizer you've had for 12 years? The internal components wear out over time capacitors degrade, connections loosen. An old, failing stabilizer is more dangerous than having no stabilizer at all. If yours is more than 7–8 years old, it's time for a replacement. 

                                  [this image is taken from stock cake]

The Bigger Danger: Your Home's Old Wiring

Stabilizers get all the attention, but the real silent killer is the wiring inside your walls. Most homes in Pakistan were built in the 1970s, 80s, or 90s. The wiring installed back then had a lifespan of about 25–30 years. If your home is older than that and the wiring has never been replaced; you're sitting on a ticking clock.

📊  45% of reported house fires in Pakistan are directly caused by faulty wiring (NDMA).

📊  A 2022 LDA survey found 70% of older homes in Lahore's inner city had not upgraded their wiring in over 20 years.

Here's what happens: the plastic coating on old wires becomes brittle and cracks over time, exposing bare wire inside your walls. Meanwhile, today's homes run far more appliances than those wires were ever designed for AC, fridge, washing machine, geyser, microwave, multiple TVs. The wiring heats up under that load, and one night, it starts a fire inside the wall where no one can see it.  

                                    [The image shows faulty/broken wires]

A Real Story From Karachi (2023)

A middle class family in PECHS woke up to smoke coming from their wall. The power had gone out and come back, a normal occurrence. But their old wiring had melted inside the wall. No stabilizer could have prevented it, because the problem wasn't the appliance. It was the wiring itself.

Your Home Safety Checklist, Do This Today!!

You don't need to be an electrician to take basic steps right now:

• 1) Check your stabilizers. If any is older than 8 years, replace it.

• 2) Look at your sockets and switches, any black marks, cracks, or looseness? Call an electrician immediately.

• 3) Press the test button on your main circuit breaker to make sure it's working.

• 4) Keep a fire extinguisher at home. It costs Rs. 2,000–3,000 and is well worth it.

• 5) Before sleeping, check that no stabilizer is unusually hot or blinking oddly.

• 6) If your home is 20+ years old and the wiring has never been replaced, book a certified electrician for an inspection, it costs Rs. 2,000–5,000. A small price for years of safety.

How to Buy the Right Stabilizer:

If you're in the market for a new one, keep these points in mind:

• Stick to trusted brands i.e. Pak Fan, Orient, Kenwood, Homage, ABB. Avoid anything unbranded.

• Match the VA rating: 1-ton AC needs at least 1500VA. 1.5-ton needs at least 2000VA.

• Get one with a digital display so you can see the live voltage.

• Make sure it has a time delay feature, this protects your appliances when power comes back on.

• Always check for at least a 2-year warranty.

A branded 1500VA stabilizer costs Rs. 4,000–8,000. Your AC costs far more to replace. Your home costs far more than that. Choose safe over cheap.

The Bottom Line:

Stabilizers and home wiring aren't the most exciting things to think about. But they are some of the most important. A few hundred or a few thousand rupees, and a single afternoon of attention, can protect your home, your belongings, and the people inside it.

Don't wait for something to go wrong. Check today.

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If today's article made you think twice about your home's electrical setup you're not alone. That's exactly why EmpowerGen exists.

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References:

[1]  National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Pakistan — Annual Hazard & Disaster Reports

[2]  National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) — State of Industry Report

[3]  Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) — Certified Products Registry

[4]  Lahore Development Authority (LDA) — Urban Infrastructure Survey 2022

[5]  NEPRA — Consumer Protection and Voltage Regulation Guidelines

Note: Some source pages may require navigation within the respective official portals. The data referenced reflects reports published between 2020 and 2023.