What Are the Most Common Electrical Problems in Your Home?

Homeowners are always concerned about the safety of their homes and family members. Despite this, the electrical system is still the most neglected part. Even minor issues, such as a faulty circuit, a sudden power outage, or a damaged outlet plug, can drastically affect your property and family.   

According to statistics, home electrical fires contribute to approximately 51,000 fires annually and result in an estimated property loss of $1.3 billion. (Home Electrical Fires, n.d.)

Proper installation of the home electrical system, routine inspection, repair, and maintenance are all crucial steps to avoid sudden accidents. If you’re experiencing flickering lights, warm fixtures, sparking, burning odor, or a buzzing sound from an outlet, immediately contact a professional electrician from SparkWise Electric. It is also recommended to have some basic knowledge about your home’s electrical system, including the location of wires and outlets, and the maximum current load capacity, to ensure safe power usage.      

If you’re interested in knowing “What are the most common electrical problems in your home?”, this post is definitely going to help you.

COMMON ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS IN HOMES

The sooner you diagnose a problem, the earlier you can take corrective measures and the lower the risk of damage. The most common electrical problems you may experience in your home are discussed below:

1. Circuit Overload

An overloaded circuit is the leading cause of frequent circuit breaker tripping. The situation arises when you draw too much power from a single outlet, and the demand exceeds the circuit capacity. Mostly, an inappropriate or overrated device load, such as a space heater or home appliance, is the reason. If the circuit can handle a maximum of 60 watts load and you put in a 100-watt bulb, you’ll overload it. Also, avoid using multiple adapters on a single circuit.

If you’re experiencing repeated overload issues, your system may need an upgrade. Our team specializes in installing dedicated electrical circuits in Gainesville, VA, to help manage your home’s power load more safely and efficiently.

The role of a circuit breaker is particularly interesting. It cuts off the power supply to an overloaded circuit. If the breaker isn’t present, the wiring may overheat and even melt due to an excessive power load. There will be a spark, and an accidental fire will ultimately result. So, do all your electrical circuits have an efficiently working circuit breaker? 

2. Often Tripping Circuit Breakers

When multiple energy-hungry appliances, such as microwave ovens, televisions, hairdryers, and refrigerators, draw power from the same source, the breaker trips. If you’re experiencing this frequently, reduce the number of devices that are drawing electricity from a single source. You can divide the appliances among different circuits. Using energy-efficient devices is also a useful tip. If the problem is not solved, call an electrician for a “dedicated circuit” quote to completely resolve the problem by adding a new breaker for your new device (s).

3. Dead Outlets

Using a dead outlet can expose your home to immense risk. It’s an indication of a potential issue in the wiring. A dead outlet may result due to one of three reasons: bad wiring, tripped circuit breaker, or a tripped GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter). Excessive heat buildup can melt the insulation surrounding the wiring and destroy the outlet. If you continue to use the electrical connection (dead outlet) for charging or running appliances, the resulting short circuit can create a spark, ultimately causing a fire.

If you find any or both of the plugs not working, immediately call an electrician to replace those outlets.

4. Sags, Dips, and Surges

In terms of electrical power, sags and dips are closely associated with surges. A surge occurs when the electrical power suddenly fades or turns out for a moment and returns immediately. Bad wiring, lightning strikes, electrical overload and power outage are the main causes of surges. Although lasting for less than second, frequent surges are quite harmful to the appliances.

On the other hand, sags and dips lead to what are known as “brown-outs”. It is when lights suddenly dim and immediately regain brightness. It happens when appliances are plugged into a faulty switch or are driving excess power from an outdated electric panel.

5. Electrical Shocks

Electrical shocks, although in many cases are not life-threatening in a residential 120V circuit, can be dangerous, especially for kids. They usually occur in homes that have an older electrical system. If you feel a sudden shock when turning an appliance on or off, you may need to inspect the wiring and the appliance because electrical shocks are a sign of a fault in either of the two. 

To test it, connect another small device with the same outlet. If you still feel a shock, the problem is with the wiring, otherwise, the appliance is defective.  

