Is Your House an Electrical Death trap?
Electrical problems do happen from time to time in your home. Fortunately, many of these problems usually exhibit warning signs. The important part is knowing when these warning signs occur so that you can act immediately before something serious happens. Here are the warning signs that you need to watch out for.
The circuit breaker keeps tripping
Circuit breakers are a kind of electrical switch that protects your home from electrical overloads and short circuits by automatically stopping the flow of electricity when such problems occur. If it trips occasionally, the circuit could simply be overloaded, which means too many appliances are drawing too much power. To avoid this, just plug the appliance in another circuit. When there is short-circuit in the house, there are requirements for an electrical contractor to solve the problem. The use of the best tools and techniques is made at the platform for the safety. The use of the appliance should be done with proper information to have effective results.
However, if the circuit breaker keeps tripping, there might be a short circuit, which can be caused by broken wires, or when wires touch other wires. When this happens, never attempt to repair it yourself as it takes skill to fix the problem; you should call a licensed electrician to have a look.
Flickering lights
There are a few possibilities if your home’s lights flicker: either the bulb is defective or loose, there’s a connection problem somewhere in the circuit, or there’s something wrong in the fixture itself. To eliminate the possibilities, check if the affected bulb is actually loose and replace the bulb with another one that you know is working perfectly fine. But if the flickering persists, it’s time to call an electrician.
Mild electric shocks
Do you get a mild electric shock when you touch an electrical appliance? Then there might be something wrong with your home’s wiring or the appliance has a ground fault. If this happens a little too frequently, don’t wait for the situation to worsen. Just contact an electrician to look it over.
Take note, however, that electric shocks can also occur because of static electricity (e.g. when you shuffle your feet on the carpet), especially during the winter. Static electricity happens when an electrical charge accumulates on the surface of object. If both objects are insulators, the charge increases. If one of the objects touches a conductor, the charge will neutralise and produce a static shock. When this happens, there is no improper wiring or ground fault involved so there’s no need to worry about it.
Buzzing switches or outlets
Another possible sign of a problem is when a power outlet or switch starts buzzing. This could mean that there’s a loose connection somewhere in the wiring or the circuit is overloaded. Take note, however, that fluorescent lights also have a tendency to buzz or hum so be sure the noise you hear is actually coming from the switch or outlet. Once you’re sure it’s not the fluorescent light, switch off the power and call your electrician at once.
A burning smell
If you notice a burning smell like that of scorched plastic coming from any switch or outlet, immediately switch off the power at your home’s breaker panel and call your electrician right away. This could be caused by an overloaded circuit or faulty wiring, which could mean something is already overheating and could cause an electrical fire.
Another possible sign of an electrical problem is when light switches, power outlets, and connected power cords feel warm to the touch. Make sure you do not switch on the power or use the switch or outlet until the problem has been fixed by the electrician.
Frequent sparks
The occasional spark that happens when you connect an appliance to an outlet isn’t something to be too concerned about. However, sparks that occur frequently could mean there’s something wrong with the outlet’s circuit. If you’re experiencing this issue, stop using the outlet, switch off the power, and call your electrician at once.
