Modern households rely heavily on electricity for lighting, appliances and electronics. Unfortunately, however, wiring within many houses has fallen out of date over the years, leaving our growing assortment of power-hungry devices without enough juice to run properly.
If you encounter tangled cords or electrical boxes that appear like rats’ nests, immediately contact a licensed electrician to inspect and repair them as soon as possible. Sparking wires present both shock and fire hazards.
1. Flickering Lights
Flickering lights might appear harmless at first glance, but this can be a sure sign of an electrical problem. Flickering can indicate loose bulbs or the wrong type, improper wiring and switch box settings as well as exceeding acceptable voltage range. A simple tool called a voltmeter is available to measure this information; if readings go beyond 125V it would likely be wise to seek professional assistance immediately.
Unsecure connections create resistance that can overheat and ignite fires, so if the issue is widespread it might be time to have your home rewired by professionals who can identify and address any issues quickly.
2. Burning Smells
Burned dust and lint, melting plastic, and electrical burning smells can be easily identified when switching on your heating system. If you detect such aromas while switching it on, it could indicate something is amiss with its wiring which should be addressed immediately by an electrician.
Also Read: Do Home Warranties Cover Electrical Issues?
This type of smell could be due to several things, including an overheated blower motor causing insulation burnoff; foreign objects (like child’s toys or food particles) getting stuck inside vents/ducts and burning; and rusty metal wires in sockets/switches/fuses. If removing foreign objects is enough to get rid of the burning smell quickly then there may be no need for an electrician visit; otherwise if it persists it would be wiser to call one immediately and turn off your heating before having it looked at by an electrician.
3. Too Few Outlets
Too often, homes contain too many outlets than needed, leading to overloaded circuits and electrical fires – one of the primary causes of housefires.
If you have several appliances or devices requiring plugs (such as toasters, hair dryers and crock pots) it may be beneficial to hire an electrician to install additional outlets. Furthermore, extension cords or power strips should not be used for long-term usage as these may overheat over time and cause overheating issues.
Remind yourself that single outlets are only designed for 15 or 20 amps, so only devices rated for this amount should use it. If your electrical circuit breaker keeps tripping, seek professional assistance to install more outlets – licensed electricians should come and add them as necessary.
4. Insufficient Electrical Power
Power interruptions such as blackouts are a result of natural disasters or weather. But they may also occur because of power system overloads, animals striking power lines and poles, construction work affecting utility equipment problems or human error.
Enhancing your home’s energy efficiency through professional electrical rewiring or UPS installation will help combat insufficient electrical power supply. Furthermore, having an electrician check the wiring, surge suppressors and grounding will ensure that it’s meeting current electrical codes.
Brownouts are short-term periods of electricity rationing when supply falls short of demand, impacting lighting, appliances and electrical motors to cause them to overheat; this damage is known as electrical treeing and could potentially result in the loss of equipment or even fires.
5. Insufficient Insulation
Insulation is essential to increasing energy efficiency and protecting against freezing temperatures in your home, and replacing old insulation should be evaluated periodically to avoid drafts, high energy bills, uneven temperatures in different parts of the house and drafts. A knowledgeable professional should handle old insulation safely while offering you solutions tailored specifically for your home or business. Contact us now to discover more about upgrading it.
