Problems arise with the electrical systems in your home more often than you may think. Nothing involving electricity should be taken lightly. Issues involving the power that runs through your property can have dangerous implications and can even lead to death. Understandably, if you are not an electrical engineer or electrician, you may not know the signs to look out for that indicate problems and faults.
Prevention is most definitely the best course of action when it comes to stopping accidents occurring involving electricity in your home. How, though, can you get ahead of these issues and stop them from turning into accidents? Check out the following 3 signs that it is time to hire a professional regarded as the nation’s top residential and industrial electrician.
Electrical Panels
Electrical Paneling is at the core of your home’s electrical system. You need to be careful because even when the main circuit breaker has stopped working or has been shut off for whatever reason, there will still be an electrical charge running through the paneling. Therefore, it’s vital that you leave this kind of work to the experts.
Circuit Breakers
As you may or may not know, circuit breakers are used to trip when there is an overloaded circuit. It does this by shutting your electricity off completely. This helps to stop overheating in the wires and stops fires. Breakers will also trip if they are worn out or old. Minor and irregular trips could be a sign of overloads. For these kinds of problems, you can simply move the item or appliance responsible for the overload to a different outlet that uses a different breaker. However, if the breaker starts tripping more frequently, it is time to call a fully qualified electrician out to assess the problem and come up with a solution.
Sparks, Smoke, Flickering Lights, Heat and Shock
All the above are indications of issues with your electrical systems that you can feel, see or even smell. Look out for any of the following:
- If you have felt any kind of strong shock or even a tingle when touching or handling an appliance, it is likely you have a fault with eh ground of that appliance or your home’s wiring.
- Be sure to regularly check ceiling light fixtures and the area around them for signs of overheating. As many are not insulated properly, when the fixture overheats the built-up heat can lead to fires. One solution is to switch to LED bulbs because they use less electricity and do not generate quite as much heat.
- If you have lights that flicker in your home, this could be a sign of loose or even defective light bulbs. If, though, you replace the bulbs in question and there are still flickering issues, it may be that there is an issue with the wiring.
- The first sign of even the slightest burning odor around switches or outlets should prompt you to switch off the power at the panel and then call an electrician. This could be either a particularly small problem or an incredibly big one. It could be just a faulty appliance or device but could also be the sign of a problem with overloading or the wiring.