2 Common Residential Electrical Problems
Maintaining an efficient electrical system is critical to ensuring the safety of your family and property. As such, you need to schedule regular inspections with a reliable electrical specialist. Doing so allows the professionals to detect underlying issues before they become a hazard.
Check out the different issues to expect with your home's electrical system.
Electrical Transients
A burning smell, burn marks on your electrical outlets, and buzzing sounds from outlets are all signs of electrical transients. Also known as electrical surges, transients happen in the presence of disturbances in the power waveform. If you don't fix the problem immediately, high voltage can overload every connected piece of equipment and home appliances. The overload puts these items at risk of damage and degradation.
Electrical spikes are mostly a sign of:
- Poor Wiring. Wiring is critical for power distribution. If it's faulty, it can't offer adequate electrical resistance, so any conductive material could make the current inside the wire rise to hazardous levels.
- Lightning Strikes. A lightning strike can easily compromise the functionality of the electrical system. A strike to the power line introduces excessive current that makes the current spike. This is why you should unplug electrical devices whenever there's a storm.
- Electrical Overload. An electrical overload happens when you connect too many devices to one circuit. This is a common problem when using a power extension cord.
You may be tempted to plug in too many appliances at once. Or you may plug in a single device with a higher amperage level than the circuit, which ultimately results in a circuit overload.
You should disconnect any plugged-in appliances and turn off the power when you suspect a current surge. You can then contact a residential electrician to come in for thorough system testing. Your electrician can also install a surge protector to prevent future power surges.
Faulty Switches
Inefficient switches are a common electrical problem for most homes. The problem may signify a poorly done electrical installation job or a slowly deteriorating electrical system.
Perhaps you recently renovated your home, which prompted a switch replacement, but some switch fixtures were left out during installation. Or, you bought poor-quality switches that let you down after a few weeks of use. All these situations can lead to multiple failed switches.
You should contact a reliable electrician to inspect the light switches and make replacements if necessary. The expert can also advise you on the best quality switches that can give you the best value for your money. They can also check if there are other underlying issues in your electrical system that could be causing the switches to malfunction.
For more information, contact an electrician in your area today.