Nobody likes electrical problems. Not only are they aggravating, they can be dangerous too. They can damage your appliances and pose a risk to your property and your life. Problems like flickering lights, frequently tripped circuit breakers and high electric bills can indicate an electrical problem. Below are five common electrical issues you could be experiencing in your home.
Common Electrical Problems Around your Home
Some common electrical issues you might come across are:
1. Electrical Surges
Electrical surges are common. They typically last for only a second, but if you experience frequent surges, it could lead to damage to equipment and appliances that can reduce life expectancy. Electrical surges occur from things like:
- Faulty appliances
- Lightning strikes
- Poor wiring in your home
- Damaged power lines
Solution: Check the wiring or the device connecting to your home grid. Try to disconnect poor quality devices or powerboards from the outlet. Your issue is solved if you don’t experience any more surges. If you do, you’ll need to call a professional to come fix the problem.
2. Sags and Dips in your Power
Sags and dips in your electrical supply, like with electrical surges, can frequently be attributed to the device connected to the power grid that is made with substandard materials or is faulty. When turned on, they tend to draw a lot of power.
Solution: To experience lower power consumption and improved lighting, have a professional check your power and replace the older device with a new improved one.
3. Grounding Problems
A couple of grounding issues can be:
- Underground Connections: Underground connections don’t have an added failsafe grounding system. Grounding offers a pathway for the intense electrical current to flow if there’s a short circuit. Solution: You’ll want a professional to come and ensure you have a sufficient grounding system and that all your connections are grounded.
- No Installed GFCI: If there’s an imbalance between outgoing and incoming currents, GFCI will break the circuit. Without GFCI, there’s the risk of electrical wire overheating, burns, shocks or even an electrical fire. Solution: If you don’t already have one, have a GFCI installed.
4. Circuit Breaker Frequently Tripping
High wattage items like hairdryers and microwaves can trip your circuit breaker, especially when you’re using other power-consuming things from the same source. Circuit breakers are designed to protect your home and you. Therefore, when it trips, it’s actually a sign it’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing.
Solution: Check to see what you were using when the circuit breaker tripped. Try using low settings for things like a hairdryer. When using high wattage devices, limit the electrical usage on one circuit. To turn the circuit back on, just find your home’s main electrical panel with all the main control switches. For old switches, the switch panel will have the switch turned off. For modern switches, the switch will be partially off. You simply locate the switch that’s off or partially off and switch it back on.
5. Overloading
In some cases, your light fixture will have a bulb or another fitting that has higher wattages than the designed fixture. This causes a high risk and is a code violation. The bulb’s heat could melt the socket as well as the insulation in the fixture’s wires, resulting in sparks from one wire to the next, causing an electrical fire. Even if you remove the bulb, the wires and sockets can still be damaged.
Solution: You should always stay within the wattage when fitting a bulb or another fitting. If the wattage isn’t marked on the fixture, it’s recommended you use a 60-watt bulb or a smaller bulb.
There are a number of electrical problems you could experience in your home that come with various reasons. While some issues might be simple enough that you can fix them yourself, it is always best to leave electrical work to the professionals, since it can pose danger. If you notice any of the above or other electrical issues in your home, contact a professional electrical engineer today to come take a look and fix the problem.