Common Electrical Services Issues In Homes | Wilmington, NC
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You’ve probably come across a few electrical issues in the past and handled them by yourself, but you endangered your life and put those of your family at risk. Most electrical problems are best left to professional electrical services because of the safety risk associated. One small error could lead to catastrophic damages, including a home fire and even death.
It’s good to know the various electrical problems you’re likely to encounter in your home so as to seek professional help as soon as possible. Here’s a list of the most common electrical problems you’ll encounter.
1. Frequent Electrical Surges
An electric surge can result from lightning strikes, wrong electrical wiring, faulty appliances or damaged power lines. A surge lasts less than a second and doesn’t cause much damage. However, frequent electrical surges can damage electrical appliances in your home.
If you experience frequent electrical surges, it’s probably due to faulty wiring or an electrical device connected to your home grid. To fix this, try removing any power boards or cheaply made appliances from the outlet and observe if the surges stop.
If the problem persists, don’t try anything else. Seek professional electrical help.
2. Circuit Breaker Tripping Frequently
If your circuit breaker frequently trips, it’s probably because the breaker detects some problems in the current circuit. But this is no cause for alarm because it shows that your house is well-protected. All you need to do is reduce the number of appliances connected to the circuit simultaneously.
However, if even after reducing the number of appliances connected to the circuit it still keeps tripping frequently, contact the best electrical services in Wilmington, NC.
3. Lights Too Bright or Dim
If you’ve noticed that some lights in your house are brighter or dimmer than others, it’s a sign of a faulty connection that could even lead to arcing (corroded or loose connections that result in irregular contact).
This could be as a result of:
- Different types of lights having different wattages: To solve this, check and ensure that all light bulbs are identical.
- Faulty main neutral connection: Solving this on your own is next to impossible, but it will continue to cause issues if ignored.
To solve the issues above, you’re going to need the help of a professional electrical company.
4. High Electricity Bills
If you’ve noticed that your electricity bill doesn’t go hand in hand with your consumption level, don’t ignore this because it could be a sign of a major malfunction. Lots of things could cause your electricity bill to shoot, including:
- Faulty wiring
- Damaged circuit
- Outdated electrical appliances that use up more power
- Leakage in electrical systems
- Expensive power supplier
However, it could be your fault in some cases because you may keep forgetting to turn off the lights when you leave the house or when you go to sleep. In this case, the best remedy is to economize electricity usage in your home.
If you still feel that your bill is exaggerated, seek professional electrical services to guide you on how to best deal with the matter.
5. Light Bulbs Burning Out Too Often
Do you find yourself replacing light bulbs too often because they burnt out? The problem isn’t the bulbs you’re buying: they could be burning out too often because of an electrical issue. Some of the causes could be:
- High voltage
- Faulty wiring on the circuit and main switches
- A tightly fixed bulb
- Insulation being too close to the light
- Too much wattage on one switch
- Poorly connected circuit
- Improper air circulation
Check if the bulb holder is loose or worn out. If there are no problems with the bulb holder, seek professional electrical services.
6. Dead Outlets
A dead outlet could result from a tripped breaker due to overheating, resulting in melted wires or outlets. It could also be as a result of the breaker tripping a poor connection. If you have a dead outlet, it’s best to seek professional electrical services.
7. Nonfunctioning Switches
If you find that the dimming or on/off switches aren’t functioning as they should be, the chances are that the switch has been overridden. It could also be as a result of faulty wiring and circuit fault. However, in some cases, it could simply be that your switch is damaged or old.
Fixing these issues isn’t something you can try to correct on your own. You need to seek a professional electrical service and have it repair or replace it with a new one to avoid the issue arising again.
8. Lack of Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB)
A residual current circuit breaker (RCCB) is a vital appliance because it disconnects the load from the main supply, breaking the circuit to prevent severe harm from an ongoing electric shock. It also protects you from direct and indirect contact, electric fire and earthing protection against corrosion.
If your house lacks a residual current circuit breaker (RCCB), it’s high time you seek professional electrical services and have them install one for safety measures.
9. Aluminum Wiring
In the past, aluminum wires were used as a cheap knock off for copper wires. But over time, it has been noticed that aluminum wires are a significant cause of electrical fires, and that’s why it’s best to have copper wires.
This is because corrosion occurs when aluminum comes in contact with copper, and upon the connection loosening, it leads to a fire. Also, aluminum wiring is not the best solution because it’s more prone to oxidation when conducting electricity. Therefore, if it comes into contact with plastic, wood or other flammable materials, it poses a high electric fire risk.
Seek professional electrical services to get an expert opinion on matters concerning your electrical wiring.
Contact Us for the Best Electrical Services
Whatever your electrical problem is, ignoring it isn’t a good idea because it could be hazardous. It’s always best to seek professional electrical services. Whether it’s faulty wiring, dead outlets or electrical surges, Mister Sparky of Wilmington has a team of experienced and professional electricians capable of handling all your electrical problems. Contact us Mister Sparky of Wilmington for the best electricians in Wilmington, NC today!