Ever Encountered One of These Problems at Home?

Electricity is arguably the most important thing that scientific innovation brought to mankind. Electricity has become an essential part of both residential homes and industries. Virtually all devices in our homes, learning institutions, industries as well as commercial premises use electrical energy to function. Simply put, it’s now hard to imagine a world without electricity!

Despite all the potential benefits associated with the use of electrical energy, we are all aware that working with electricity can be a dangerous adventure. Your home is packed with lots of electrical systems such as computer networks and appliances.

We all interact with electricity on a daily basis and this implies that you are likely to face one or two home electrical problems every now and then. So how do you respond appropriately to some of these problems? And when should you contact your local technician?

Evidently, your first line of defence against electrical problems is to know the type, the cause and the potential dangers posed by each one. Today in this post, we want to discuss in excruciating details, some of the most common home electrical problems.

1) Ever-increasing energy bills!

With the current high cost of living, you’ll want to save as much money as possible by trying to reduce your energy bills. Poor insulation, inadequate home wiring, old furnaces as well as the use of energy-inefficient devices can all result in high energy bills.

You’ll need to consult a qualified, licensed and experienced electrician to assess the energy efficiency of your home. Depending on the results, they may either recommend replacements or upgrades to help get your monthly energy bills in line. You may be surprised at how much you can potentially save with just a few electrical upgrades and improvements around your home.

2) A strange odour is coming from your outlets.

This is always a serious problem which should be addressed immediately with a qualified electrician. If you detect a strange faint odour from your switch, stop using that particular outlet immediately. On most occasions, this issue is caused by arcing in either the fixture itself or the appliance. In either case, you’ll be forced to have it repaired or replaced. If you didn’t know, arcs usually result in quick fires and should be avoided at whatever cost.

3) Your circuit breaker trips frequently.

It has been proven that the overloading of power boards is the most cause of this problem. Most residential home and apartment lack sufficient power points to cater for the energy requirements of power-hungry electrical appliances such as dryers, electric ovens and home entertainment unit.

You’ll have to upgrade or add a decent circuit to compensate for the overload. You can either choose to add subpanels at a relatively minimal investment or replace the panel altogether. You can also partly solve this issue by somehow spreading your electrical needs around. For instance, don’t overburden a single outlet.

4) Your bulbs frequently burn out.

There are lots of reasons that may cause your bulbs to burn out quite often. If you experience frequent bulb blowouts, it could be as a result of a more dangerous reason than just overuse. It could be because the wattage is excessively high, your insulation is too close to the light, the wiring on the circuit and mains is poor.

This is evidently a tricky task to diagnose especially for the non-professionals. It is highly advisable that you reach out to your local electrician to help identify the root cause of persistent light bulb burnouts in your home.

5) Flickering lights.

While flickering is not often a cause for alarm, it is always advisable to make sure that it’s not part of a larger electrical problem. It is never a good idea to ignore any form of electrical issue.

Though there are other reasons, a loose wiring is the most serious cause of flickering lights and as well the primary cause of house fires! If you notice your lights flickering, carry out an investigation, and if you can’t identify the cause, call an electrician immediately.

6) Warm switches or outlets.

Dimming outlets can be a serious safety concern and should, therefore, be addressed with immediate effect. It indicates that you have serious issues hiding behind your walls. Faulty wiring, worn out outlets and perhaps switch overload are just some possible causes of this type of electrical issue.

These are some of the most common electrical issues you are likely to face at home. As we previously mentioned, dealing with electricity is not like cleaning your windows. Electrical problems are hazardous and very dangerous. If you don’t have the relevant tools, expertise and knowledge, kindly seek the assistance of a highly qualified electrician from Gordon’s Powers. We have a team of electricians that are ready to attend your home 24-hours a day.