Common Electrical Problems and How to Fix Them

Many homeowners experience electrical problems in their home from time to time. Those people look for cheap solutions to get their circuit breakers fixed or fix a loose flickering light bulb. However, one must be aware of the dangers while working to fix this electrical problem. For example, watching a youtube tutorial on fixing the main circuit breaker will put your life at risk. It's better to hire a professional like an electrician in western suburbs to fix the common problems for you. They will not only fix the open circuits but will also make sure that the problem has been taken care of permanently.

An international electricity foundation reported, that more than 50,000 homes caught fire last year due to electric failures. Plus, these fires have caused damage of more than $1.3 billion, which is quite a big figure. However, these results are the cause of ignorance in our homes, which becomes a great loss in our lives. Flickering lights, open circuits or the burning smell of electrical equipment, all these signs lead to a bigger problem. Moreover, there are many safe and home ready fixes to deal with these electrical problems. Dealing with these common electrical problems saves your home and family from a bigger accident.

The following are some common electrical problems and how you can fix them:

1. Damaged Light Switches

The damaged light and fan switches are the most common problems, everyone faces in their homes. These damaged switches fail to work because of the wiring in the switchboard getting loose mainly because of the substandard material used in the electrical board. Moreover, some switchboards melt inside because of overheating. This increases the dangers for the people who are using them frequently without being aware of the damage.

With that said, it is important to replace the light switches as soon as you realize they have started to stop working. Purchase new light switches and consult an electrician to install them for you.

2. Frequent Electricity Outage

If you are facing frequent electricity service outage in your house you’re your home wiring has serious problems. This sudden electricity outage happens because of the tripping of the circuit or a blown fuse. Many houses are installed with GFCI(Ground fault circuit interrupter) that instantly breaks the circuit whenever it detects an anomaly. Seeing that, it sounds important to have that circuit breaker in your home’s electrical panel. Once you have found your electrical panel, you can either change the circuit breakers wire or you can consult an electrician to do it for you.

3. Overheating Power Outlets

If you are experiencing severe melting in the electrical outlets then you might be in serious trouble. The overheating outlets are not good news and need to be fixed as soon as possible. This overheating might be because of the overloaded on the circuit or a damaged outlet. Meanwhile, it is okay to have your equipment heat up a bit because of the transformer shifting from AC to DC. On the other side, if there is a pungent smell along with strong heat, then your circuit needs to be fixed right away. Always unplug any outlets or devices near the damaged circuit or shut off your electricity supply to that room if possible.

Inspect the outlet carefully and tape the damaged wires wherever possible. These damaged wires can be the cause of the overheating and excessive smell. You can also call an electrician to do it for you to replace the wirings and avoid any future trouble.

4. Flickering Lights

Light flickering is another common problem in the household. This process is termed as the overlapping when your light fixtures bear more watts than its limit and blow off. It is quite dangerous for your bulb to flicker and go off like this means you have to fix the wiring of your circuit board. The flickering lights can also result in a short circuit, that can turn into fire easily. However, in this case, find the loosen wires or switch that is causing the flickering lights. Make sure that the switch or wires are properly inserted in the circuit.

5. Tripping Circuit Breaker

Circuit breakers are meant to keep your home safe and sound with the protection of your electrical equipment. The circuit breaker will instantly break down when it detects high voltage equipment in your house. However, if your circuit breaker is tripping continuously, then you are required to find out what is causing it to trip. Circuit breakers can trip on high voltage equipment like irons, microwaves or any juicers. Finding this equipment will assist you to identify the problems with the equipment which is causing an electricity overload.

6. High Electricity Bills

Electricity is an essential requirement for any house and it is becoming more and more expensive for people. With all the utility electricity serves like light, heat, cooking and more, it has become an essential part of our life and now it is impossible to live without it. However, with all these benefits, there are also negative consequences. People need to unplug all the electrical equipment which is not in use. Because in case of a power outage or short circuit, the plugged-in electrical appliances may catch fire. Also if the electrical appliances are continuously plugged in without any use then this means its consuming electricity and increasing your electricity bill. Additionally, the other reasons for high electricity can be damaged wires, old electrical equipment and short-circuiting. For that purpose, you can hire an electricity professional to find the cause of higher bills.

Conclusion

If the electrical problems persist, the only choice is to hire a professional electrician to fix them as soon as possible. Dealing with electricity requires patience and safety precautions. Always make sure you are wearing electrical gloves and have the precautions before you touch any loose wire or a fused circuit. Hope with the above tips you can identify your electrical problems in time and call a professional electrician to in case you are unable to fix the electrical issues.

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