Your home’s electrical system is by far one of the most important and one of the most dangerous components within your home. If your wiring is solid, you won’t have any glitches or power surges to worry about. However, if your home’s wiring is old or otherwise compromised, you could be opening yourself up to the risk of sparking an electrical fire. That’s why it’s vitally important to know the common signs of electrical problems and what the root causes may be.
Here are the top 7 home electrical problems to watch out for.
Frequent power surges.
Generally, you may experience a power surge during a thunderstorm from lightning that may strike the ground or may occur in the clouds. These intense natural electrical occurrences can send large amounts of electrical energy into your home. You can protect your home from these infrequent surges with a reliable and high quality surge protector. However, if you are experiencing power surges outside of thunderstorms, then there could be faulty wiring to blame.
Light dimming.
Also referred to as sags and dips, you’ll recognize these because the lights may dim without going out all the way and then after a few seconds return to their regular bright light. This is as a result of either a faulty appliance or an overloaded circuit. If you can find the culprit, simply move it to another outlet or try unplugging unused appliances.
Overloaded circuit.
Notice that when the microwave is running, the TV turns off. Or when you run the vacuum cleaner, half of the lights on one half of your house go out? Chances are good you have overloaded circuits, meaning you’re running too many electrical devices at once. The quickest fix is to unplug unused appliances, when possible. If you aren’t careful, an overloaded circuit can and often does spark electrical fires.
Too many extension cords.
This may seem like an odd “electrical problem” especially because many people use extension cords to solve the problem of not having enough outlets. However, extension cords are only made to be used for temporary purposes and should never be used to permanently supply electricity to appliances or electrical devices. If you find that you are overusing extension cords, then it is time to contract with an electrician to get more outlets installed in your home.
Use Caution
While dimming lights may single an overloaded circuit, flickering lights are likely due to faulty or frayed wiring.
Overcircuited panel.
How many things are being powered in your home using the same circuit? When too many appliances are reliant on one circuit, you’ll notice frequent circuit breaks. If this happens, you’ll want to consult with a licensed electrician to have them increase the load of your circuits, if you cannot redistribute the appliances to other parts of your home or to use other unused or underutilized circuits.
Flickering lights.
This is a major sign of electrical trouble. While dimming lights may single an overloaded circuit, flickering lights are likely due to faulty or frayed wiring. When wires get damaged either through natural wear and tear or by other means, this creates a dangerous fire hazard. So, if you’re lights are flickering often, call an electrician to come take a look.
Lights that burn out quickly.
Most lightbulbs are known to last at least a year, if not longer. However, if you notice that your lightbulbs are burning out fast, this could be a sign that you have faulty wiring that is sending too much electricity into your lights. If you’ve changed the lightbulb several times and still notice it burning out in under 6 months, it’s likely time to call for help.
Conclusion.
These are the most common signs of electrical trouble that homeowners must look out for. The important thing is to be proactive and to pay attention to any strange electrical outages or glitches and take note of when they are happening. Having a licensed electrician come to inspect your home’s electrical system at least once every 12-18 months is a great way to catch trouble before anything goes to awry.