6. Uncovered Junction Boxes

An array of safety issues stem from an uncovered junction box. These include sparks, short circuits, electrical shocks and accidental fires. A junction box is a small 2”-x-3” box that accommodates the electrical connections of your home. It must be right-sized and covered with a secure metal or plastic covering to avoid safety issues. Tightly crammed wiring can further alleviate the risk of short circuits. 

Junction Boxes are installed during the construction phase. Therefore, homeowners should keep an eye on the selection of the right junction box, under the supervision of an experienced electrician. 

7. High Electricity Bills

Almost all of us are frustrated by high electricity bills. Right? But do you know that most of the time we ourselves are responsible for this? Turning off appliances, lights, and fans when not in use, minimizing the usage of energy-hungry devices, and unplugging chargers once the equipment is charged are some simple hacks to cut down electric costs. Using old appliances is yet another reason for high electricity bills. Ensure that you regularly upgrade your appliances to the latest, energy-efficient models. For further information, you can contact your equipment manufacturer. 

Smart thermostats are specially designed to avoid energy waste. They can be linked with an Android or IOS app, so you can control your home’s HVAC system with just a few clicks.

8. Flickering or Dimming Lights

Lights can flicker or dim for numerous reasons and can ultimately lead to arcing, sparking, or fire. If the issue isn’t with your light bulb, then most probably, you might be having frayed wiring. Corroded or worn-out connections that have direct contact can generate a spark and ignite.

Besides voltage fluctuations, which is caused when an appliance in the connection is drawing excessive energy, a single light may be flickering due to a faulty connection, loose light plug, or a damaged fixture or light. However, if multiple lights are dimming or flickering, the entire circuit might be defective. In each case, it’s better to immediately call an electrician from SparkWise Electric to avoid severe damage.

9. Overlamping

Have you ever touched your light bulb while it’s glowing? Is it extremely hot? This is what is called “overloading”. This condition prevails when you use a light bulb of greater wattage than is recommended for that particular fixture. The intense heat produced can burn the insulation and melt the wiring. The socket will be damaged badly. Overlamping is one of the primary causes of sparks, arcing, and fires.

To avoid this issue, make sure that the wattage of the inserted bulb is the same or less than the maximum fixture capacity. If you’re uncertain about the max wattage of the outlet, it’s better not to use a light bulb of more than 60 watts. Energy-saving bulbs are even smarter options that provide enough brightness while consuming only 10 to 15 watts.

TIPS TO AVOID ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS IN HOMES

We cannot completely prevent electrical problems, but we can at least reduce their intensity and frequency of occurrence. The following are some tips to avoid electrical problems in homes: –

• Prevent water and electricity from mixing. Never touch the wires or sockets with wet hands.
• Use outlet covers to protect your children from inserting fingers into the slots.
• Ensure routine inspection of your home’s electrical system by skilled electricians.
• Never let the electrical cords run across the furniture or underneath the carpets and rugs.
• Ensure the use of correct wattage.
• Keep the circuits from overloading. A sufficient number of outlets in a home can help avoid this issue.
• Keep combustible materials away from electrical sources or outlets.
• Avoid using inferior quality electrical products, materials, or cables as they can quickly get damaged and ignite due to poor conducting ability.
• Turn off electrical equipment, like televisions, computers, and air conditioners, when not in active use.

Need Help with Electrical Issues?

If you’re experiencing circuit overloads or other electrical issues, Spark Wise Electric is here to help. Our licensed electricians are ready to handle all your electrical needs quickly and safely. Call us today at (703) 915-5351 for reliable service you can trust.

Final Thoughts 

The maintenance of a smoothly working electrical system is a much bigger challenge than its installation. Basic know-how about common electrical problems can assist in tackling a problematic situation. Tripping circuit breakers, high electricity bills, faulty outlets, electrical shocks, and flickering lights are some common issues in almost every home.  

Following precautionary measures and calling a professional electrician whenever a problem arises are some useful tips for protecting your home and family from a disastrous event.