A vital component of any home is its electrical wiring. It needs to be set up correctly so that you can perform essential activities, such as operating kitchen appliances and powering your living room lights. If you notice any issues, you'll want to take care of them immediately as not doing so could cause extensive damage to your home. Contacting a licensed electrical repair services company in your area is your best chance of fixing the problem correctly.
If any of these signs are present in your home, it's time to make the call.
1. Running Too Many Extension Cords
Although extension cords play an important role in many homes today, they can be problematic if too many are used at one time. Their long design makes them susceptible to kinks, which can then cause shortages with some of the wires in your home. Kinks can also damage your outlets and potentially cause fires.
That’s why it’s so important to limit the number of extension cords used in your house. If you do need to use several at a time, be sure to limit their usage. Only keep them plugged in when you’re actually at home so you can monitor them thoroughly. If you’re finding it challenging to live day-to-day with just a couple of extension cords plugged in, it may be best to have additional outlets installed. This way, you can reduce your family’s risk of overworking the electricity in your home and causing costly damage.
2.Flickering Lights
You’ve probably experienced flickering lights at some point over the years. No, this isn’t ghosts trying to reach out or scare you. The culprit is often too much electricity being consumed by one of your major appliances. Generally, this happens with appliances that heat or cool.
To fix this problem, you’ll want to consult with a licensed electrician. They’ll be able to test out your electrical wiring and see where the extra load is coming from. They may recommend switching your interior lights to different circuits, in the interest of balancing out the electrical load better.
Another solution that might be proposed is installing new lines strictly for your major appliances. Then, you won’t ever have to worry about any appliance working too hard and causing your lights to flicker repeatedly.
3.Sparking
One of the more pressing electrical issues you may have to deal with at some point is electrical sparking. This often occurs when you go to plug in an appliance, and it could mean faulty wiring within the interior walls.
Even if the sparking doesn’t happen often, you should still have electrical components inspected by a qualified electrician. They can quickly identify why sparking keeps happening, whether it’s because you need a new outlet or there’s something wrong with the appliance itself. Having these issues addressed promptly is paramount for preventing costly damage and potential fires.
4.Hot Outlets
Even if you don’t know much about electricity and wires, you can still conduct a quick inspection of the outlets in your home. Using one of your hands, touch each outlet to make sure it’s not hot. If one or multiple outlets are hot to the touch, a myriad of problems could exist.
One of the most common is having too many appliances plugged into one outlet. Or, there may be faulty wiring inside your home’s walls because of improper configuration. Often, older homes have these issues, and a repair should be imminent.
There could also be too much demand on the circuit. This may require re-working some wires so that the circuit is balanced correctly. Or, the problem could even be with the outlet itself. Outlets – over time – will stop working at an optimal rate. They’ll thus need to be replaced eventually for correct operation.
5.No GFCI Outlets Present
If your home is older, it's possible there aren’t any GFCI outlets in it. Although this may seem minor, it poses a lot of potential dangers for you and your family. For example, standard outlets in the kitchen and bathroom are not well equipped to handle these wet environments. You’re thus more susceptible to shocks, which could be fatal in specific instances.
GFCI outlets are designed to detect abnormal flows of current. When these currents are detected, the outlet immediately shuts off to protect those nearby from abnormal surges and shocks. If you notice that your home doesn’t have them, particularly in wet areas, you need to have them installed promptly.
These specialized outlets are relatively inexpensive and there are multiple sizes you can select from, depending on how many appliances you plan on using. Just be sure to set up a service call to ensure these outlets are properly installed, the first time.
6.Constant Buzzing Noises
Just because you can’t see electricity, doesn’t mean you can’t hear it. If you continuously hear buzzing noises when using appliances or turning lights on, something may be seriously wrong with your home’s wiring. Normal wiring doesn’t make any sounds, which is why it often goes unnoticed for years.
If a buzzing noise is present, there could be loose prongs in outlets or some of your wiring may be frayed. The latter is particularly important to fix so that these damaged wires don’t have the opportunity to create sparks and thus set your entire house on fire.
The moment you hear buzzing, be sure to contact an electrician. They’ll run various diagnostic tests to identify the source of the buzzing. The solution may be as simple as changing an old outlet or re-doing the entire wiring in your home. Whatever needs to be done, you’ll receive a full report along with a cost breakdown of the damages present.
Out of all the components in your home, the electrical wiring is perhaps the most important. Without it, you could hardly do any of your favorite activities like read a book at night or watch television. To ensure it works correctly and safely over the years, look out for certain electrical warning signs. The earlier you detect them, the less you have to worry about costly damage or putting your entire family in jeopardy. Even simple maintenance and repairs go a long way.
Contact a Licensed Electrical Repair Company
If you’re experiencing any of these faulty wiring signs, it’s time to contact a licensed electrician.