The electrical system is one of the most important and most dangerous parts of any home. Electrical issues start more than 50,000 home fires in the US each year, resulting in more than 1,000 injuries and almost 500 deaths.
There is also a risk of severe shock or fatal electrocution if your electrical system is damaged or not working correctly. Many electrical issues are luckily not as serious, but they’re still something you’ll want to get taken care of quickly just to be safe. If you notice any of these issues in your home, you can count on the experts at AJ Danboise Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical for help.
Overloads and Tripped Circuit Breakers
Most of the circuits in a home are 120 volts and either 15 or 20 amps, and the amperage of each circuit dictates how many volts of electricity it can safely provide at one time. If you try and draw too many volts from a circuit at one time, the circuit will get overloaded and cause the circuit breaker to automatically trip. Circuit breakers are an essential safety component that helps to lessen the risk of electrical fires.
When too many volts flow through a circuit, the wiring can quickly overheat to the point that the wire insulation begins to melt. This is a serious issue as it can lead to an arc fault, which is when the current sparks or arcs across the wires. Both arc faults and overheated wires can potentially cause any nearby building materials to catch fire. This is why the circuit breaker is designed to instantly trip if the current load exceeds the circuit’s maximum capacity to ensure that a fire doesn’t occur.
The most common reason a circuit breaker will trip is simply because you have too many things plugged into that circuit. If the breaker trips when you turn on a vacuum or hairdryer or try to use your microwave, you can be fairly certain that it’s overloaded. In this situation, you’ll want to unplug at least some things from the circuit and then reset the breaker. You can then try to use the same appliance again to see if the breaker trips a second time. If the breaker doesn’t trip, there’s usually nothing to worry about. All you need to do is be careful about what you’re plugging in and trying to use at one time to prevent future overloads.
If the breaker trips again or you have a breaker that frequently trips even when you’re not trying to use multiple appliances and electronic devices at one time, it’s a sign that you need to have an electrician perform an inspection. These situations often indicate that one of the wires in the circuit is damaged or that there is a loose connection, both of which can cause a short circuit. Short circuits cause a huge amount of voltage to surge through the circuit, which will lead to the breaker tripping even if nothing is plugged in or turned on.
Electrical Outlet, Light Switch or Light Fixture Stops Working
Another common issue is when one outlet or light switch suddenly stops working. Although it’s somewhat rare, this issue can happen simply because the outlet or switch is faulty or worn out. More commonly, it happens because one of the wires inside the switch or outlet has come loose. If the switch only controls one light fixture, it may also be that there is a loose wire inside the fixture.
While an outlet or switch that doesn’t work may only seem like an inconvenience, it is still an issue you’ll want to have an electrician look at as soon as possible. This is because a loose wire can cause the current to arc and potentially melt the outlet or switch or lead to it catching fire. If the current arcs, you can also get a nasty shock when you touch the outlet or switch.
Smoking or Burned Outlet
This issue is similar to what we just discussed, except that it is much more serious and requires immediate action. If an outlet starts smoking or you notice that it is scorched or melted, you should immediately go to your electrical panel and shut off the circuit breaker to prevent the outlet from catching fire. You’ll then want to leave the breaker shut off and call for an immediate inspection so that an electrician can replace or rewire the outlet.
Every circuit in your panel will usually be clearly labeled so that you can quickly identify the correct breaker. If some or all of the circuits aren’t labeled, it’s a good idea to go through your home and find out which breaker corresponds to which circuit so that you can be prepared for emergency situations such as this.
All of the circuits that control your lights and outlets are 120-volt circuits with a single breaker. There will also be a few 240-volt circuits with double breakers that are for large, high-power appliances like your furnace, AC and clothes dryer. The easiest way to identify all of the 120-volt circuits is to turn all of the lights in your home on. You can then turn off the breakers one by one and check to see which room or parts of the home the lights went out in when you turned each breaker off. You can then label each breaker with the corresponding room or part of the home for future reference.
Flickering or Dimming Lights
Another common issue in some homes is when the lights suddenly flicker or dim. This most commonly happens when the HVAC system comes on or when using a high-power appliance like a dryer or 240-volt microwave, but sometimes lights can also just frequently flicker on their own.
If you have LED lights on a dimmer switch that often flicker, it typically means either that the fixture has a non-dimmable bulb or that the dimmer switch isn’t compatible with LED lights. If you put in a dimmable bulb and the light keeps flickering, it indicates that you need to have an electrician upgrade the switch to an LED-compatible dimmer.
If your lights flicker when your AC or other large appliances turn on, it usually means that your electrical panel doesn’t supply enough amps. Many older homes only have a 100-amp panel, which generally isn’t sufficient for multiple 240-volt appliances. If the panel doesn’t have sufficient amperage, your AC or other 240-volt appliances can use up much of the available power when turning on. This results in less current flowing through the other circuits, which is what causes the lights to temporarily dim or flicker.
In this situation, the solution is to have an electrician upgrade your electrical service and replace the existing panel with a 200-amp or even 400-amp panel. Upgrading to a higher-amp panel will ensure that you always have sufficient power. Upgrading your panel can also help lower your energy bills as modern electrical panels are more energy efficient and better at channeling the current where it needs to go.
AJ Danboise Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical has been providing expert electrical services to the Farmington Hills area since 1925, and we’re also the area’s top choice for heating, cooling, and plumbing services. If you need an electrical safety inspection or any electrical repair or installation services, give us a call and we’ll get you taken care of promptly and professionally.
